The Honeymoon Period (The Austin Series)

by Fallowfield, C. J.

  ‘I’m not exactly sure how it could look any worse than it already does, Gabe.’

  We exited the corridor and made our way back to our table and I felt like everyone’s eyes were on my flushed face. I avoided eye contact with Doug and Robert, who both stood up again and waited for Gabe to pull my seat back and let me in. I grabbed my champagne and downed it as Gabe took his place next to me. Robert was talking to Doug so I caught Lexi’s eye and she smiled and winked making it clear she knew what we’d been up to. I jumped as a waiter silently appeared from nowhere to refill my glass and top up everyone else’s as our starters arrived.

  ‘I see you like scallops as well Mia, they’re one of Gabriel’s favourites,’ came Robert’s voice. I took a deep breath, I couldn’t avoid looking at him forever and turned my head and was taken aback by his features. He really was a good looking guy. I felt myself flush again, I hated that I did that so often.

  ‘I’d never had them before, Gabe took me to the restaurant above your offices and chose them for me and I was really taken with them.’

  ‘What did you think of the place?’

  ‘The view’s stunning and the food was excellent, we had a lovely evening.’

  ‘I used to spend a lot of time there when I worked downstairs and Tabby and I would often take Gabriel with us to work during the holidays so it was a favourite lunch time haunt. If you love the view from there, you’d love the views in Hong Kong.’ He chatted to me about the city as we ate our starters and I was sure he was trying to put me at ease after today’s events. I ate my scallops in small bites, so I was able to ask questions without a mouthful of food, so I was last to finish around the table. As soon as I put my knife and fork down, Gabe grabbed my hand and laced his fingers with mine.

  ‘Dad, are you going to monopolise my girlfriend all night?’

  ‘See Mia, you’ve got my son smitten. He can’t even manage five minutes without you.’

  ‘Dad.’

  ‘You think this is bad Mr. A, you should see them reunite after a morning or afternoon apart, you’d think they’d been parted for weeks. God, when he had to spend the night away with me he was pining all night and they literally couldn’t keep their hands off each other when he got back.’

  ‘Doug, really?’ Gabe glared.

  ‘Try staying under the same bloody roof as them Doug, it’s a nightmare.’

  ‘Lexi, I don’t think this is appropriate dinner conversation,’ I said blushing again. ‘Especially not in present company.’

  ‘I’m not that old, Mia. I still remember what it was like to be a teenager in love, you know,’ smiled Robert. I looked at Gabe and shook my head in despair and he moved his chair up next to mine and put his arm around me and kissed my temple.

  ‘Ok guys, I think you’ve embarrassed us enough for one night. Let’s talk about someone else’s sex life, shall we? Preferably not Dads.’

  ‘Touché, Gabriel,’ laughed Robert.

  Three hours later we’d eaten sorbet, main course, another sorbet and a pudding, drunk at least a bottle of wine each, had pudding wine and liquor coffees with petit fours and we were back in the Limo and outside my apartment.

  ‘Guys, don’t forget the cleaners are in at ten,’ reminded Gabe as Doug and Lexi said their goodbyes. Gabe tightened his arm around me and I rested my head on his shoulder as he and Robert discussed our plans for the apartment and I felt my eyes closing.

  I woke with a start to darkness and felt something heavy on me and sat up quickly in a panic. I was on a bed with a thick fur throw over me. As my eyes adjusted, I realised I was in Gabe’s room and reached over and turned on my bedside light. It was one a.m. and I was still in my dress but without my shoes. I looked over to Gabe’s side of the bed and found it empty. He wasn’t in the bathroom either so I walked downstairs and looked in his lounge which was in darkness. I couldn’t hear voices in Robert’s lounge either so I padded barefoot on the cold tiles to the kitchen door and went in and saw Robert sitting at the island with a bottle of JD and two partially filled glasses.

  ‘Mia, we didn’t wake you did we?’

  ‘No, I just woke up and wondered where Gabe was. I’m so sorry for falling asleep.’

  ‘Don’t be, you’ve had a stressful few weeks, you obviously needed it.’

  ‘How did I get upstairs? Gabe’s not supposed to be lifting anything.’

  ‘Don’t worry, I carried you for him. He was insistent that we let you sleep,’ he smiled. I blushed again, his dad carrying me when I was wearing no underwear?

  ‘Thank you. Is Gabe, ok?’

  ‘Yes we’re just having a catch up over a whiskey, he popped to the toilet. Join us?’

  ‘Thanks, but I’ll go back to bed, I was just worried about him. I’ll leave you to enjoy it, he misses you. Thanks for a really lovely evening, it was incredibly kind of you.’ I walked over and kissed him on the cheek.

  ‘It was my pleasure, you’ve all done so much for him it’s the least I could do. See you in the morning, Mia.’

  ‘Night, Robert.’ I left the kitchen and looked at the door to the utility, but decided to leave him to enjoy his night with his dad and I headed up to the bathroom. I cleaned off my makeup, brushed my teeth and pulled my dress off before having a quick shower to rinse the evidence our earlier encounter in the restaurant toilet. Yawning, I headed back to bed and fell asleep again in minutes.

  I woke up to hear banging and cursing and put on the light, squinting to see Gabe at the foot of the bed grinning and swaying.

  ‘Helloooo, baby. I’ve missed you. Have I told you that you’re beautiful?’

  ‘Yes, you tell me all the time Gabe,’ I rubbed my eyes and saw it almost three a.m.

  ‘Have you told you that those lips on your face are the most fuckable lips I’ve ever seen? Your other lips are very fuckable too, delcisous … delcisously fuckable.’

  ‘Gabe Austin, are you drunk?’ I exclaimed.

  ‘Noooo.’ He shook his head as he swayed on the spot.

  ‘Yes you are,’ I giggled. ‘You can hardly stand up.’

  ‘You’re so sexy, do you know that?’

  ‘You’ve told me on a few occasions yes. Come on, get undressed and get into bed.’

  ‘Bed with you?’ he asked as his smile reached his lustful eyes.

  ‘Yes, with me,’ I smiled.

  ‘Boy it’s my lucky night,’ he chuckled as he tried to pull of his tie.

  ‘It’s your lucky night every night, Gabe.’

  ‘Nooo,’ he replied shaking his head. ‘It’s my lucky night.’

  ‘That’s what I said.’

  ‘My … lucky … night,’ he slurred. I giggled again, I’d never seen him properly hammered before. I watched as he carried on trying to undo his tie, nearly falling over the foot of the bed as he tried to concentrate. I shook my head and pulled back the duvet and went to help him, worried he’d fall and hurt his shoulder. ‘You’re naked, naked in my bed,’ he exclaimed wide eyed.

  ‘Yes, I always sleep naked in your bed Gabe, come here let me get you undressed.’ I reached up and undid his tie as he swayed unsteady on his feet staring at me. I smiled as he studied me while I started to undo his waistcoat buttons.

  ‘I love you, baby,’ he mumbled.

  ‘I love you too, Gabe, try and stand still for me.’

  ‘Your tits are very big and perky.’

  ‘Thank you, now give me your hand so I can undo these cufflinks.’ He held up one hand for me and put the other one on my breast and gently squeezed it.

  ‘It’s so soft and lovely, I lurrrrrve your tits.’

  ‘I know you do, Gabe. Right, let it go and give it to me please.’

  ‘You want me to give you your tit?’ he asked looking shocked and very serious.

  ‘No,’ I laughed. ‘My “tit” is very firmly attached to me. Give me your hand.’ I pulled it off me while he protested and tried to kiss me. ‘Wow, you stink of whiskey.’ I managed to dodge his lips as I undid the other cufflink and shrugged
his shirt off his shoulders.

  ‘I drank whiskey,’ he nodded.

  ‘I know you did, try and stand still so I can undo your trousers.’

  ‘Are you trying to sudjuice … sudooch me baby?’ he grinned as I undid his button and unzipped him.

  ‘No, I’m not trying to seduce you, just trying to get you undressed so I can get you into bed.’ I grabbed his hand and walked him around to his side of the bed and pulled his trousers and boxers down, stunned to see that he had a solid erection in his state.

  ‘Into bed to sudooch me? You want my body. I want your body. Fuck, you’ve a great body. Did I ever tell you what a great body you have?’

  ‘Gabe, you’re a very horny drunk, stop fondling me please.’

  ‘No. Want to touch you. You’re mine.’

  ‘I am yours yes, but no touching.’ I grabbed his hands as he tried to grope me again and he pulled a sulky face making me giggle.

  ‘You’ve a hot body and I want to touch it,’ he pouted.

  ‘You touch it all the time Gabe, right now I need to pull back the duvet and you’re going to get in and go to sleep. Grope me again and I’ll get out that paddle and whoop your arse.’

  ‘Ooooo, watch out, my dirty girl’s back,’ he chuckled. I let go of him and bent over to pull back the duvet and felt his hand slide down my bottom and between my legs. ‘Gabe, stop it,’ I protested as I stood up and whacked his hand away.

  ‘I want to make lurrrrrrrrve to you,’ he sang as he grabbed me by the waist and pulled me tightly to him. I had to stifle a laugh when he continued and tried singing Boyz II Men “I’ll make love to you” and I realised singing was on the very short list of things that he really wasn’t good at.

  ‘Gabe, you’re so drunk, I’m not doing anything with you. Now, get into bed before you start acting out the dance moves to that song and I get really cross with you.’

  ‘It’s ok, you know,’ he sighed heavily as he dropped his hands from me and his shoulders slumped.

  ‘What’s ok?’ I asked as I looked up into his glazed eyes, even drunk he was so beautiful it hurt my chest.

  ‘That you don’t love me,’ he whispered shaking his head. ‘Not like I love you.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ I looked at him shocked.

  ‘It’s ok baby, I still love you anyway. I’ll always love you … my forever girl … but we could be so happy.’ He lifted a hand and tried to trail his fingers down my cheek, but ended up palming my nose as he looked at me sadly.

  ‘Gabe, we are happy, aren’t we?’ I frowned as I removed his wandering hand from my face. ‘I love you, why do you think I don’t love you?’

  ‘You don’t want to marry me or have my babies. We’d have such beautiful babies, you’d be the best mother and I’d love them so much, just as much as I love you because they’d be ours, Mia. Ours, our beautiful babies,’ he sighed. I stared at him in shock as a ball of hurt started rolling and gathering momentum inside me. He really thought that I didn’t love him because I’d told him I didn’t want these things?

  ‘Gabe I …’ He pushed his hand onto my face again, trying to cover my lips and gave me a sad smile.

  ‘Sssshhhh,’ He cut in with an over exaggerated whisper and a wavering finger to his own lips. ‘We’re not supposed to talk about it, you never want to talk about it so we never had this conversation. I’ll be fine,’ he nodded. ‘I want more, you don’t ... but I’m going to be fine because you’re my girl, my forever girl. You are my girl, aren’t you? Even though you don’t want me properly?’

  ‘Yes I’m your girl, Gabe,’ I whispered choking back the tears. He tried to kiss me and I put my fingers over his mouth and realised he’d got tears on his own cheeks. ‘Gabe, please get into bed. Get into bed for me.’

  ‘With you?’

  ‘Yes, in a minute, I’m going to hang your clothes up and go and get you a glass of water and then I’ll be back, ok?’

  ‘Promise me.’

  ‘I promise, so get in for me and lie down, please,’ I begged. He suddenly sat on the edge of the bed and rested his forehead on my stomach, his arms wrapped tightly around my thighs and I took in a pained breath when I saw his shoulders moving and felt his tears on my bare skin.

  ‘Don’t leave me Mia. You were going to leave me, I couldn’t bear it if you did. I love you, don’t go.’ I could hear the desperate plea in his voice.

  ‘I’m not leaving you Gabe, I’m right here,’ I stroked his hair and unclasped his hands from behind me, lifted his feet and pushed him down onto his back and he covered his face with his hands.

  ‘Don’t look at me, I don’t want you to see me like this. I’m the man, I’m supposed to take care of you,’ he moaned. I pulled the duvet around him and pulled his hands away from his face. Where the hell was this all suddenly coming from? He hadn’t even cried once with all the trauma he’d just been through.

  ‘You do take care of me Gabe, you take very good care of me. Please stop crying, you’re upsetting me.’ I sat on the edge of the bed and cupped his face in my hands and kissed each of his temples and his soft wet lips, salty from his tears. He made a little moan which made my heart ache for him. ‘Sssshhhh, Gabe, I’m right here. Sleep for me baby.’ I held one of his hands in mine and put my other on his hair and stroked his forehead with my thumb and he sighed and tried to focus on me, but his eyelids kept trying to close. ‘Don’t fight it, go to sleep. I do love you, with all my heart,’ I whispered.

  I waited until his eyes were shut, his lips parted and he started breathing deeply, with the odd catch in his breath as his tears dried and his hand went limp in mine. I sat watching him for a while, he seemed so sad and I hated that I was doing that to him. I realised I’d tears on my face too and quickly wiped them, but a few more came. I carefully let go of his hand and crept to the bathroom and sat on the toilet and started sobbing, but quickly forced myself to stop, I hadn’t cried properly for so long I knew if I really let go like I wanted to, I’d never stop. I made up my mind there and then, I was going to have therapy and face my fears and I wasn’t doing it because of some demand by a scarily domineering and protective Robert Austin, I was going to do it because I loved his son. I loved Gabe more than life itself and I wanted to make him happy, he deserved to be happy and if that meant that marriage and a family somewhere down the line, I’d do it, I’d do it for him, because he was so worth the effort.

  I shook myself down and splashed my face with cold water and went and hung up his suit and tie and threw his underwear and shirt in the laundry bin. I pulled a long line t-shirt on and crept out of the bedroom and went downstairs to get him a glass of water and was surprised when I opened the kitchen door to find Robert still sitting at the island. He appeared to be having a conversation with someone on his iPad and jumped when I walked into the room. I instinctively went to retreat, pulling my t-shirt as low as I could.

  ‘Mia, is everything ok? You look upset.’

  ‘I’m sorry I just came for water, I interrupted you. I’ll go.’

  ‘No, please don’t.’ He turned to the screen, ‘I’m sorry, I need to go, I’ll call you later.’ I stood awkwardly holding the door partly open and was sure I heard a woman’s voice respond and I watched as he smiled softly at the screen and touched it before setting it down. I felt like I’d just intruded on a very private and personal moment.

  ‘I’m sorry Robert, I should’ve just left.’

  ‘No, don’t be sorry. Talk to me Mia, what’s wrong?’ I bit my lip and felt my eyes welling up again and before I could do anything, a few tears spilled over and he strode to me, put his arms around me and hugged me, both of my arms tucked up against his broad chest. I chewed hard on my lip to stop myself from letting go completely. ‘Is it Gabriel? I’m so sorry, I forgot he doesn’t drink often and he’s had too much tonight. He hasn’t hurt you has he? He used to get a bit aggressive and into fights when he got drunk.’

  ‘No, he’d never do that to me. He’s just very drunk and said some things.’
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  ‘To upset you?’

  ‘Not intentionally. He seems to think I don’t love him because I was clear I didn’t want to get married or have a family.’

  ‘O Mia, I’m sorry. Come and sit with me a minute to talk.’

  ‘I’m sort of not really dressed,’ I mumbled, embarrassed, really hoping my bare arse wasn’t poking out of the back of the t-shirt and also slightly relieved not to feel an erection in my stomach, that would have been just too weird.

  ‘Wait here then, I’ll be back in a second.’ He kissed the top of my head and let me go and went out and a minute later he opened the kitchen door and waved something at me.

  ‘They’re one of Gabriel’s jogging bottoms. I did some laundry while you were out, so pop them on and let me know when I can come back in.’ He handed them to me and shut the door. I held them up to my face and inhaled, Gabe used different washing powder to me and the smell of his clothes always reminded me of him. I pulled them on and did the drawstring as tight as I could and re-opened the kitchen door. ‘Better?’ he smiled.

  ‘Yes, thanks,’ I nodded. He came in and filled up a glass of water and handed it to me, then pulled out one of the bar stools for me and he sat back on the other and took a swig of his whiskey.

  ‘I’m sorry Mia, I think it’s my fault. He was asking me about how his mother and I knew when the time was right to have him and his ... well to have children. We ended up having a rather lengthy conversation about it and his concerns regarding your fertility circumstances and reluctance to go further. I hope you don’t mind my knowing the finer details?’

  ‘No, it’s not like it’s a big secret, but I just don’t understand how he thinks I don’t love him.’

  ‘He’s just had a different upbringing, Mia. He was raised in a happy two parent home until we lost Tabby. All of his friends had the same and in his world, when two people love each other, they get married and have a family. He sees it as a natural extension to being in a loving relationship.’

  ‘That’s not been my experience,’ I sighed as I grabbed my water and took a sip.

  ‘He knows that and I’ve tried to explain to him that our perceptions of what are normal are moulded by what we’ve experienced and that you may feel as strongly opposed to the idea, as he is for it. I also told him that it doesn’t mean you don’t love him every bit as much as he does you.’