Page 104 of Gabriel's Album

I begin to fall asleep with my phone in my hand, open to a picture of Ariana and me. I stare at it blankly as the exhaustion hits me and my eyelids droop, taking longer and longer to open after each time I blink.

I jerk awake and drop my phone on the bed next to me as I do, so I switch the hotel room lights off from the control panel that’s next to me on the bedside table before whispering to the picture on my phone, “I wish you were here.”

17

The Fifteenth Song (Second Verse)

Unsurprisingly,Ariana makes no attempt to contact me overnight, and I wake with the urge to convince her to somehow see me. I start to consider possibilities for us to meet in person. She loves me, I know it, and if we could just talk, then we could figure out some way through this.

I call her and feel the usual pain when I hear her voice, but somehow hearing it makes me feel connected to her.

“Ari. Can you please call me? I need to talk to you. I’ll do anything you need me to, but please call me so we can work through this.”

I have so many notifications on my phone, but I don’t want to talk to anyone. I wander aimlessly through my hotel suite, memories of Ariana playing in my mind and bringing with them an intense desire to see her again. I sigh and pull out my acoustic guitar.

I sit on the sofa in the main room of my suite, and I begin to play the chords for Ariana’s song. When I first begin to sing, my voice is cracking and quiet, but I continue, allowing tears to flow freely as I sing the song I wrote to tell her how much I loved her.

I think about that night as I sing, of how perfect and amazing it really was. When I finish singing the last note, I put my guitar aside. This can’t be the end of our story; I know that we can work through this.

I walk to the bathroom and splash my face with water before calling Ariana again so I can give her options for us to meet up.

“Ari. What can I do? Do you want me to come to you? Where are you? I’ll come to you, and we can talk.”

I hang up, then call room service and ask for some food to be brought up to the room. While I wait for it to arrive, I wonder what Ariana is doing right now. She’s a few hours ahead of me, so she’s probably already had her breakfast.

Maybe she’d prefer to start by seeing someone else instead of me. I should give her that option, so I pick up my phone and call her again.

“Ari. Just on the last message, would you rather someone else come to see you? I’d understand if you did. Maybe Heather?”

Now this idea is in my head, I can’t get rid of it, and I’m feeling a lot more positive about everything. Ariana will surely take me up on this offer, and we’ll be able to get through this. I have another thought, so I dial her quickly.

“Ari. Could we video call, maybe? That might be easier than me coming to see you.”

There, she has options now. I’ll go see Heather after breakfast and ask her if she’d be willing to visit Ariana while she’s in Chicago this weekend. It’s almost perfect. The only thing more perfect would be Ariana telling me she’s changed her mind and is coming back to me.

When my breakfast arrives, I eat it with gusto, then shower and get dressed. I pull out my phone and send a text to Ariana.

Hey, Ari. I don’t know if you’ve listened to my voicemails yet, but please consider it. I’m going to talk to Heather now. She and Harrison have her brother’s wedding in Chicago this weekend, so she can easily visit you. I miss you so much, and I love you more than ever. Please come back to me.

I check the time, then lock my phone and slip it into my pocket before heading to Heather and Harrison’s room. Hopefully, they haven’t left for their flight yet.

“Hey, Gabriel,” Harrison says when he answers the door for me. “How are you doing today?”

“Good,” I tell him with a smile, buoyed with enthusiasm from this new idea. “Where’s Heather?”

A concerned look crosses his face, and he tells me, “She’s in our room, packing for our flight.”

“Can I talk to her?” I ask.

Harrison shrugs and leads me to their bedroom. Heather is sitting on the bed, facing away from us. She’s not moving, just holding a shirt in her hands and staring out the big glass windows in front of her.

“Hey, angel. Gabriel’s here to see us,” Harrison says as he approaches her.

Heather jumps and squeals before turning to look at him, and then me. “Sorry, I was lost in my own world. Hi, darling.”

She drops the shirt on the bed next to her, then stands and walks over to me before putting her arms around me for a hug.

It’s strange seeing Heather so scattered; she’s normally so on top of everything. I know it’s because of Ariana leaving, and I feel guilty again that I brought her into our lives.

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