Falling For The Man I Married

"Sissy, try this one. I made a chocolate cake."
Nancy offered me a slice of cake.
"Wow! You can bake?" I asked her smiling.
She was about to answer, but her brother answered for her.
"Yes, she can bake. At least she knows how to bake because she can't even cook a fried egg."
"Argh! I hate you, Gabriel! Get out of here!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "If you can't comment something nice, get
your ass out of here!"
"Ohh, but what I said was true. You can't even boil water in the kettle." and he laughed in his carefree laughter which made
Nancy stop in her tracks.
Maybe seeing his brother back in his carefree mood, still a surprise for her. She looked at me and then she smiled.
"I've changed my mind. You can stay here brother. You can even eat my cake if you want."
I bit my lip when Gabriel looked at her and wrinkled his eyebrows.
"No, thanks Nancy, but I won't fall with your tricks."
"B-But..."
"Let's go, Madi." he took my hand again.
"Uhm... I'll stay with Nancy. I'll help her." I smiled and patted his cheek.
"Love---"
"I'm fine, love, don't worry about me, just go to the boys."
"Are you sure?"
"Jesus! She's no longer a kid! And I won't eat your 'love' Gab!" Nancy screamed, mimicking his word and rolled her eyes.

"I'm not talking to you. Nancy, I'm warning you, don't ask her with your ridiculous mouth and ridiculous question!" and then he
turned to me. "Love, just call me if Nancy did something stupid, okay?"
"Wow, Gabriel! She'll just stay in the kitchen! My God, I'm not a beast!"
He ignored her and asked me.
"Love?"
"Okay, okay. I'll call you." I chuckled and pulled his shirt collar and brought my mouth closer to his ear. "Don't worry love, I won't
ask Nancy anything about you."
"Madi!"
I laughed at his reaction.
"I love you," I said smiling and I don't know where I got the confidence from and kissed him quickly on his lips.
I saw how he was taken aback at what I did. And I used that as an opportunity to push him away. "Come on, I'm fine here."
He just nodded and kissed my forehead before disappearing in our sights.
"You know what, sissy? I want to say thank you." Nancy said when we were both alone.
"Thanks for what?" I got confused as to why she wanted to thank me.
"For bringing my brother back."
I watched her she slice the chocolate cake.
"Why? Hasn't he ever come to visit you here for a long time?"
"No, that's not what I mean. Thank you for bringing back the old Gabriel. The carefree and naughty Gabriel who always smiles,
laughs and throws jokes to any of us." she said having a half-hearted smile.
"Ohh..." I don't know what to say. What am I supposed to say? That we're just acting?
"He had changed so much after his break up with Stacey. Oh no, the right words for that were, she left him. My brother gave her
everything, all of him including his dreams. Do you know what his first college course?"

I stopped breathing for a while.
"No," I replied, shaking my head.
"He wanted to become a pilot, but he gave up on that dream because he believed in that woman. She was taking business back
then and because she wanted my brother to always be on her side every day, every hour and every minute, she convinced him
to ship into a business." she took the plastic gloves off her hands.
"Well, for our parents, whatever course we would have taken is fine with them. That's why Gab chose that course but eventually,
he followed what his woman wanted. After they graduated, he proposed to her and God! She was squealing when she saw the
diamond ring on her finger!"
Her face turned sour and she shook her head at the memory.
"And then what happened after that?" my curiosity started to kick me.
She sighed.
"And then... since he graduated in business, dad offered him his position, to be the CEO of WEC. But he turned down dad's
offer."
"But why?"
"Because his woman wanted them to put their own business. Clothing lines, if I remember it correctly. And she wanted to travel
abroad, here and there! So, they lived together after graduation. Travelling from one country to another. Gosh! My brother was
like a lovesick puppy at that time, always trailing behind Stacey!"
I gulped at the sudden pain that surged inside me, but I didn't want her to notice that, so I continued to listen to her story.
"What Stacey wants, always Stacey gets. And if you ask Gabriel why he's giving her everything, he would just answer you
'because I love her and I would do everything to make her happy'. How stupid isn't it?"
She waved her hands in the air.
"And then what? In the end, she just left him! She betrayed him by choosing that bastard Ray over him!"
"Ray?" I asked even though that name sounded familiar.

"Stacey's new boyfriend. Her high school classmate. Yeah, he also has looks but he's nothing compared to my brother! I don't
know what she sees in him!"
"So, after their break up, he turned into a different person?"
"Exactly! He became a loner, sissy. He doesn't want to socialize. He doesn't even want to open his social media accounts. He
stopped being Gabriel. He stopped being my brother for over a year. So, I really appreciate your presence, Madi."
I just smiled at her.
"So does that mean, he really loved Stacey before, if he changed after she left?"
Actually, for that, I don't really need to act upset, or whatever, because that's exactly how I feel at the moment.
"Oh my God!" her eyes widened as she covered her mouth.
"Why?" I asked, pretending innocently. Although I already knew what's behind her horrified look.
"Madi, Gabriel would surely kill me! Oh my God! Just forget everything I said!"
I tried to laugh but I think I failed because it turned out to be a painful laugh.
"Oh Madi, I'm sorry." she bit her lip.
"Why are you saying sorry."
"Because I took the cat out of the bag. I know my brother hasn't told you yet, Madi. I'm sorry. But can you not let my brother know
about this?"
I held her hands and smiled a little. "Don't worry, I won't tell him."
"Thank you, sissy."
She hugged me and I hugged her back. We laughed together afterwards.
"But you know what, I really didn't like her ever since Gab introduced her to us, as in never!"
"But why?" I asked, trying to laugh.

"I don't know, maybe sister's instinct." She shrugged and then took both of my hands. "Unlike you Madi."
"What do you mean unlike me?" I stared at her as she turned serious.
"I've liked you ever since my brother mentioned the first word about you. His first compliment about you and when I saw you, I
proved that he's telling the truth."
"Wow, and what did he tell you guys about me?"
I can't believe Gabriel was talking about me in his family.
"No-ow! That's a secret for you to know and ask my brother if you want to know." she giggled and used her finger to sign 'no'.
"Nancy, please. I'm sure he won't tell me anything. Your brother is an asshole sometimes!" I blurted out without thinking, which
made her laugh.
"I really like you, Madi! You're not just making my brother laugh, you can also call him a jerk, an asshole and I like it."
"Because it's true! He's a real jerk, not just sometimes, but most of the time!" I said out loud and we were both laughing hard
when the asshole showed up in the kitchen.
"I heard that 'jerk' again. I really wonder who's that jerk you were calling." he said walking his way towards me.
"Oh, the jerk---"
"Hep! Stop talking Nancy! I won't buy your excuse this time." he raised his palm in the air to show Nancy to stop.
"What excuse?"
"That you're just talking about your favorite movie! Come on, think of something new that could sell on the market!"
"And where are you going?"
I asked him when he kept getting closer to me.
"I'm going to take you and I'm going to kiss you," he said smiling and I gasped.
"Oh my God! Don't tell me you're gonna make out here in the kitchen? That's eww! I swear if you that, I'm not going in here
forever! Disgusting!"

I couldn't help but laugh at Nancy's expression.
"I didn't say we're gonna make out! I said I'm just gonna kiss my girlfriend! You're exaggerating!"
"Eww!"
And she left stomping her feet out of the kitchen.
"Okay, she's gone!" I pushed his chest which was just an inch away from my body.
"And so?"
"And so... you can stop your best actor drama that you're gonna kiss me!"
"Oh, love, but it wasn't a drama. I'm really going to kiss you."
My eyes widened. "Gabriel---"
To hell with this man! Why was he always kissing me? It's not that I don't like it, it's just that... I don't want to get used to it.
I pushed him hard and glared at him, but the jerk just laughed in front of me.
He pulled me and hugged me so hard that I couldn't move and couldn't even protest.
"Gabriel what are you doing?" I straddled in his hold, but he's so strong, I can't even move my arms.
"I'm hugging you,"
"God! That's not the proper way of hugging, Mr Wilsons!" and suddenly he let go of me.
My eyes widened in realization.
"What did you just call me?"
"Ohh... I.. I.." and because I can't form any words, I pushed him and ran to the other side of the table.
"Oh, Madi. So, you want me to chase you, huh?" he has an evil smile on his lips.
"No!"

"No? So, why did you call me that?"
"What, Mr Wilsons? Because that's your last name and it's for uhmm... formal calling." I bit my lip as I walked around the oval
mahogany table while he's chasing me.
"Ahh okay, formal." He said nodding. "My future Mrs Wilsons, I promise you that if I get you, I will kiss you hard until you get out
of breath."
Since we were busy exchanging nonsense words about his name and the way I called him, we both became oblivious of
everyone around us. We didn't notice that Nancy started recording our chasing battle through her phone. And that his mom and
dad were watching us as if they were watching a scene from there favorite movie.
"Really?" I asked without even bothering.
"Really, so get yourself ready."
"Ohh... I'm so scared, love."
"Yes love, wait for me."
"Haha---" and the next thing he did startle me and stopped me from walking. He jumped over the mahogany table and was
instantly in front of me.
"Ohh...." my mouth formed an 'O' shape.
"Now, my love, can I get my reward?"
He asked, his face wearing a breathtaking smile.
If we're just in a different situation, I will just look at his handsome face and his dimple.
He frowned when he noticed that I was smiling. I poked his dimple with my forefinger and smiled like an idiot.
"You're so cute when you smile. I love your dimple." I said without even thinking. His smile left me in dazed.
"Just my dimple?" he asked me and I looked directly in his eyes and shook my head.
"I love you."

It's my heart that speaks... I know... it's not my mouth. But what I didn't realize, I said it out loud.
He stopped and stared at me. My lips suddenly dried up and I unconsciously moistened them with my tongue. His eyes followed
my mouth movement. I saw him swallowed and the next moment, he pulled me and suddenly kissed me. I kissed him back. Our
lips moved perfectly in sync. He drew me more towards him and put my hands on the back of his neck as he kissed me hard as
of it was his air to breathe and his life depended on that kiss.
When I saw a flash.. something from a camera, I was instantly pulled back to reality. I pushed him slightly and pointed to the
people behind him with my mouth. My face turned into crimson red due to embarrassment.
"They were watching us!" I whispered and bit my lip.
But he used his thumb to release it from my teeth.
"Don't do that, or else I won't stop kissing you," he warned and pulled me to his side.
He put his hand over my shoulder and he kissed the top of my head. When I looked at him, he also kissed my forehead.
A smile formed on my lips, and I put my face on his chest.