A snippet of chapter1
It had been a whole 20 seconds since he'd last thought about her, but the scowl she threw him as he watched her perhaps suggested she wasn't looking to be friends. Gabriel sipped the last drags of his coffee and slumped on his table.
“Mr De Franco...”
Gabriel lifted his head to see the waitress offering him a refill.
“No thank you, Rose. I got to be heading off” Said Gabriel with a smile, and with that he picked up his battered brown satchel and stood up.
“Who was that girl sitting over there? Don't suppose you know her... Do you?”
“Ahh, Layla?” Rose smerked, “She's erm... One of these quiet ones? Doesn't say a lot, but she seems a sweet girl. She's in here everyday after college. I wouldn't waste your time though honey.”
Time however, was something that was always on Gabriels side.
“Thanks Rose, I'll be seeing you tomorrow then.” Said Gabriel with a cheeky wink and then left to walk home.
Now, Gabriel was one of these men that every women wanted, and every man wanted to be. A faint Italian accent, dark brooding eyes and dark hair he frequently flicked from his face, he sent chills up your spine with a mere glance. A perfect physique by anyones standard, yet often hid beneath a casual shirt and baggy jeans and a scarf, that looks knitted by his nanna but he maintains is so comfy, he dare not leave the house without it. All things aside, his ego is rather small in comparrison to his intelligence, natural charm and perfect american hero smile. Yet he was still somewhat surprised that this girl, Layla scowled at him rather than the shy, awkward glances he normally recieves from women. Walking home, he was trying to remember if he was actually staring or whether he was merely admiring in her general direction. No. Definitely staring. Racking his brains, Gabriel was trying to think if he knew her, which he didn't think he did or if she was just truly the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Approaching his door, he pats down his pockets for his keys.
“Ok, I'm sure I put them in my pocket..” Thinking he's now going mad, he checks through his bag, where he finds nothing but a bottle of prescription pills, a mobile phone and various receipts. He fumbles around, checking his pockets again and gets on his hands and knees to look under the third gnome on the right, under the bush besides his house, to see if his spare key is there. It isn't... because he used it 3 weeks ago when he left his keys in the library and has not replaced it since.
“I take it you're looking for these?”