𝐂𝐎𝐆𝐍𝐈𝐙𝐀𝐍𝐓 |𝟏𝟖+

𝘵𝘸𝘰 |

CHAPTER 02
ZAHRA ARIEL SIMPSON
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"The house feels so cozy," I tell him admiring much of the furniture I had picked out two and a half years ago during the building and interior decorating process. I run my hands over the beige, almost white sofa and look up at the wooden beams in the ceiling repurposed from the trees cut down to plot the house. I now stood in the family room, a much smaller living space used for day-to-day family life only. The other living space was used for formal settings to hold the very few dinners and parties Gabriel hosted here.

"You have good taste," he grumbles as he stands behind me. His cologne is strong and manly, like a warm hug enveloping my skin. I naturally sigh in comfort. My suitcases were by the steps waiting to be unpacked - but honestly, I may live out of a bag for a few days till I get annoyed enough to unpack it fully. Most of my stuff was in the U-haul on its way here scheduled for sometime tomorrow. "Come, let me show you your room. I did a few changes you should love."

Margot was already bringing her two suitcases upstairs when I decided to follow him. She had just woken up - so it would be silence and aggravation on her part for a few hours till she got over her funk. I turn to look at him, my eyes filled with heavy excitement. "You added the greenhouse and garden view from the room?"

I didn't try to hide the excitement as I clapped my hands together, watching him grin at my reaction. "Yeah, I added the garden view to your room. You know it's been yours since the first night you spent here."

A seven-bedroom, six-and-a-half bathroom house built from the ground up in terrain that outlooks the forestry area was one of Gabriel's pride and joy. Long before the last time I was here last year, I brought up how it'd be nice to have a glass greenhouse to look at as the sun would rise or set. Of course, that wasn't the only reason - I was a plant fiend. He knew this. He promised he'd get to it for me one day. Still, his life had been hectic with the three new significant contracts to build skyscrapers in major cities like Dubai, Tokyo, and his home New York.

His sleeves were rolled up, showing his strong hands that lift my suitcases, showcasing the veins of his arms from their weight before he motions his head up the stairs. I grip at the suit jacket that belonged to him, hugging it around my body after it had taken residence during the trip home. "Come on."

My steps are slow, my eyes taking view of every piece of decor I helped pick out and how it was put exactly where I advised him. He listened to me - and it wasn't like I had a degree in interior design; I just went off what I liked that would match his vibe.

Up the stairs were four rooms to the left that were guest rooms, and three to the right were Margots, Gabriel's primary bedroom, and the space that would be mine when I was here. He drops my bags and pushes the door open, ushering me in to see the view from the balcony area that opened the room just a bit more, giving more natural light. The sun was setting, so the room took on the hues of the sky of oranges and red lighting as I pulled open the sliding doors, gently stepping out to feel the warmth of the rays and the coolness from the trees.

The greenhouse was black and shaped like the pentagon we drew when we were five claiming it to be a house. It had a stone path that led up to it as well as had a few plants inside from what I could see. There were also plots outside by the front outlines by repurposed wood from the trees cut. "You can use it to grow whatever you want. I already got some soil, pots, and seeds stocked up for you. If you decide you want to expand it just let me know and I'll get it done."

I turn to look at him a wide grin on my face. "Are you serious?" I ask him not controlling many of the giddy steps I take toward him. He nods returning my smile. He looks a bit older from the last time I saw him slight wrinkles forming around his eyes I'm guessing from overworking and lack of sleep. "I love it, thank you," I whisper between us.