Page 61 of Gabriel's Album

“She’s…” Hayden trails off.

He looks over at Ariana, and I do too. She’s looking back at Hayden and not giving any answer to the question. I feel resentment hit me forcefully. She could tell them the truth. They’re not paparazzi. Yes, they’re fans, but it wouldn’t hurt for her to be honest, just this one time.

I’m struck by that niggling thought that arises, sometimes. The one where I wonder just how fucking long we can keep this relationship alive like this.

“Sorry, who is she?” the woman repeats her question.

“She’s just a friend of ours.”

I’m the one who finally gives Sarah an answer, and for the first time since she silently refused my desire to stand near her, Ariana catches my eye. The guilt is warring with the resentment inside me now, but it’s not like this isn’t the goddamn answershehas told me to give me. So, I shrug back at her with my eyebrows furrowed.

“Excuse me,” Ariana mumbles and strides off toward the bathroom.

The guilt wins my internal war in that instant, and I tuck my resentment away in a box. Fuck. I’m a dick. I watch the pool game with a blank stare, not really seeing it. All I can see is the hurt painted across Ariana’s face as I called her ‘just a friend.’

After a couple of minutes, I dare to glance in Heather’s direction, and if looks could kill, they’d be picking out a coffin for me right now. Ariana still isn’t back, so I sigh and walk over to Heather. Someone should check on Ariana, and it can’t be me.

Heather’s nostrils flare as I get closer to her, and when I sit down next to her, she hisses quietly, “You’re a fucking asshole, Gabriel Knight.”

The resentment flares for a second, and I say in a tight voice, “She told me to say that.”

“I don’t mean that, and you goddamn know it.” She narrows her eyes at me.

I sigh, feeling pissed at myself for bringing the fans over, but also an intense frustration that I can’t just be with my girlfriend in public. That I can’t just tell fans that I’m off the market to stop them from flirting with me. But I’m also ashamed that I didn’t try harder to avoid bringing them over to our group and upsetting Ariana.

“Yeah, I know,” I sigh. “Can you go check on her, please?”

“Yes, I can,” she says in a cold tone as she picks up her drink and informs me, “But I’m not going to do it for you. I’m doing it for her.”

“Thanks,” I say anyway, and walk back to the drinks I left on the table what feels like an age ago.

I pick up my beer and take a swig as I see Ariana leaving the bathroom. Heather hasn’t even had a chance to get up from where she is sitting to go check on her. She strides over to Heather with her head held high, but I can see that she’s been crying.

Ariana snatches up her purse and has a quiet exchange with Heather before walking toward the exit. My heart begins to pound in my chest. This evening has gone horribly wrong, and I know I’m to blame.

“Ari, don’t go,” I say in a low voice to her as she gets near me.

“Don’t, Gabriel,” she bites out, and continues on her way out of the pool hall without missing a step.

I watch her go with a frown on my face. I want to follow her, because we need to have a discussion, but if she needs time to cool down, I should give her that. Still, I don’t want her to sit in the town car that brought us here on her own for too long.

I turn back to the group as Sarah approaches Hayden—she’s coming from the direction of the bathroom—and I announce, “This should probably be our last game, guys.”

Sarah gives me a strange look and asks, “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine.” I cast about in my brain for an answer, then go with the semi-truth. “Our friend isn’t feeling well.”

“She did seem upset when I saw her in the bathroom,” she notes. Sarah turns to Hayden and gives him a bright smile before pouting at him. “It’s a shame you have to go.”

He smiles back at her. “I know. It was great meeting you guys, though.”

She looks completely smitten, and their conversation gets quieter as they return to the flirting they were doing before everything blew up after her question about Ariana.

Sebastian’s still flirting with Kaitlin, and Kylie seems to have given up on me because she’s joined them and appears to be watching Seb instead. He sinks the eight ball and begins packing the balls away so that we can return them.

Lisa walks over to me and says in a kind voice, “Thanks for being so nice to us, Gabriel.”

“No worries,” I smile at her.

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