Page 130 of Gabriel's Album

“Enjoy your hibernation,” Harrison laughs.

“I will.” I smile at him. “See you later, Heather. I love you guys.”

She frowns at me, sighs, and then smiles. “I love you too, of course. We’ll talk later.”

“No doubt,” I laugh.

I make my way into my apartment. It’s strange being home again. I pace around the apartment, and I don’t know if I’m tired or excited right now. My mind is whirling with memories of Ariana, guilt over caring so much about having seen her when I have a girlfriend, and a deep sense of fatigue now that the tour has finally ended.

I strip naked and slide into my bed. Unbidden, memories of Ariana come to the forefront of my mind. I remember her in this bed the first night we had sex, and more than a few nights after that. I feel my body’s natural reaction to these memories, and I’m tempted to give myself release while thinking about her, but I can’t. I have a girlfriend, and it’s bad enough that I’m even thinking about Ariana; I can’t masturbate over her.

I push the memories to the back of my mind and try to focus on mundane things to get my body under control. As I do, the tiredness finally takes over, and I fall asleep.

I wake up on Saturday morning, feeling refreshed and excited. It takes me a second to realize why. I saw Ariana last night. I’m going to talk to her and finally get her to answer the questions I’ve wanted to ask her for two years.

I check the time on my phone and cringe when I see a text from Elena last night.

What’s up, gorgeous? Want to talk?

I have to remember that seeing Ariana is nothing more than being able to ask her the questions I need to ask her. I have a girlfriend. She’s not Ariana.

I send Elena a text.

Sorry, I was wrecked last night. Call me when you’re free.

I get up and have breakfast, and I manage to keep my curiosity in check until I finish it. That’s when I settle on the sofa in my living area and search for ‘Wilson Realty’ on my phone. The top result is their website, and it has their address on it. That’s where I’ll find Ariana.

Elena calls me later in the morning, and I feel a stab of guilt when I see her name on my screen because I haven’t thought about her since I sent her that text earlier.

“Hi, Elena,” I answer her call.

“Well, hello, gorgeous. How was the meet and greet?”

I consider for a second telling her what happened, but I don’t. I feel bad, but nothing really happened. An old friend turned up, and I’m planning to see them just to talk. It’s totally platonic, not worth mentioning.

“Good. I was tired, of course. So glad to sleep in my own bed last night, though.”

Elena laughs. “I bet. How long have you been away?”

“Over six months,” I tell her.

“I thought I had it bad when I made that two-month trip to Japan.”

“You say that like two months in Japan is a bad thing,” I laugh.

“Good point. I wasn’t complaining,” she tells me.

“What are you up to tonight?” I ask.

“Birthday party for Britney at her dad’s club. What about you?”

“Sleep, probably. For about a month or so.” I give her a really obvious fake yawn, causing her to giggle.

“Hopefully you can stay awake when I’m with you next week,” she purrs at me.

“I’ll do my best,” I tell her. “Anyway, I’ll let you go. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Sure, sexy,” she says. “Enjoy your sleep.”

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