Gabriel stepped out of the bathroom, drying his hair as he walked into the room.
He looked at Meridia and frowned lightly.
"Hey, what's this? You're still not ready? I got ready before you," he said, surprised.
Meridia crossed her arms. "I was ready," she replied calmly, "but because of you, I had to change into normal clothes."
Gabriel continued fixing his hair in the mirror and spoke without turning around.
"Because of me? How exactly?"
"You were taking so long," Meridia said. "I couldn't wear something that heavy and just keep waiting."
Cutting her off, Gabriel grabbed his perfume and sprayed it on casually.
"Do you want some?" he asked.
"No," she answered flatly.
"Alright then," Gabriel said, picking up his keys. "Come when you're done. I'll be waiting downstairs near the stairs. We'll go together."
Meridia nodded. "Okay."
Gabriel headed downstairs, leaving the room quiet behind him.
Meridia descended the stairs wearing the gown Gabriel had given her—the Rayelle Rays brand.
The diamonds stitched into the fabric enhanced her beauty even more, catching the light with every step she took.
The soft pink and white color combination was enough to impress anyone at first glance, while the unique sleeves on her arms felt so expressive that they seemed to reach straight into the heart.
Gabriel looked at her and spoke instantly, unable to hide his admiration.
"Wow… you look really beautiful. Now every man will be jealous of me—yahoo!" he said proudly.
Meridia laughed. "You're seriously crazy," she replied, shaking her head.
They walked toward the car. Gabriel stepped ahead, opened the door for Meridia, and bent slightly, extending his hand toward her like a gentleman.
"Thank you," Meridia said as she got in.
Gabriel started the car, and soon they were on their way.
"You know," Meridia said, "I actually know the route to the place we're going today."
"Oh? That's good," Gabriel replied casually.
Everything seemed perfectly fine—until suddenly, instead of turning onto the correct road, Gabriel steered the car onto a different route.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Meridia asked, alarmed. "We're going the wrong way."
"Just stay quiet," Gabriel said firmly. "You don't know anything."
"But this is the beach road," Meridia insisted, her voice filled with confusion.