Page 108 of Gabriel's Album

No. Sorry, G. I called and left another message this morning.

I thank her for trying and encourage her to contact me as soon as she hears from Ariana, then I put my phone away.

Sebastian looks over as I slip it into my pocket and asks carefully, “All good?”

I shrug and tell him begrudgingly, “Heather hasn’t heard anything.”

“Unsurprising,” he mumbles.

“Seb,” Hayden says in a warning tone.

Sebastian glances at Hayden in the rear-view mirror and turns to the road with a scowl on his face. “Okay, I’m going to say it. I’m sick of her shit. Gabriel did everything for her, Heather was a good friend to her; we wereallgood friends to her.”

He pauses for a second and takes a deep breath before turning to look at me.

“I’m sorry for my part in it, Gabriel. I really am. I wish it hadn’t happened the way it did, but what she’s done to us is not okay.” Sebastian turns back to look at the road again, and I can feel my entire body tensing up as he continues. “I can see that you’re hurting, even if you can’t. Maybe you’re trying to hide it, or maybe you’re in denial or something, I don’t know, but what I do know is it’s there.”

My jaw is clenched. I reply to him through gritted teeth. “I see. Do you have anything you’d like to add to the conversation, Hayden?”

Hayden is quiet for so long that I turn to glare at him, then he sighs and shakes his head.

“Come on, tell me your thoughts. Do you think the same thing as Sebastian?”

They exchange glances in the mirror, then finally Hayden says, “Well, yes. I’m worried about you, and I don’t think the way Ariana left is right, but it was her choice to go. It’s not like you would’ve wanted her here if she didn’t want to be here.”

“You guys don’t get it,” I growl. “Shedidwant to be here. She wanted to be with me, and she loves me; she just got scared.”

I stop myself before I explain that she has a family history of stories like the one that started on Monday morning. When that happened, it scared her, but I know she’ll come back to me soon.

I pull my phone back out of my pocket and send a text to Ariana.

Hey, sweetheart. I still love you. Please call Heather or me so we can work out the meet-up.

I open my browser and look up the latest news stories about us. They’re marginally more in our favor since the press conference, but my hesitance to talk about Ariana was noted.

People are speculating on everything to do with Ariana. I cringe when one of the articles mentions that #DumpAriel is trending. I check social media and am horrified at the cruel messages about Ariana. I quickly send her another text.

Please stay away from social media for your mental health. It’s awful, and I hope you know that I love you. You’re the only person I love, and I don’t want anyone else.

I scroll up to the top of our message history and begin reading it all. I miss her so much, and this is an exquisitely painful experience. It’s like a time warp back to when I first met her and we were learning all about each other.

An overwhelming longing for her hits me so intensely that it overcomes me, and I drop my head to my hands as tears start to fall.

I don’t know how long I cry for, but after a while, Hayden asks quietly, “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really,” I say, then sigh. “I think we’ve said all that can be said. Just…ignore me, or something.”

“We’re not going to do that,” Sebastian says. “But if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s okay. We’re almost at our destination, anyway.”

It’s not much longer before the big ‘HOLLYWOOD’ sign is nearby, and we pull into Lake Hollywood Drive.

“We’re hiking to the sign?” I ask Sebastian.

He parks the car and grins at me. “Yup. The concierge told me that the Burbank Peak Trail is the hardest, but it’s also the shortest and has the fewest hikers. So, hopefully, we won’t be interrupted.”

He looks very pleased with himself, and I’m touched that he thought this through. No paparazzi, no fans…no Ariana. The last thought forces the pain back into my chest, but I push it away. While Sebastian is grabbing his backpack out of the trunk, I check my phone and see a few messages and calls, but none are from Ariana.

Sebastian grabs my phone out of my hand, and I yell, “Hey!”

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