Pre Marital Ex

🍃Her Pre-marital Ex🍃 . . 🍀Episode 07🍀 . . While the women were busy looking through the photo album, Tyson was in the kitchen preparing fried pork chops, buttered brussel sprouts and homemade macaroni and cheese. For dessert he made mille-feuille, a flaky pastry filled with butter cream and drizzled with chocolate. When dinner was ready, he said, “Will the Alexander women report to the dining room,please?” Tamera looked at Gabrielle and said, “You know my brother is silly, right?” Gabrielle smiled, then stood up from the couch. Tamera set the photo album on the coffee table, then followed Gabrielle to the dining room. “Goodness, Tyson,” Tamera said. “What you done whipped up this time?” “Just some pork chops, brussel sprouts and mac and cheese.” “It looks good,” Gabrielle said, pulling out a chair. Tyson went back to the kitchen to get his plate, then he joined them at the table. They ate quietly for a few minutes before Tyson asked, “So my sister hasn’t been telling you my childhood secrets, has she?” Before Gabrielle could respond, Tamera said, “No, but now that you mention it—” “Oh, here we go,” Tyson said, then laughed. “Here’s a good one,” she began. “Gabrielle...Tyson had this chick he was sweatin’...if I recall correctly, he was a senior in high school and I was a junior. Anyway, he liked the girl but she wouldn’t give him the time of day, so he wrote her the cutest little poem.” “Yeah, one that I told you not to read,” Tyson chimed in. “Tyson, you handed me the note and told me to give it to her. You knew I was going to read it.” “Yeah, I should’ve known.” “Anyway, Gabrielle, I gave the girl the note and guess what? She ends up being Tyson’s prom date.” “Okay...no more stories,” Tyson said, wiping his mouth. “One is more than enough.” The three quietly indulged into their meal, then Tamera said, “The wedding pictures are phenomenal, Tyson.” “Thanks, sis.” “You were a handsome groom,” she added. “He’s a handsome everything,” Gabrielle said, locking eyes with Tyson and holding his gaze. She’d never seen him blush before but she was sure he came pretty close to it. Had she rendered him speechless? All he did was look at her, stare at her, then took a sip of wine, their gazes still connected. “Okay, um...y’all need to get a room,” Tamera said. “I feel like I’m interrupting something.” Tyson smirked. “You’re not interrupting anything, Tamera. You’re an eye witness to what true love looks and feels like.” “Aw...” she crooned. Gabrielle smiled. After dessert, Tamera headed upstairs. Gabrielle retreated to the bedroom to pack her suitcase for her trip and while she was busy rearranging items so that they fit perfectly in the small bag, Tyson walked up behind her, folding his arms around her while kissing her neck. “Remind me why I changed my mind about you going on the trip again.” “Because you love me.” “Yes. I do love you. What else?” “And you want me to be happy.” Tyson drew in a deep inhale of her scent. “Is it too late for me to change my mind? I’m starting to have second thoughts about you being away from me.” “Tyson,” Gabrielle sung. “Don’t do this to me, baby.” “I won’t,” he said, then kissed her. Moments later, they lie in bed making love and afterwards, they rested together, her opened suitcase next to the bed, the covers tussled about with a white sheet covering their bodies. “You okay?” he whispered to her. Gabrielle fought to catch enough air to answer him. “Um hmm. Are you okay, Tyson?” “Yes. Just wondering how I can miss you so much and you aren’t even gone yet.” “Tyson it’ll go by so fast, we’ll be right here on Sunday night lying in the center of the bed together.” “Yeah, I know. I’m just being an over-protective husband.” Gabrielle smiled. “So do I need to drop you off at the airport?” “No,” she responded, finding his hand. “Padma is coming by to pick me up around five-thirty. Our flight leaves at seven.” “Have you flown before?” “No.” “Are you nervous?” “Yeah, a little, but I’ll be with Padma and Lalita. I’m sure I’ll be fine.” Tyson sighed heavily. “Tyson, I’ll be okay, baby. I don’t want you worrying about me.” “It’s my job to worry about you.” “Don’t...I’ll be fine, okay?” “Okay, sweetie. Just make sure you call me before you take off, when you land and when you check in the hotel...oh, speaking of hotel, what hotel are you staying at?” “The Regal Midwest...I’m sharing a room with Lalita.” “All right,” he said, then took a kiss from her temple. Her sharing a room with Lalita settled him a bit. At least she wouldn’t be alone. “I’ll let you get some sleep so you’ll be ready in the morning.” “Okay, babe. Goodnight.” “Goodnight.” “So, we’re here ladies,” Padma said enthusiastically. She traveled a lot, but this is the first time she’d had the privilege of having two younger women to come with her – relatives that she wanted to mold into business women like herself. The idea of it excited her so much so that she was developing a new idea for a charity – about women helping women and empowering each other instead of dragging each other down – a place where business women who were at the top of their fields could choose a woman to mold, teach the business and help them to become successful. “This is so exciting,” Lalita said, fixing her hair, gathering the loose strands and using her fingers to rake them back behind a silver headband. “I didn’t think Tyson was going to let go of your hand this morning, Gabrielle. He was holding you so tight, it’s a wonder you had blood circulation in your fingers.” Padma chuckled. “Yeah, it was hard for him, even though he tried to pretend to be okay. Shoot, it was hard for me too. I haven’t been away from my hubby for an extended period of time.” “Oh, stop it,” Lalita said in her thick, Indian accent. “You newlyweds make me sick. Just wait until you’re years into it...you’ll be glad to push him out the door. I’m happy just to get out of the house alone to check the mailbox.” The women laughed together. “Tyson will be fine anyway,” Padma said. “He stays just as busy as I do.” “That’s true,” Gabrielle said. Padma headed to the front desk of the ritzy place with Gabrielle and Lalita in tow. She checked in, handed them their keycards and waved the bellhop to the elevator, as if they couldn’t carry their own overnight bags to their rooms. They took the elevator up to the eleventh floor. When they arrived, Padma said, “Okay, I’m in 1151 and you ladies are in 1172.” “Okay, 1151 is right down here,” the bellhop said. Once at the room, Padma showed him which bag was hers. After giving the gentleman a tip, he headed to the room where Gabrielle and Lalita would temporarily call home. “I’ll come get you ladies for dinner,” Padma shouted at the women as they walked down a long hallway. “We’re going to go to The Blue Room downstairs.” “Okay,” Gabrielle said. Turning the corner, they found their room. Lalita smiled when she opened the door to reveal their double-queen beds. Her face lit up like she was on a Booking.com commercial. Gabrielle gave the bellhop a tip and looked around. The hotel room had a living room complete with a couch, loveseat and coffee table. Off the living room was a balcony big enough to comfortably seat ten people. There was a refrigerator, microwave, a flat screen TV mounted on the wall and cool room décor that made the place a comfortable retreat. Lalita came out of the bathroom and said, “OMG, Gabrielle. There’s a Jacuzzi in there.” Gabrielle smiled. She wondered why Lalita was so excited to see the elegance of this place when she lived in a four bedroom home furnished by designers. Her ensuite bathroom was as big as the master bedroom. She had a walk-in closet that could be an extra bedroom if that’s what they wanted. Gabrielle walked to the bathroom, quickly looked around and said, “Padma certainly knows how to travel in style.” She rolled her bag to the bed closest to the windows. Then she sat on the bed, took out her phone and called Tyson. “You there?” he answered. “Yes, I’m here.” Tyson blew a sigh of relief. “Good. Are you all checked-in at the hotel?” “Yep...in the room now, sitting on the bed.” “Wish I was there. We’d have to boot Lalita.” “Tyson...” Gabrielle blushed as if Lalita could hear what Tyson was saying. There’s no way she could since he wasn’t on speakerphone. Still, she felt her cheeks become red as they always did when Tyson talked to her that way. She would never get used to it. “What? You know I love me some Gabrielle Alexander.” She smiled. “I love me some Tyson Alexander.” “You better stop that, girl. I’ll fly out there tonight.” “You wouldn’t.” “Don’t test me.” “Tyson, stop it. I’ll be back Sunday. You have to pack for Atlanta anyway.” “Looks like I’m going to be packing for Chicago. We can get a room with a Jacuzzi and...mmm...” “Tyson...” “That’s one thing I miss about our home...we don’t have a Jacuzzi, but looks like I’m going to have to get one very soon.” “Tyson...” “Like yesterday soon.” Gabrielle laughed. “Anyway, listen baby, call me before you go to bed, okay?” “I will.” “Have you eaten?” he asked. “Not yet...Padma should be here any sec now to get us.” “Is she taking y’all to The Blue Room?” “Yes. Have you eaten there?” “A few times when I stayed there a few years ago. The food is phenomenal.” “Nothing is more phenomenal than your cooking, my love.” “Okay, you’re really making me want to come up there right this instant.” “Oh, Tyson.” Just then, Gabrielle heard a knock at the door. “Tyson, I think Padma’s here.” “Okay, baby. Love you. Have fun.” “Love you too. Bye.” “Bye, sweetheart.” * * * The women stepped in The Blue Room, a snazzy, five-star restaurant on the first floor of the hotel there. Blue, fiber-optic lights hung from the ceiling over every table and floor standing water fountains, with steady flows of trickling water, divided the restaurant from one side to another. It was an elegant restaurant for sure with candles on every table. After the hostess showed them to their table, one right beside the water fountain, the women took a seat and were each studying a menu. “Everything looks delicious,” Padma said. “Think I’ll stick to something light, though. Eating a big meal this late will have me up all night.” “I’m with you, Padma,” Gabrielle said. “I’ll give the zucchini spaghetti a try.” “Ummm...” Lalita said, her eyes still rolling over the menu, trying to make a quick decision. “I’m going to order the black bean garden salad.” Once they ordered their food, Padma gave them a brief rundown of what the expo would entail – that they would discuss food protection, marketing, getting started with a restaurant business and a website overview of everything a restaurant’s website should contain. When the food arrived, they were busy discussing their meals. Lalita talked about her kids and Padma went on and on about work, but out of the blue, she stopped mid-sentence with an opened mouth and big, wide eyes. “Padma, are you okay?” Gabrielle asked. Before she could speak, a male voice from behind Gabrielle and Lalita said, “Good evening, ladies.” Gabrielle frowned. She knew the owner of that voice – Dilvan Alexander. She watched him walk around the table and sit directly in front of her. He was dressed impeccably, as always and his presence owned the room. He was sure to cause women to rubberneck wherever he went. “Dilvan, what are you doing here?” Padma asked. “I told you I had a shoot here this weekend.” “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought you turned it down.” “Changed my mind,” he said, looking at Gabrielle. Gabrielle held his gaze, trying to understand him. Was he a mental case? He couldn’t have come here solely for the purpose of seeing her, could he? Would he go that far? Accept a photo shoot that he hadn’t wanted to do, only so he would have an excuse to come to Chicago? While she gazed upon him, she noticed his enchanting gray eyes, and thick, black eyebrows. His face was freshly shaven. His silky hair was longer than she remembered and he rocked a thin mustache. Gabrielle could admit that Dilvan was a handsome man, but appearance really didn’t mean much when you had an attitude that sucked. “Hey, Gabrielle. Lalita,” he said cordially. “Hi, Dilvan,” Lalita responded. Gabrielle didn’t say a word. She glanced at Padma, then wiped her mouth with a napkin. Her appetite had vanished, and though she wasn’t looking at Dilvan, she could feel his intense stares beaming against her face from across the table. “So what shoot are you doing tomorrow?” Padma asked solely with the purpose of taking his attention away from Gabrielle. “Casual attire for Ross & Company.” “Where are you staying, son?” “Here. Eleventh floor.” “Oh.” “The shoot is only three blocks away so I figured this would be the best hotel to lay my head.” Gabrielle frowned. This was no coincidence. Dilvan was slick, coming here without telling anyone, finding out what hotel they were staying at and that their rooms were on the eleventh floor. Then he booked the same hotel, made sure his room was also on the eleventh floor and invited himself to dinner. “And, Mother, I’ll have you know that Heshan reached out to me...said we should meet to discuss things, so I’m looking forward to repairing my relationship with my brothers. You were right. It’s long overdue.” “That’s excellent news, Dilvan. Hey, are you eating, or—” “No. I already ate...had some edamame. I was actually sitting over there in the corner, on the phone with my manager when I saw three beautiful ladies walk in.” Padma smiled. Lalita smirked. Gabrielle rolled her eyes. “We didn’t see you at all,” Lalita said. “Yeah, it’s a big place,” Dilvan said. He looked at Gabrielle with more intense stares. If his goal was to make her uncomfortable, he’d accomplished that and then some. No matter how tough Gabrielle tried to be around him, there was always that feeling of power and control he once had over her coming to the surface yet again. And then she could no longer handle the negative energy that came with his presence. Gabrielle stood up and said, “Padma I’m going to go up to the room.” She stuck her hand in the front pocket of her pants and pulled out a twenty dollar bill. “Oh, no, honey,” Padma said. “I got the food.” “No,” Dilvan spoke up. “I got the food.” “Okay, well, I’m heading up. Thanks for dinner, Dilvan.” He smiled. Just the sound of her saying his name made him want her. “My pleasure,” he responded then watched her walk away until she was no longer in sight. Lalita left a few minutes after Gabrielle did. Now that they were at the table alone, Padma turned to Dilvan and asked, “Why are you bothering her?” “Bothering who?” “Oh, come on, Dilvan. Don’t play dumb. Now why are you bothering her?” “I’m not...I—” “You are. Are you trying to insult my intelligence, son?” “Mother, I—” “First, you tell me you weren’t going to do the shoot, then you suddenly change your mind, end up at this hotel and on the eleventh floor...is that why you came here? You found out she was coming?” “Mother, I’m not here to stalk Gabrielle if that’s what you’re implying.” “Then leave her alone. You put her through enough, don’t you think?” Dilvan sighed. “I’ve apologized to her, to you and to the family for that, but somehow, you can’t seem to forget it.” “I can’t seem to forget it? I’m more worried about Gabrielle than I am about myself. Do you think she’s over what you did to her?” Dilvan shrugged. “Don’t know. I haven’t had a chance to have a real sit-down with her.” “You haven’t, because if I recall correctly, she went to Hatteras Island with you before she and Tyson were married. You mean to tell me you didn’t have a chance to talk to her then?” Dilvan sighed, wondering how his family knew all of his business. He couldn’t recall telling his mother about taking Gabrielle to Hatteras Island. That was back before she married Tyson. He thought the time alone might win her back. But Gabrielle had already fallen in love with Tyson, and nothing Dilvan said would change her mind. “Actually, no, I didn’t have a chance to talk to her like I wanted to because she left early.” “So what’s your plan? To get her alone again?” “I don’t have a plan. I’m here on business.” Padma grumbled. “I’m here for a shoot,” Dilvan repeated. “I hope you are, because if you bother her, you know Tyson will be at your throat. This time, it’s going to be more than a bloody nose.” Dilvan looked confused. How had she known about the fight between himself and Tyson? Then it dawned on him – his big mouth brothers. “Don’t look surprised, Dilvan. I know everything, and I’m telling you for your own good...leave Gabrielle alone.” Dilvan stood up and kissed his mother on the cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow.