Chapter 155 ABOUT HIM?

Chapter 155 ABOUT HIM?
GABRIELLA

He leaned back into the same position as before, his eyes locking onto mine. After a quiet sigh, he finally spoke.
"Charity's my sister," he clarified. "She's nothing like whatever story you've cooked up in your head.”

I blinked. Wait. He had a sister?

"She's been worried because I practically haven't been home in a month," he continued. "So she came to my office to threaten my existence and remind me that apparently sleep is important."

"Oh."

Great. Fantastic. So I had just spent the last ten minutes acting jealous over his sister.

"I actually didn't want to know that," I lied immediately. "I was just..." My brain betrayed me when I actually needed it the most. "I mean, you know..."

No. He definitely did not know. And judging by the look on his face, he was enjoying this far more than any decent human being should.

His mouth twitched. "Gabriella." My name came out from his mouth like a quiet prayer and before I could respond, something soft pressed against my lips.

My entire body froze. My eyes widened. My hands forgot what they were doing. Even my brain abandoned ship entirely. For one impossible second, the world simply stopped moving.

When he pulled away, it was slow enough for me to realize what had just happened. The faint trace of my lipstick remained on his lips.

His eyes searched my face carefully. Almost cautiously. "Uh..." He glanced away briefly before looking back at me again.

For the first time since I'd met him, Dr. Samil Ashford actually looked uncertain. "I've been wanting to do that for a while."

My mouth opened. Closed. Then it opened again. Absolutely nothing came out. Because unfortunately for me… I wasn't angry. Somewhere beneath the shock and embarrassment, something warm and unfamiliar fluttered quietly inside my chest like a flower blooming where I least expected it.

The next thing I knew, his fingers came up to cup my face. There was no hesitation in the gesture this time.

He wasn't teasing and there was no arrogance. It's just… warmth.

His thumb brushed softly against my cheek, grounding me there with his eyes. "The thing is..." he started quietly. "I think I've actually been an idiot."

I blinked.

He gave a small shake of his head. "It took me way too long to say this."

I didn't move. Honestly, I wasn't sure my body remembered how.

"I love you, Ella."

My throat instantly went dry.

He nodded as if confirming it for himself too. "Yeah." The corner of his mouth twitched slightly. "I'm kind of confessing right now." A nervous breath escaped him. "And since I'm not particularly good at dancing around things, there it is."

His eyes stayed on mine. "So how about you stop spacing out and say something, Ella?"

Nothing came out. My hands flew instinctively to his chest to push him away, but he caught them before I could. Not tightly. Just enough to stop me from running.

His heartbeat slammed wildly beneath my palms. Almost as fast as mine.

"My legs are starting to hurt," he muttered after a second. "I'm still technically a patient, remember?"

"You're..." My voice cracked embarrassingly halfway through the sentence. Unfortunately, I had absolutely no idea what I was trying to say.

His brow lifted slightly. "Should I kiss you again so you can find the right words?"

A shocked laugh escaped me. "That's funny, sir." My eyes darted everywhere except his face. "I need to pee."

He went silent in that moment and I didn't want to start debating what was running through his head.

Then it dawned how stupid I just sounded… God. Of all the excuses available on planet Earth… That was the one I picked?

My brain immediately started screaming at me. Stay here and deal with this, Gabriella. The poor man just confessed his feelings. The same man who couldn't say thank you without sounding mildly offended by the concept had just looked you in the eye and told you he loved you. Say something. Anything at all.

Finally, he straightened. His legs wobbled slightly beneath him before he caught himself.

"Hey." I was on my feet before I even realized I'd moved. "You okay?" The worry in my voice surprised even me. "You're not fit enough to be standing yet."

He looked down at me. "Then maybe you should've answered me faster instead of making me wait."

I immediately looked away, avoiding his eyes. "Sit down, Dr. Samil." I pointed towards the couch instead. "That's an order."

He watched me for a long moment. Then, exactly as I feared he would, he asked quietly. "It's about that guy, isn't it?”