Falling For The Man I Married

Chapter 40: Selfish Gabriel

After our lunch, Gabriel received a phone call and I felt my heart clenched when I saw the name and image of the person calling him. It's Stacey. I looked away from the screen of his phone but my eyes met Greg's gaze. I smiled at him and he reciprocated it.

"Love, I'll just take this," Gabriel said, kissing me on the forehead. I just nodded and he walked away about ten meters away from the tent. Maybe if we were in a different situation, I would ask him who is that person calling him and why does he have to walk away just to answer it?

I sighed as I looked back at Greg whose eyes followed Gabriel's action.

Five minutes passed and I turned to look at Gabriel, but he still on the phone. And when everyone got up to start the music bonding, I got up too and told Nancy that I would just take a walk along the lakeside.

I took my phone and checked if there some messages or missed calls because I put it in silent mode before getting out of the car earlier, but I don't have any. I sighed and looked at my reflection from the water and I almost jumped when someone suddenly patted me on the shoulder. I turned and saw Greg smiling widely.

"I'm sorry." He chuckled. "Remember I told you not to drink too much coffee?"

I laughed at him. That was his favourite line back in college every time he saw me drinking coffee because as he said it it would only worsen my nervousness inside.

"So, you're engaged." It was not a question.

"Greg, I - I..." I don't know how to explain it to him or should I really need to explain?

"I know everything, Madi." I gulped as my head instantly snapped at him.

"W-What do you mean?" I asked him confused.

"I know everything, the deal, the contract, the engagement and the reason why you're here."

"H-How did you know that?"

"Gabriel told me everything. He's also my best friend, Madi."

"Ohh..."

"But don't worry, I understand. And as for your secret, it's still safe." he winked at me and I just smiled.

"So, you know everything," I said as I sighed. It's not also a question but a statement.

"Yes." he shrugged. "You know what, I still don't get it. Why did you agree to this deal?" he asked with all seriousness on his face.

"Greg, I---"

But my words hung in mid-air when we heard Gabriel's voice a few meters behind us. We turned around only to see him frowning.

"Greg!"

"Gabriel." Greg greeted, smiling, but he didn't even glance at him, instead, he made his way over to me and put his hand on my lower back in a possessive manner. Greg even though Greg got confused with his action, he just raised an eyebrow and let out a boyish grin.

"Love, what are you doing here?" he asked me with his knitted eyebrows.

Well, I started to get confused too, because Greg said, he knows everything, but why does Gabriel need to pretend even in front of his cousin.

"Gabriel, we don't have to pretend in front of him. He knows everything. He knows the agreement." I said looking directly into his eyes. But he didn't say anything, it's just that the way he grips my waist, slightly tightened.

"Let's go back to the tent," he muttered instead.

"Huh!" I sneered and just shook my head.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Greg's POV:

"Bro..." I followed Gabriel to the mini-bar inside their house. I sat down on one of the mahogany stools next to him.

But he just glanced at me so quickly and turned his eyes back to a glass of alcohol in his hand.

"So, you're now engaged, huh?" I asked him, filling my glass with the same drink as his.

"What are you doing here? And how did you know that I'm here?"

"Well, I went to your house, but your maid told me that you flew here to Belleville and since I also missed your parents and Nancy, I decided to follow you here. Why? You seemed not happy to see me here, cousin."

He didn't answer me. He just brought his drink to his mouth. I looked at him suspiciously and shook my head.

"Maybe I know the reason why you're not happy to see me here." I gulped my drink and noticed that he turned his head on me. "Because of her. Because of Madi, am I right?"

"Stop it, Greg!" he said in a low, but serious tone and I just chuckled at him.

"Stop from what, Gabriel? I'm not doing anything."

"Stop flirting with Madi, she's my fiancée now!" And with that, I tried to swallow the content inside my mouth before laughing again.

"Fiancée? I thought it was just an act? I thought you were just pretending?"

"Yes, it was just an act and we were just pretending, but I don't like it when you're flirting with her!" he looked around before lowering his voice.

"Flirting? Seriously Gabriel? I wasn't flirting with her. She's just a friend of mine."

"Yes you are and I know you like her!"

"Oh, is it because I told you that I like her?" I really wanted to laugh at his expression. He's like a real boyfriend... jealous of his cousin.

"No! It's because I noticed how you looked at her earlier!"

And I laughed again. "Why Gabriel? Why were you so affected by the way I looked at her? Are you jealous?"

"Of course not!" he snapped at me but then quickly avoided my gaze.

"Then why are you acting so possessive over her? Let me remind you, Gabriel, this is just an act. Yes, she's now your fiancée, but only in words and not in reality. You don't even have a contract to call it a legal agreement." Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.

"Just stay away from her!"

"What if I don't?" I said, teasing him. Trying to figure out how he would react.

"I'm serious, Greg!"

"And so I am. I told you I like her."

"Bullshit, Greg! You only met her once and you like her in that instant?"

I couldn't help but smile at his flaring nostrils. Deep in my mind...

-'What if I tell you, that I've known her for almost eight years and not just once, unlike what you're implying?'-

"What if I tell you that... it's love at first sight and I love her now and not just a simple like that?" That's true. I fell in love with her since I saw her in our college cooking class.

"That's so much of a cliche, Greg! Can you think of any other reason other than that?"

"But it's true. I've loved her since the day I met her!" yes, but I couldn't shout the truth because of Madi.

"I'm warning you, Greg, stay away from Madi!" and he gulped the last content of his drinks.

"And I'm also warning you, bro. Don't fall in love with her! She's mine and I'll wait for her until your deal ends." I smirked at him.

But he just raised an eyebrow and returned the smirk to me.

"Are you sure to wait for her until our deal ends? Then start to wait from now until forever!" with that he left me dumbfounded sitting alone in the mini-bar.

I chuckled after he's gone.

"You're not going to fall in love with her, huh? But you're starting to cover her up with your flaws. She's not you're type, huh? But now you're acting like a jealous and possessive jerk towards her? You're

selfish, Gabriel! You're selfish!"