Chapter 1803 - The Second Date (the Real One) (1)

~ Los Angeles ~

Saturday

2 PM

While Sarah and Aiden enjoyed their date in Bucharest, it was early afternoon in Los Angeles...

Gabriel arrived in front of the mansion where Ben and Penny live, to pick up Becca for their second date (the real second date).

He shuffled two bouquets of flowers in his hands to free his right hand, checked his breath by blowing in his right palm, straightened his hair, and pressed the doorbell before hiding the smaller bouquet behind his back.

Three seconds later, the door flung open and Becca emerged.

"Hi…", she said with a big smile on her face.

Gabriel's eyes moved over Becca, from her flat shoes, over her exposed calves, light blue summer dress that fit her perfectly, to her enchanting smile and eyes that sparkled from excitement… and he forgot that he is holding flowers. The only thing on Gabriel's mind was to leave this area which is under the video surveillance of Ben so that he can get closer to Becca and touch her.

"Hi. Are you ready?"

Becca nodded in response and her eyes fell on the extravagant bouquet of roses in Gabriel's hand.

Gabriel followed Becca's gaze and cleared his throat awkwardly before extending his hand with flowers toward Becca. "These are for you."

Becca's smile widened to the point of her cheeks hurting. "Thanks."

She accepted the flowers and inhaled deeply, taking in their scent. "They are wonderful. I should put them in water before we go."

By now, she is not flustered when she gets flowers and she knows how to handle herself, because she gets a bouquet from Gabriel every day.

Gabriel chuckled at the sight of Penny's arm which sprang from the side of the door, ready to accept the flowers.

Becca rolled her eyes and handed the bouquet to the side. "I guess Penny will handle it."

Penny groaned before whispering to Becca (loud enough for Gabriel to hear): "You didn't need to say it's me."

Becca was not sure if she should laugh or cry. She glared to her left where Penny is. "And who would it be?"

Penny's head peeked from the side and she grinned at Gabriel. "Hi, Gabriel. You look sharp. Did you plan something fun for today?"

Gabriel glanced at himself. He is wearing black dress pants and a light gray shirt. Nothing too fancy, but it's OK (in Gabriel's opinion).

"We will go horse riding, and then dinner and then… we will see. After dinner, we can do something Becca wants to do until it's time for me to return her to you."

Penny opened her mouth to say something, but she was interrupted by a small hurricane called Oliver.

"Gabbey!", Oliver scream reached them one second before the little guy slammed himself in Gabriel's leg.

"Hi, little B…", Gabriel greeted Oliver while ruffling his hair. "You have grown again."

Oliver looked up and grinned. "Suye… I always gyow! Did you get me floweis?"

Gabriel chuckled and squatted so that his eyes are on the same level as Oliver's. "You don't forget, do you? Well… neither do I."

Oliver's eyes widened in glee when he saw that Gabriel pulled from the back a bouquet of flowers for him. Oliver accepted it and then glanced at the roses that Penny is holding.

"This one is small", Oliver complained that Becca's bouquet is larger.

"Those are for your sister. She is bigger than you, so she gets more flowers."

Oliver thought about it for a second before responding to Gabriel. "When I get big, I get big floweis."

Gabriel had to burst Oliver's bubble. "Uhm… no. When you grow bigger, you need to give flowers because big boys give flowers to girls they like."

Penny giggled at the profuse blush that attacked Becca. Even her ears were red. Ah, young love…

Oliver understood that big boys give flowers. He looked at the flowers in his hands before turning to look at Becca and Penny. After a few seconds of deep contemplation, he turned to face Penny. "Mommy, these are foy you. I like you."

Penny and Becca burst into giggles. Oliver is adorable.

Penny accepted the flowers and ushered Oliver inside. "We should leave Becca and Gabriel so that they can go on their date. You help me put these in the water and I will explain to you about the concept of regifting things… first, it should not be done right away in front of the person who gave you the present in the first place…"

Penny's voice drifted inside, and Becca turned to look at Gabriel nervously. "Are we going?"

Gabriel extended his hand for Becca to take, and she placed her hand into his.

Gabriel glanced toward the closed door. "Ben is not going to say hi?"

Becca shook her head and mumbled that Ben is busy, even though she knows that her father is watching them through the video feed of the security cameras. She didn't want to say that, because it might sound creepy.

"When should I bring you back?", Gabriel asked while they walked toward his car.

"I will sleep tonight at my place, so…", Becca didn't finish, but Gabriel understood that there is no time limit. That also means that there is a chance he will go up to her apartment.

Last three evenings, Gabriel comes to Becca's apartment after work with groceries. She teaches him how to cook and they have for dinner what he prepared under Becca's guidance (she also makes a few side-dishes). It's nothing fancy, but they are spending their time together, getting to know each other, and the fact that the food they are eating was made in a joint effort is making it super-tasty.

Gabriel cherishes every minute spent with Becca, and he was mindful to leave by 10 PM and to keep his hands to himself. They didn't go beyond kissing, but every time he finds it more challenging to stop at her lips.

For today, they are going horse-riding. It is Becca's first lesson, and Gabriel is confident that by end of the afternoon, Becca will be a solid equestrian.

Becca is nervous. She knows that horse riding clubs are for rich people and she is not sure if she will fit in or if her outfit is appropriate. Gabriel told her to dress comfortably, but she has her doubts.

"Are my clothes OK?", Becca asked when they got in the car.

Gabriel hummed in approval. "You are perfect."

The club was on the outskirts of Los Angeles, and just based on the number of luxury cars at the parking lot, Becca saw that Gabriel's Bentley will fit just fine, but she worried if she will stick out. She does not want to attract unwanted attention and potentially embarrass Gabriel.

"Mr. Long…", the valet greeted Gabriel when he stopped at the entrance.

"Kim…", Gabriel responded with a nod and gave the keys to the valet while making his way to open the door for Becca.

"Don't be nervous…", Gabriel spoke softly to Becca while they made their way inside the luxurious lobby. He didn't let go of her hand, and he gave it a gentle squeeze. "I won't allow anything to happen to you."

Becca peeled her eyes from the extravagant chandeliers that belong to a glass museum or some other place where fantastic pieces of glass art are being preserved. "Something can happen?"

Gabriel pursed his lips while thinking about how to respond. He does not want to worry Becca, but he does not want to tell her that this is a welcoming place either. Well, the staff is welcoming, but some of the people who come here are known to have an inflated image of self-importance. "Nothing more than snobby comments from people who love to gossip. But you have nothing to fear. If anyone gives you a mean look, hold your head high and let me handle it. OK?"

Becca glanced at the lounges that had quite a bit of people inside. "I thought people come here to ride horses."

"Some of them do, but this is a place where people gather to socialize and hear the latest gossip."

Becca swallowed hard while fearing that she might be the upcoming gossip. No one should know her here, but that is a double-edged sword, considering that everyone knows Gabriel. She can see that people they passed so far nodded at Gabriel while directing curious glances at her.

Becca was super-excited about horse riding and spending the day with Gabriel, but now… she is not so sure.

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