Page 56 of Gabriel's Salvation

“Yeah, but still they are your friends, you're clearly hurting and you need them to be there for you.”

“They are there for me. They've been there when I've been upset. They listen to me talk and vent about my older guy. They've also given me tips and ideas on how to get over him. They just don't know who he is. They think he's some guy I met at a concert,” I share with a sad half-smile.

“Okay, well if you ever need to talk it out, with someone who you can be fully honest with, you know where to find me. I’ll listen anytime,” Lexi offers as she pulls me into a hug.

“There you are,” Ava says as we both walk out of the storeroom. Harper looks at me with her brow raised and I know she’s worried about me. I nod slightly letting her know I'm okay.

“Sorry, that biatch Lexi had me rearranging half the shelf with her,” I lie.

“It's true, that room is a mess,” Lexi affirms with a shrug.

“Anyway, thanks for the coffee. See you all soon,” Lexi comments as she grabs the ice coffee that one of the girls left on her desk.

We leave and get in the car ready to head to the mall so that we can help Ava pick an outfit for her date with Tucker, but on the way there we take a detour.

“Where are we going?” I ask as we turn down a familiar road.

“I said I'd drop lunch off for Tucker on my way, I'll only be a minute,” Ava replies as she drives past the old restaurant, past Saints’ bar, and pulls up outside O’Malley’s.

Harper squeezes my knee and mouths the words, ‘Are you okay?’

Unsure of how to answer, I simply shrug my shoulders.

To make matters worse, she pulls up right out front then obnoxiously beeps her horn, causing all the guys outside to turn and stare at us.

Tucker comes running over, quickly followed by Nate.

“Come see what I did,” Tucker beams, as he opens Ava’s door, kisses her, then tries to persuade her to follow him.

Izzy gets out and hugs Nate. Despite the fact those two are super into each other, they're still at that awkward, not sure what to do in public phase.

“Come see, come see!” Tucker beams again, as he bounces around from foot to foot like an excitable child. “All of you, come see!”

“He's not gonna give up till you do,” Ava grins.

Not wanting to cause a scene, I climb out the back seat and follow her, even though everything in my body is screaming for me not to. Especially since Tucker started working with Nate and Gabe at O'Malley's just a few days ago.

Tucker leads us to see something. I don't exactly know what I'm looking at apart from some building structure but he's super excited to show us anyway.

I look up and see Gabe walking towards us from across the yard.

“Do you have a bathroom I could use?” I quickly ask, turning to Nate.

“Yeah, sure. Just walk down that hall, there, past the small office, and it's just there. Want me to show you?” he offers.

“No, I'll find it,” I reply, making my escape, while praying that Gabe didn't notice me.

I find the bathroom relatively easily and lock myself inside. I wait long enough that I'm sure everyone will be done with Tucker and ready to leave, so I won't risk running into Gabe. I open the bathroom door ready to leave but as soon as I do, I'm met with those big, green eyes. Fuck, why does he have to look so good?

He bends down to kiss me, and for a split second I almost let him, but just as his lips graze mine, I come to my senses and pull away.

“Don’t push me away, please, Baby,” Gabe whispers, and despite the fact I can hear the sadness in his voice I refuse to look at him. Instead, I attempt to push past him. Rather than moving to let me pass, he puts his hand against the wall beside my head, trapping me.

“Just let me fucking explain,” Gabe begins as he bangs his fist against the wall behind me. “I'm sorry, okay?” he whispers when he sees me jump from the sound. “I've been trying to call and text you for weeks.”

“I know,” I respond, and instantly regret it when a small smirk forms on Gabe’s face. “So you’ve unblocked me now?” he asks with a hint of a smile.

“No,” I retort, which is only a half lie. Technically he is still blocked. What I don't tell him is that against my better judgement, every now and then, I've been unblocking him to torture myself by reading and listening to his messages and voicemails before reblocking him.

---