She just did not realise it yet.
10
LAILA
‘Follow me,’ Claude said as we stepped out into the hotel’s courtyard.
Thankfully, there was no one else out here.
The beautiful space was filled with lush plants and colourful flowers which smelt so sweet, I almost closed my eyes to inhale the scent.
The sound of the water trickling from the elaborate white stone water fountain that was positioned in the centre was incredibly calming and the pretty twinkling fairy lights hanging above us were so romantic.
Under different circumstances I would’ve loved sitting out here with my match, but that wasn’t going to happen now.
We sat on a bench and I wasted no time telling Claude what was wrong.
‘I can’t date Gabriel,’ I said quickly.
‘Because he is your friend’s son?’ Claude replied.
‘So youdidhear me!’ I said, surprised that he hadn’t had more of a reaction.
‘I did. But it was not my place to comment.’
‘But you can understand why it’s a problem, though, right? I’d prefer to be matched with someone else, please. It’d make things much less complicated. And I’d asked for someone my own age and not so…’
I wanted to say that I’d prefer a man who didn’t look so insanely hot, but then I’d be admitting to the fact that I found him attractive.
I’d also prefer someone in a customer service role, but that wasn’t a dealbreaker. I actually thought it was brilliant that Gabriel was following his business dreams, but I definitely couldn’t admit that I admired his ambition either, so instead I settled on saying, ‘We’re just not a good match.’
Right now, I wished I could call someone back home and vent about this nightmare. But the friend I’d normally chat with about something like this was the one person I absolutely couldn’t tell.
Juliette was my only real friend. Marjorie and Cordelia were acquaintances that I spent time with when we got together as a group. I didn’t know them well enough to discuss this and even if I could, they’d go straight back and tell Juliette everything.
She was like the sister I never had and a best friend rolled into one. Which made this situation more impossible. Good besties were hard to come by. I couldn’t afford to lose her.
And his age was a big problem. Imagine what Ricky would say if he knew I’d been matched with the friend he used to hang out with? Then again, last time I heard, his dad was going out with a twenty-three-year-old. But everyone knew society judged women differently if they dated younger men.
‘I am afraid that it does not work like that,’ Claude said softly. ‘The matchmakers findoneperson for you. You have been matched by the experts for a reason. Their success rate is exceptional. That is why there are no rematches or refunds – only for exceptional circumstances. And your match being your friend’s son unfortunately does not qualify.’
Frustration bubbled in my chest.
What was wrong with everyone?
How could they not see why this was such a big deal?
Claude could be excused because he didn’t know Juliette and how she’d react. But Gabriel should know better than anyone that if his mum got wind of this, it’d be enough to start World War III.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. I was going to ignore it but it buzzed again.
It must be Ricky. He always sent a string of messages rather than one, which I never understood. I needed to make sure he was okay.
‘I’m sorry but I have to check my phone. My son’s travelling and he’s just messaged so it must be urgent.’
‘Of course,’ Claude replied.
I took out my phone. But when the message previews flashed on the screen, I saw that it wasn’t Ricky. There were two more texts from Juliette.
