Chapter 162 - The Escape (1/2)
”What do you mean?” Claire says, unsure if she's heard it correctly.
”We're leaving,” he says, squeezing his hand. ”We're getting away from all this muck.”
”Are you being serious, Gab? Like, we're leaving now?”
”Of course, I'm serious! I've never been this serious in my life.”
”But what about…everything?”
He shrugs. ”I'm tired. I'm tried of trying to balance everything in my life. I've never had a day for myself. I've never had a day with you alone. Now, we're going to a place where they won't find us.”
”But what about your employees? All those people who depend on you?”
”Don't worry,” Gabriel smiles. ”I'll just send Mrs. Gomez a single line of text. And it would all be fine.”
At this point, Clark returns excitedly. ”May I ask where you'd want to go?”
”Well…” Gabriel turns to Claire. ”Where were you supposed to go this afternoon?”
”Home,” she says.
”And where is that?”
Claire tells him. Gabriel then turns to Clark, ”There you have it. First class tickets to that destination, please.”
Clark smiles and makes a slight bow. ”Right away.”
”Are we sure about this? I don't have any clothes with me. Everything is back at my place.”
”Aren't you even excited?” There's a mad gleam in Gabriel's eyes. ”New slate. And I'm excited to meet your old folks. And…
”And my younger sister. She'd be excited to meet you.”
Gabriel stops. ”You have a sister?”
”Yes! And she's much cuter than me. So I'll have my eye on you, Gabriel Tan. Don't even dare.”
Gabriel laughs. ”I only have eyes and heart for the big sister.”
”I wonder how my mother would react to you,” Claire says. ”I had never brought anyone home to meet her.”
”Not even once?”
”Not even once.”
”I must be extremely lucky, then.”
She smiles. Then her face scrunches up as she remembers something. ”Wait, I totally forgot about Dean!”
”Dean drove you?”
”Yeah, and he's been watching out for you at the entrance. Can you call him up?”
”I don't have Dean's number on this phone,” Gabriel says, thumbing on his iPhone. ”So maybe that's why he didn't call me up on the way here. Forgot to bring my public phone.” He slips his phone into his pocket. ”Wait for me here. I'll personally go and tell him. I owe him a lot for you, you know.”
”Okay,” she says.
She lovingly watches him slip through the crowd. Her heart pounds in her ċhėst; she doesn't know exactly what she feels, but all her feelings are good feelings. She couldn't even describe how excited she is. Is she even awake? Or is this one of those dreams?
”Miss Claire, here are the two tickets,” Clark says as he suddenly appears. His face is filmed with sweat, as though he had wrestled with someone just to finish his task.