She punched the keys before she could change her mind.
“Hello, Flora.”
“Hi. Look, I’m sorry to call you, but I just had to say thank you for the ticket.”
“You’re welcome.” She could just about hear him smiling, but he wasn’t giving anything away.
“Why did you do it?” she had to ask.
“It’s a Christmas present. Does there have to be a reason?”
“Yes. Is it because you feel guilty about Michael?”
“No.”
She needed a bit more than that, but he wasn’t sharing. Flora thought for a moment. He’d said he was bad at expressing himself; maybe she needed to be the one.
“If you have feelings for me, please give me some kind of sign.” She began to tear up with emotion, “I love you, Gabriel, I’ll never be happy with anyone but you. I don’t care how grumpy you are, or if you are busy all the time, I just want us to be together. Can’t we at least try?”
“I’ve got to go.” Gabriel abruptly ended the call.
Flora looked at her phone sadly. Then, closing her eyes again, she let the tears fall.
A finger brushed them off her face, and she opened her eyes in shock to find herself staring straight into Gabriel’s handsome face.
“Is this enough of a sign?” he said gently.
“What are you doing here?”
“I decided that I deserved a Christmas present too.”
“So you got yourself a ticket as well?”
“No, you’re my Christmas present.” He settled into the seat beside her. “The eleven-hour flight together is just a bonus.”
He fastened her seat belt. “It might be a bumpy ride at times, but I think we’ll make it through.” His voice dropped so only she could hear him. “Seriously though, I adore you Flora. It isn’t going to be easy being my girlfriend, but I will cherish you. I won’t always be able to say what I feel, and sometimes I’ll forget to say anything at all, but if it’s too hard for you then I’ll totally understand if you want to break up with me. But right now I can’t imagine getting through another day without you. I've even told Michael how I feel and he's fine with it. I’ve been arguing with myself for weeks, because I know you’ll be happier without me in the long run, but if you can’t see that then I guess I would be the world’s biggest fool not to take what you’re offering.”
She reached out and grasped his hand and the plane began to hum as it got ready to begin its journey.
***
Jessica had felt knocked for six by her experience with David. She was amazed that she had thought she knew him so well, only to find she didn’t know him at all. It made her doubt everything. Her confidence had been rock bottom for a while, and it was only her friends, her music and Byron sticking close to her that had enabled her to struggle through to the end of term.
Being back at home was the tonic she needed, and she began to wonder if she was really cut out for boarding school. But she missed Byron so much that in the end she knew she would be going back regardless.
They had only been apart a week, but she felt like it was much longer. He’d been such a good friend to her after her break-up with David. He had helped her to focus on her music and not to lose her newfound voice, and she was grateful.
But he’d gone off to Vienna for the holidays, and she had gone home to Southampton.
For a while she had thought that Byron had serious feelings for her, but he had totally backed off after her break up, and so she could only assume that he had only wanted her when she was with someone else, but when she became single again he got scared off. She was depressed that his feelings had been so shallow, and she tried not to let her own feelings show. The trouble was that she got over the break up quite well, thinking that she and Byron might make a go of it, but he had totally stopped flirting with her or trying to kiss her. They were firmly in the "friends only" category and she didn’t know how to bridge that gap again. How to get back to the way they had been before the David fiasco.
She now realised she was in love with Byron, just as he seemed to stop wanting her. Fate really was very cruel like that!
The only bright spot ahead was her annual trip to the opera with her father.
Her father loved opera, and every year at Christmas he took her to see a different opera. This year it was “Tosca”, and she was incredibly excited.
They drove up to London and then took a tube train over to the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden.
As they filed into the theatre, Jessica automatically began to make her way to the upper circle. The opera was incredibly expensive, but her father always splashed out for this special event, and the upper circle was a pretty good spot in her opinion.
He put his hand out to stop her. “Not this time, Jess, we’re sitting somewhere else.”
“Oh.” She tried not to let her disappointment show, though the awful thought occurred to her that maybe he hadn’t been able to afford their usual seats, what with paying for her school fees.
He led her around the circle and through a curtain. “Are you sure this is the way, Dad?” Surely this way went to the boxes, the kind of seats only available to the very rich.
Her father looked at the ticket in his hand. “Yes.”
He stopped at a door marked “The Royal Box” and then opened it.
“What are you…” She trailed off as she saw Byron’s face grinning at her from inside. “What’s going on?”
Her father smiled at her confusion. “Your, um, boyfriend was good enough to invite us to join him in his box.”
Jessica raised her eyebrows at Byron. “My boyfriend?”
“Yes. Well, soon to be.” He pouted at her disapproving expression, “What? Not even a little bit?”
“Well, maybe,” she conceded, “but – your box?”
“It is tonight. My dad’s conducting, so we were given the box for special guests. Which would be you and your dad.” He smiled broadly at her father.
“Is your father really Everard Byron?” Her dad clearly felt he was in the company of actual royalty.
“Yes, he’s hoping to meet you both after the show. I’m just sorry my mother isn’t here as well; she’s longing to meet Jess. But she couldn’t get away, she’s singing Madam Butterfly in Paris tonight.”
“Oh my!” was the extent of her father’s reaction.
Soon the lights began to dim, and Byron slipped his arm around Jessica. She leaned close to him and whispered, “I know my dad doesn’t say much, but I think he’s about to burst with joy. Thank you so much!”
“My pleasure. Does that mean you might give me a much more personal thank you later or are we not there yet?”
Jessica put her hand in Byron’s.
“We’re there. And yes, yes I will.” Her heart filled with happiness and her eyes twinkled with promises, and the music crescendoed around them.
The End
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Books by Stella Wilkinson
The Flirting Games (Book One, Free!)
More Flirting Games (Book Two)
Further Flirting Games (Book Three)
The Flirting Games Trilogy, (Books 1 - 3)
Good @ Games (Book Four)
Flirting with Friends (Book Five)
Halloween Magic & Mayhem (Book One, Free!)
Werewolf Magic & Mayhem (Book Two)
Solstice Magic & Mayhem (Book Three)
Notice Me
A Christmas Gift
All Hallows EVE
Romancing the Stove
Bend it like a Bookworm
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Good @ Games (Book Four, The Flirting Games Series) Page 10
