Lock You In My Heart novel Chapter 65

Gabrielle's body froze in horror. Westley was right in front of her. 'Of all the people in the world, ' she thought. At least her face was covered in a mask, so he wouldn't notice her.

"Ha! How cool is this, Austin?" exclaimed Holly. "I've been back only a few days, so haven't had time to call. But I'm happy see you! Let's do dinner tonight! Your friend can join us, too!" Holly seemed friendly and generous. She was ready to invite Austin's friend to dinner, without even knowing her.

No sooner had Holly invited them, than Gabrielle tugged at Austin's sleeve, whispering urgently. "Please, no, Austin," she begged. "Get us out of this dinner plan. I don't want to do this. Please."

Gabrielle was mortified. What if Westley recognized her? His eyes hadn't left her once since the group had met. It was as if he wanted to know who this woman was behind the mask, and would give anything to take it off.

He followed her hands as they tugged at Austin's sleeve. It gave him a sense of déjà vu. 'Who is she?' he thought to himself. 'Why does she seem so familiar?'

Gabrielle tried her level best to avoid making eye contact with anyone, especially Westley. Heaven forbid, he should look into her eyes and discover how guilty she really felt. That would be enough for her to bolt from there and never look back.

'On the other hand, ' Gabrielle pondered, 'Westley was out with another woman right now. So why should I have to hide the fact that I'm with someone else, too? I have every right to be here with Austin.

And if we're all just friends, we should certainly be able to have a meal together without any awkwardness.'

This moment of defiance was short-lived, though, as Gabrielle's anxiety of being exposed resurfaced. She tugged at Austin's sleeve a little harder this time.

"Austin... Let's go. I... I'm a little hungry," she pleaded. Even though her voice was lowered, it was apparent that she was uncomfortable with the idea of hanging out.

Austin already knew this way before Gabrielle said anything, so he didn't hesitate and turned to Holly and Westley. "Tonight won't be possible, Holly," he said jovially. "It's so sweet of you to ask but my friend is a bit shy with new company. I'll take a rain check, though!"

Holly didn't push the topic any further. Quite frankly, she was relieved he declined her invitation. She, too, didn't like the idea of hanging out with a stranger. Especially, when it was so apparent that Austin's date had no interest whatsoever in socializing or being remotely pleasant.

"That's alright," she replied, politely. "Maybe when my leg recovers, I'll hit you up and we'll make a plan!" Holly was in no hurry to create a new plan to hang out with Austin, while his date was around. So she decided to keep it open and vague.

"Wait, what happened to your leg?" Austin asked, concerned.

"Oh, nothing catastrophic, trust me. It happened last night. I got up to go to the bathroom, and slipped on the way. I sprained my ankle. Luckily, Westley was awake, when I called him. He rushed right over and took me to the hospital. It's just a little swollen. I'll be fine soon enough!" Holly explained, casually, as if she hadn't given it a second thought.

"Well, I'm glad it wasn't too serious and Westley was there in time to help you out." Austin smiled, as he replied. He feigned interest in Holly's leg only because he was curious about how close she was to Westley.

'Clearly, close enough, ' he imagined, 'If she could call Westley in the middle of the night.' It wasn't breaking news that Westley could care less about his own wife's injuries. But he was certainly concerned about other women. 'What was he playing at?

Did he not care about Gabrielle at all?'

Holly's late-night adventure may not have been much of an event for her, but it certainly pinched Gabrielle. She was used to Westley being uncaring and indifferent. Learning that he was so attentive and proactive with other women burned her soul.

"Hey, you okay?" Austin gently asked, seeing her frown.

"I'm fine," Gabrielle clipped through gritted teeth. "Can we go now? I'm starving." She wasn't starving. She was aching to the point of screaming. But she couldn't scream. And she couldn't let Austin see how betrayed and sad she felt.

Westley watched the entire scene in silence. He didn't feel the need to contribute to the conversation. He was only interested in one thing: the mystery woman Austin had brought along. And he derived a weird sense of pleasure from watching her squirm in his presence.

"Holly, Westley," he nodded. "See you around. Bye!" Austin turned and guided Gabrielle by her arm to the booth he had reserved for them.

The booth had walls on three sides, creating a cocoon of privacy. They were comfortably cut off from the rest of the world. Gabrielle could relax, knowing there would be no more unwanted disturbances.

Austin pulled the chair back for Gabr

ielle to sit down. She followed his lead and sat down quietly. He was dying to comfort her, but couldn't find the words.

"Oh, nothing at all," she chirped back, slightly jolted. "I'm just trying to pick something from this huge menu. Everything looks so good. I don't know what to order!" Gabrielle's voice was shrill and fake, as though she was forcing enthusiasm about a lunch she barely cared about.

"Order anything you like. I'll have the same thing," replied Austin, warmly and knowingly. Her pretentious tone and distracted disposition were telling.

'Westley really did a number on the poor girl, ' he thought to himself. 'I've never seen her so scatterbrained and distracted.'

"Let's just get the specials, then," Gabrielle said, with a sigh, chucking the menu to the side of the booth. Now, she wouldn't have to focus anymore and neither would Austin chew her brain over a stupid order.

After they were done with lunch, Gabrielle and Austin decided to take a walk along the alley near the restaurant. It was a fine day to be outside, and they could digest their meal at leisure.

But as they approached the entrance of the alley, there he was, leaning against the wall, having a smoke — Westley. Both Austin and Gabrielle stopped in their tracks, completely taken aback. Gabrielle automatically moved her hands as if to cover her face with her hat, but realized soon enough that she hadn't brought her hat along for the walk. Her face was in plain sight. And Westley had seen her.

As soon as his eyes locked with hers, Westley's face turned to stone. It was clear to him now, that the mystery woman, who was tugging at Austin's sleeve earlier, was none other than Gabrielle. The same woman that had captured his attention the whole time Austin and Holly were talking. He took one last drag, before flicking his cigarette to the ground and stubbing it with his shoe. He glared coldly at her, as if to challenge her to move a single muscle without his permission.

"Don't be scared," Austin spoke slowly and carefully, as if having approached a wild predator in the jungle. Even though he was as surprised as Gabrielle to see Westley blocking the alleyway, Austin was already on guard, ready to protect her. 'What is he even doing here?' Austin thought, mildly irritated.

It wasn't like Westley to hang around in random alleys by himself. But then, nobody could really tell what went on in Westley's complicated mind. He was capable of doing anything.

And yet, ironically, he couldn't recognize Gabrielle through her mask before. How poetic was that?

"I'm not scared," Gabrielle muttered. Her jaw clenched and her voice trembled. But she pretended to be strong, even if it was to assure Austin she was fine.

'How could I not be afraid?' she asked herself. 'Westley is right in front of me. He knows it was me earlier. He could lose his temper any second and let me have it just to take revenge.'