Page 99 of The Odds of Happily Ever After
Ok. Let’s talk later.
It was pasteleven when Kriz drove me home. Our dinner had extended to drinks and more girl talk, and we’d ended up forgetting the assignments we were supposed to work on together. But how many more nights like this would I get to spend with my friends? Finals season was barreling toward us, and soon we’d be knee-deep in senior year schoolwork and job applications. As much as I needed good grades, I needed happy memories too.
As we neared my building, I spotted Gabe’s car parked a few feet away. What was he doing here? When I agreed to talk, I didn’t mean in person. The thought of confronting him was terrifying enough without having to look him in the eye and see his reaction.
“You okay?”
My gaze snapped to Kriz, who brought the car to a stop and looked at me with concern. “Yeah, I’m good. Just tired from the day,” I answered distractedly because my wine-infused brain was still trying to process Gabe being here.
“Sorry I didn’t bail you out earlier. Chloe got kind of intense back then.”
I forced myself to focus on her. “No, it’s alright. I actually appreciate the straight talk. It’s been a long time coming, and I’m honestly just relieved she didn’t bug me about his name.”
“Chloe’s a hard-ass. But once you’re in with her, she’ll ride or die for you.” Kriz chuckled. “Not that she’d admit it, or give you the easiest time.”
I decided that was better than sugarcoating everything or pretending to be something you weren’t. “She’s right, though—I need that tough love.”
“I mean, same. Do you know what you’ll do with Gabe?”
“I’ll try to talk to him. How much I’ll say is still up in the air.”
Kriz wished me luck, and I thanked her for the ride. After glancing at Gabe’s empty car, I entered my building and psyched myself up for the looming conversation.
My pulse thundered in my ears as the elevator crept up. I gripped the strap of my bag, all the words I wanted to say clashing and tangling in my head. I had the upper hand here since Gabe was the one trying to apologize. I shouldn’t be nervous.
But God, was I nervous.
When the elevator opened at my floor, I pulled my shoulders back and marched out into the hallway.
Then my feet halted, rooting me in place as Gabe straightened from the wall beside my door. His white shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, the sleeves shoved up to his elbows. His dark curly hair stood in different directions, like he’d dug his fingers through it one too many times. And his face—it was shadowed, his eyebrows pulled together over solemn eyes.
“You can’t do phone calls now?” I asked as I continued walking toward him.
“I thought it would be better to have this conversation in person.” His gaze traveled over me in a slow but steady sweep, and I felt the heat of it tingling across my skin. “You drank.”
“A plus for you.” A giggle escaped me, turning into a hiccup at the last minute.
“Were you with Kai?”
I reared back. “Kai?”
“Are you dating him?”
My mouth dropped at the sheer improbability of Gabe pulling out the same topic my friends had just dissected. “Are you kidding me? You too?” I shook my head.
He stepped close to me. “Are you?”
“Whether I am or not, it’s none of your business. You wanted boundaries, right? Here you go.” Maybe it was childish, but there was something satisfying about throwing his words back at him.
Shoving his hands in his pockets, he said, “I came to apologize about last night. But if you need to rest, I can come back tomorrow.”
Way to evade the topiche’dbrought up. I fumbled for my key and jammed it into the door lock. “I’m good, Gabe.” If we were doing this, it might as well be when my friends’ advice was fresh in my head. I pushed the door open and slipped my bag off my shoulder.
Gabe lingered outside the doorway. “Can I come in?” He could have easily followed me inside, but he’d asked because that was just his way.
“Yeah.” I toed my shoes off and switched to slippers. “You can use the blue slippers.”
“Thanks,” he said as he walked in and locked the door behind him.
