Page 34 of Fragile

I thought back to Jamie’s invitation to that rock concert. Maybe I needed to rethink my life and go out on more dates as Max had said. Put myself out there instead of channelling all my energy into dance. Couldn’t I have both; a career and a relationship? At times I felt so lonely and Max’s kind words about me being part of the family had unlocked something within me. I did want to find someone, one day.

“OK, so maybe I’ll accept Jamie’s invitation to a night out?”

“That’s more like it. It will be fun to see Gabriel’s reaction,” Max said with a cheeky wink. I took his words about Gabriel with a pinch of salt.

The lift doors opened and Gabriel strode out with a dark expression, his gaze flicking between us. Considering his hands were full of archive boxes full of paperwork, he moved like a panther, so sure of himself and looked mouth-watering.

I glanced briefly toward him before turning back and asking Max outright, “So, what do I wear to a rock gig?”

“A T-shirt that says I don’t belong here,” Gabriel cut in sarcastically. His face was unimpressed. I watched, feeling distracted as he aggressively dumped one of the archive boxes onto the table and started to impatiently remove folders.

Max and I turned to face him as he unpacked what looked like papers from college, before prowling over.

He came to stand before us and continued to look back and forth between us, suspicion in his gaze.

“Why aren’t you at class?”

“It was cancelled,” I replied in an unusual throaty voice.

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed as he glanced around the apartment.

“And where’s Asher?” he questioned moodily, ignoring Max who stood there like a mountain of male flesh. I saw Max shoot his friend a look; he wasn’t happy at how Gabriel had spoken to me.

Remaining where I was, I explained, “Asher is out with a friend and I stayed home to train today.”

Gabriel replied with a tilt to his chin in his friend's direction. “What the fuck are you doing here. I said I’d meet you at the bar.”

Talk about hot air. He didn’t give me the chance to ask him how his exam had gone or anything, he just started a row for nothing in front of his friend. Heat flooded my cheeks.

“You said you’d been delayed and so I thought I’d just come here you moody twat. Leonie was keeping me company. Weren’t you sweetheart?” His words were delivered purposefully to needle and it worked as Gabriel’s face became even more like a storm cloud.

“Really? And asking you for fashion tips apparently,” Gabriel sniped.

Max winked at him with a grin, “What can I say? I’m a man of many talents.”

Gabriel rolled his eyes and gave me his full attention. “Why don’t you carry on training in your room Leonie and leave the grownups to talk? Or are you going to a costume party? He said as his attention roamed over my dance gear.

“No, as I said, I was stretching out and watching TV,” I replied, my voice almost a whisper.

“Why the fuck you don’t use the gym is beyond me. I’ve already said you could.”

My brow scrunched, when had he said that?

Those words cut into me and I felt so embarrassed in front of Max but my reply was lost as I struggled to form a sentence.

“Well?” Gabriel said, dropping the bag he was carrying and shrugging out of his jacket. Despite his horribleness, I noticed how fit he looked in the stark white shirt and trousers. He must have decided to dress formally for his exams. Either that or maybe he’d had an interview.

“For fucks sake, go and put some clothes on. I’ve told you about that before,” Gabriel sniped nastily as he straightened the cuffs of his sleeves.

“I’m not indecent, it’s what I dance in,” I explained, attempting to reason with the unreasonable.

“And it’s adorable, as is your poor attempt to stand up to me.”

“What?”

“Did I fucking stutter?” he said rudely.

“Don’t speak to me like that Gabriel,” I said with a crack in my voice.

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