“Well, I’m not going if he’s going,” said a stubborn Britney.
“Honestly Brit, I don’t care anymore. I love you to pieces, but this thing between you and Gabe is just too much work,” sighed Tara. “All I want to know is if Max is going. If he is, I plan on being there and being available.”
“Oh,” Britney felt a little deflated.
“What do you mean ‘oh’?” demanded Tara. “Max is hot and fun. He’s better looking than Gabe.”
“He is not,” muttered Britney a little sullenly. She snuck a look at Gabe who caught her watching him. He rolled his eyes and turned away to talk to the group of guys hanging out by the weights. To her mind, Gabe would always be the best looking guy she had seen. Even after all this time, he still made her heart do funny flips and wish for a future that wasn’t going to be.
Too bad he didn’t care about her.
She had tried changing who she was to fit what he thought his ideal was. Instead she had ended up looking like a freak thanks to the bad advice of his friends. It had been one big joke on her. Since then Britney had resolved not to change who she was. She knew she was perfect for Gabe and he for her, even if he refused to admit it.
She had tried to make him jealous. That had been an utter failure.
She had tried to flirt which was worse than her singing and Britney was a terrible singer. She made dogs howl and cats run for cover.
Finally, she had just done everything she could to make Gabe almost as miserable as she was. They competed over everything, argued over everything, annoyed each other to the extreme. If Gabe was going to do something, Britney was going to do it better. She had hoped to make her heart see just what a jerk Gabe could be.
That hadn’t worked either. The traitorous muscle still beat harder every time he entered the room. It did jumping jacks every time his blue eyes looked her way. It practically swooned when he opened his mouth and spoke in the rich velvet voice of his.
It was absolutely maddening.
Now nearing the end of college, Britney was tasting failure. Their valedictorian speech was likely the last time she would see Gabe except at social events where he did his best to avoid her. It was depressing.
Glancing up, Britney saw Tara flirting happily with the guys. It hurt that Gabe gave her friend a big smile and talked easily to her. What Britney wouldn’t give to have him look at her like he was looking at Tara. With a sigh, she grabbed her towel and went to the locker room. She swallowed past the lump in her throat and tried to ignore wishful thinking.
Princes weren’t all they were cracked up to be and sometimes Daddy was dead wrong. No amount of effort was going to make Gabriel Ramesly hers.
∞∞∞
Gabe heaved an internal sigh as he recognized Britney Crawford. A little older, a little classier looking and more put together, she was waiting by the doors of the building, watching him approach. No doubt to offer condolences to the Ramesly family for the passing of his cousin Nathaniel.
He wished she wouldn’t.
Brit and he had never gotten along. She was abrupt, rude and had a habit of picking on him. She was a know-it-all. Somehow, he had gotten paired with her a lot at school for projects, plays, and on student council. She had always been around. When Gabe had graduated and gone on to work in the family company that managed a chain of hospitals, he had been more than happy to leave her behind.
Here she was again. It was only natural to see her. They hung around in the same social circles, her dad did business with the Ramesly family. While Gabe was a master of getting out of doing the social whirl, he still had to occasionally do it and it wasn’t something he enjoyed. It was necessary for the continuous fundraising efforts for the chain of hospitals his branch of the Ramesly family managed.
“Britney,” he kept his voice neutral. It had been a few years since they had last met. Perhaps she had grown up. Or maybe his memories were a little flawed by his personal dislike of her.
“Gabriel,” she returned, eying him critically. “You’ve gained weight.”
“Good to see you too,” he said wryly, annoyed. She was the exact same. A sharp tongue in a womanly package.
“You should watch your diet,” she advised him. “Especially after your uncle had a heart attack and now this death. If you’re not careful, you’ll become like your cousin Ben.”
“Ben is fine,” defended Gabe. Okay, so Ben could stand to lose some weight. The guy was rather hefty. Gabe thought of himself as a little husky. He was only carrying an extra twenty-five to thirty pounds since his college days. Not something to be worried about. As for Uncle David having a heart attack, they weren’t quite sure if that was what had happened yet. The doctors were still running tests.
“If you got a wife, she could look after you and make sure you stay healthy,” Britney pointed out. She followed him into the funeral chapel, oblivious of the fact her company was unwanted.
“I’m fine,” Gabe was not about to go all veggie tray. Maybe he could step it up at the gym a little. Angrily, he shoved the thought away. He was always letting Brit do this, making him feel insecure. Her opinion shouldn’t matter. It didn’t matter. He almost missed her next words.
“You could marry me and I’ll look after you,” offered Britney, entirely serious.
Gabe’s jaw dropped. He was absolutely gob smacked. He didn’t know what to say.
“It makes sense,” continued Britney. “We come from the same social circles. I know everything important about you. We’re of a compatible age group. Genetically, our children would be of excellent stock.”
