Baggage & Buttons (22 page)

‘No, this is food for my kitchen, I’m paying,’ I
responded giving him a look.

‘Mia please don’t argue with me. I’m paying,’ he
handed his card to the cashier and I snatched it out of her hand.

‘No. Why should you pay Gabe?’

‘Mia
please
, you’re embarrassing the lady, hand
my card back over,’ he said firmly, glaring at me.

‘No.’ I glared back at him as I passed her my own. He
was really pushing my buttons with this chivalrous money thing. I figured he’d
be too polite to take my card off her and I was right, so I smiled sweetly at
him and didn’t return his card to him, until I was sure mine had been accepted.
He gave me another look and I could see his eyes had turned dark and he was
tight lipped, a sure sign he was angry with me. I heard him apologise to the
cashier as I grabbed the bags and quickly made a beeline for the exit. I’d only
made it a few paces outside when he caught up with me.

‘What the
hell
was that?’ he snapped.

‘What?’

‘Don’t “what” me. You know what, don’t play all
innocent,’ he said as he grappled to get the bags out of my hands. ‘Mia for
god’s sake give them up, I’m not letting you carry them as well as pay for them,’
he snapped.
That
got my attention. I put them on the ground and squared
up to him.

‘So what? As your girlfriend I’m not allowed to buy
anything for myself? Or carry a bag anymore? Or is it just because I’m a girl,
the weaker sex? I’m not allowed to be good at pool, or have my own money and
spend it how I want, is that it?’

‘I’m not going to argue with you here in the street
Mia.’ He put his hands on his hips as he fixed me with another of his angry
glares.

‘Tough. I’ve had enough of this domineering macho
bullshit. I don’t need you to keep me Gabe.’

‘Who said anything about keeping you?’

‘Well that’s what you’re trying to do isn’t it? You’re
trying to put me in my place, show me who’s the boss. A woman’s place is in the
home and the man’s the provider, well just because I said I love you, I’m not
your little woman Gabe, it’s not the 1800’s anymore. I’m an equal.’

‘Mia, where the hell is this coming from?’ He shook
his head and ran a hand through his hair.

‘You’re trying to buy me with your money,’ I stated,
folding my arms across my chest.

‘Trying to buy you?’ He looked at me surprised. ‘I
thought I already had you?’

‘You do, so stop trying to impress me.’

‘I’m not trying to impress you,’ he said looking
incredulous.

‘Then what are you trying to do?’

‘Take care of you.’

‘With no ulterior motive?’ I asked full of suspicion.

‘What?’

‘In my experience when someone tries to buy me things
they want something from me.’

‘Christ baby, who’s got you so fucked up?’ He muttered
as he rubbed his hand over his mouth, while I gasped.

‘So now I’m “
fucked up”
too?’ I put my hands on
my hips and scowled at him.

‘I didn’t mean it like that, you’re twisting my words.
Who’s made you feel that buying things for you, means you owe them something?’

‘I just know that gifts normally come with a price
Gabe.’

‘Mia I’m not trying to buy you, or impress you. I want
to take care of you because I’m your boyfriend and I love you and that’s what
boyfriends should do. It’s not conditional on anything.’

‘I’m just used to it coming with strings attached.’

‘So we’re back to the no strings rule are we? I
thought we’d moved past that into a relationship?’ I watched as he ran his
hands through his hair, he was getting as frustrated with me as I was with him.

‘We are in a relationship Gabe,’ I sighed. ‘But it’s
not even been two weeks, so this is all pretty new to me. I just need you to be
clear that just because I said I love you, you can’t boss me around. I’m
independent, I don’t need your money and I won’t be told what I can and can’t
do with my life.’

‘When have I ever done that Mia?’

‘Well you threw me over your shoulder and dragged me
out of the bar on Friday, when I was having a really good time. You don’t like
me drinking,’ I said confidently, folding my arms across my chest again.

‘I don’t like you being wasted and out on the streets
without me, especially not when there’s just been a murder. You need to take better
care of yourself and if you won’t do that then I will. I won’t apologise for
caring Mia. Ok what else is pissing you off?’ He asked as he copied my stance.

‘You won’t let me pay for things. I need to pay my own
way. I won’t be a kept woman.’ I needed to stand my ground now, no way was he
going to try and keep me under his thumb by controlling me.

‘A kept woman?! O for god’s sake. Fine. You can pay
for your own bloody food shopping in future and chip in towards takeaways or
whatever. But if I’m taking you out, or away, then
I’m
paying and I
won’t
budge on that. Anything else?’

‘Ok that’s fair enough but no, one final point, for
now. No dictating what I’m allowed to do with my life.’

‘What the hell’s going on with you today?’ He shook
his head as he looked at me.

‘Just because I said I love you Gabe doesn’t put you
in charge, it doesn’t mean I’ll bow down to you. I still want to be able to
make my own decisions and I don’t want unrealistic expectations that I’m going
to be some compliant little stay at home housewife, reliant on hand outs and
spewing babies out of my vagina like those lady boys in Thailand do with ping
pong balls. I want a career. Why are you looking at me like that?’ I scowled,
as he stood there with a big grin on his face.

‘You’ve thought about us getting married.’

‘
No,
I haven’t. Believe me, marriage is the
last thing on my mind Gabe. Contrary to what you may have heard, not all girls
want to settle down and play happy families, or rely on the man to earn the
money. I want a career and to keep my independence.’

‘Ok. What else independent Mia?’

‘I can’t think of anything else at the moment.’ I felt
better for having got that off my chest and laying my cards on the table. He
could be such a chauvinistic arsehole sometimes, but he was
my
chauvinistic arsehole and I knew I was hopelessly in love with him.

‘Well I’ve got an additional stipulation of my own.
When it comes to your health I won’t accept you stalling. You get seen even if
that means me paying for you to go privately and I won’t accept any arguments
over that. I won’t risk losing you and you know why that’s so important to me.’
He fixed me with his seriously hot
don’t fuck with me
look. Damn him,
playing on my sympathies because of his past, I was going to look totally
insensitive if I said no and he was relying it.

‘Well you have me over a barrel on that Gabe and you
know it, so it’s not as if I can refuse is it?’

‘No. So we’re agreed? Now can I just pick up the
bloody shopping bags and carry them home without been accused of violating your
feminist rights?’

‘Not until you kiss me first.’

‘But won’t that make me a compliant boring little
boyfriend?’

‘Just
shut up
and kiss me.’ I grabbed his jeans
and yanked him to me. Bickering made me so much hotter for him.

‘Wow,’ he sighed as I broke away. ‘I’m so ready for
hot make up sex, too bad we can’t. We need to get back or we’ll be late to pick
up Doug.’ He picked up the bags and started walking with me. ‘Don’t think that’s
the end of the conversation though Mia, kissing me like that doesn’t make me
forget.’

‘Forget what?’

‘Either you’re
seriously
moody when you’re on,
or there’s a story behind your insecurities and you’re going to have to share
them with me.’

I looked at him and frowned. ‘What if I’m not ready
to?’

‘When you’re arguing with me and I’ve no idea why,
then you don’t have a choice. How would you feel if I picked a fight with you over
my baggage and you didn’t know why?’

‘But I don’t know if I’m ready for that Gabe.’

‘What are you scared of? Losing me? I’m not going
anywhere no matter what you tell me.’

‘It’s just stuff that I’m not sure I’ve dealt with
myself yet,’ I replied with another frown.

‘Well we’re in a relationship now. If your “stuff” is
going to affect us, you need to deal with it. You don’t think I’m scared? The
only other woman I’ve ever loved was my mother and you know how that ended.’

‘I know, I’m sorry ok. Just bear with me Gabe. If I
get all pissy about something and you don’t know why, just point it out to me
and I’ll try and explain the best I can.’

‘Can you start with what happened just now?’

‘Not in the short walk left to the apartment, no.’

‘Ok then the discussion’s on hold, but it’s not over,’
he looked at me and smiled. How did he do that, just let go of all his
frustrations and be all sweet with me so quickly. Thank god I was having some
therapy, I needed to offload all this emotional shit and he was right, being on
did tend to make me extra cranky, but equally it was unfair of him to expect me
to share when he wasn’t.

We got home and Gabe went to sort the shopping while I
quickly sorted out my bag and grabbed my freshly washed cable cardigan. Lexi
was ready and waiting, dressed in all in black, with her biker boots, thick
tights, mini leather skirt, jumper and leather biker jacket.

‘Great you look
so
country, you’ll fit in
really well with the horse and hound brigade,’ I said with a smile.

‘Sod off,’ she grinned.

We headed downstairs and walked around the back of the
building to Gabe’s car.

‘Nice wheels Gabe,’ nodded Lexi as she walked around
it, stroking the roof.

‘Thanks, afraid it may be a bit of a squeeze in the
back.’

‘Lexi you sit in the front and I’ll go in the back,
I’m shorter than you,’ I said.

‘Did you fuck on the passenger or driver’s seat last
night?’ she asked with raised eyebrows.

‘Lexi!’

‘If it was the passenger seat I’m going in the back.’ I
sighed and pulled the seat forwards for her to climb in. ‘Knew it. It’s ok, I
can stretch out in the back,’ she grinned as she climbed in.

‘Seriously, do you tell her everything?’ Gabe
whispered.

‘Yes she does lover boy and your whisper’s louder than
you think, so just remember I hear and know
everything
. I’m the all
seeing eye of Westhampton.’

I looked at Gabe and pulled a sorry face as I shrugged
and he just shook his head slightly amused.

‘Ok one pit stop and we’re away,’ he said as he pulled
out onto the road.

‘Where are we stopping?’ asked Lexi.

‘To pick up Doug,’ I said, as casually as I could.

‘
What
?!’

‘You remember, I told you Doug was coming for lunch as
well.’

‘You bloody liar, no you didn’t.’

‘
Really
? Sorry, I meant to, must have forgotten.’

‘Forgotten my arse, you sneaky little bugger. Were you
in on this?’ She poked Gabe in the back of the shoulder.

‘Maybe. Lexi he likes you, he’s already asked you out
and unless I’m mistaken you like him. What’s the problem?’

‘Ok, say I do like him. You’re both forgetting two
very important points. 1. I don’t date. 2. I’m bloody pregnant.’

‘1. You’ve never even tried dating and we made a pact
Lexi Clarke, I’ve kept up my end of the deal losing my virginity, you need to
hold up yours. 2. Yes you’re pregnant, but he doesn’t know and never needs to
know does he?’

‘Bet Gabe’s already told him.’

‘No. I respected your right to keep it private. Like
Mia says, he doesn’t know and he won’t hear it from me.’

‘Thanks Gabe, appreciate that,’ she sounded surprised.
I reached out and put my hand over his on the gearstick, feeling proud that
he’d pleased my best friend and he gave me a very quick curt smile, which
seemed a bit forced.

‘You ok?’

‘Fine.’

‘Ok,’ I smiled, but I was sure he was lying. I frowned
as I watched him drive. What was eating him? We turned into King Street and I
looked at him surprised. ‘Are we going to your house?’

‘No, Doug lives further up the street. My dad moved us
across town to be closer to him and his family after … well you know why.’ He
pulled into a sweeping driveway to a detached three storey Georgian property.
It was similar to Gabe’s, but narrower and taller and was in red brick, as
opposed to Gabe’s old stone block house and there was no walled garden. Gabe
got out and went to knock on the front door.

‘Holy shit, dude’s loaded,’ said Lexi. ‘Is Gabe’s
house like this?’

‘Even nicer.’

‘Wow.’

Doug walked out and we watched as he and Gabe did the
man hug slap on the back thing. Doug was in his jeans with some walking boots
and a navy round neck jumper with a white shirt underneath. They looked like
brothers with their matching clothes, height and builds.