Page 19 of Made For Romeo

I put my head back on the pillow, and for the whole night I thought about how to tell her. I finally got out of bed, looking over and seeing Gabriella left one of her hair ties on the bedside table. She kept leaving them everywhere. I walked down the stairs to go to the kitchen when I spotted the bag at the front door. “What the heck is that?” I asked myself, walking over and slowly opening the bag. My heart sank the minute I saw the treats that were inside. Maple cookies, maple candies, maple syrup, all with the Canadian flag. “No, no, no, no, no,” I chanted as I ran up the stairs and grabbed my phone. I pulled up the text thread we had. She was gone for the past five days to Canada to shoot something for her project, and she said she would bring me treats.

Did you leave this here?

I attached a picture of the bag and sent it. My stomach lurched and I thought I was going to be sick right there in the middle of the hallway. I tried to walk back to the living room but stopped midway when my phone pinged in my hand.

Yes.

I stopped walking and sat on the steps as my heart raced in my chest and my hands shook. “God, please, no.” I sent up a silent prayer, but I knew deep down inside that she was here.

When?

A couple of hours ago.

I closed my eyes when it all came crashing down on me. She found me with that woman. I didn’t bother texting her back. Instead, I called her. She answered after one ring. “Hello.” Her voice was calm and collected. It’s one of the things I loved about her.

The words were all stuck in my throat as I thought about what to say. What could I say? There was nothing I could have said that would make it okay, nothing. “You were here?” is all I said, because nothing else mattered at this point.

I didn’t even realize my eyes were shut while I listened to her answer me. “I was.” The minute I heard those words, I felt like an even bigger piece of shit. It was one thing to tell her what happened, but for her to fucking see it with her own eyes. She saw me and just left with the dignity that only she could have. She didn’t go off the deep end. She didn’t yell or curse or break up half the shit in my house.

I closed my eyes, not sure what else to say but her name, “Gabriella.” I didn’t even know what I was asking her or telling her.

“It’s fine,” she said, and my heart broke for her. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Gabriella, please,” I pleaded, my voice broken, but what could I fucking say. There was nothing to say. None of the words in the dictionary could justify what I did.

“Romeo,” she said my name and I felt the tears run down my face, “I’ve got to go. Take care.” She hung up, not giving me any more of her time. I didn’t deserve it anyway. I didn’t deserve anything. I took the phone in my hand and threw it against the wall. It shattered and fell to the floor.

I closed my eyes and went back to my bedroom and waited. Every single day I expected to open my computer or for my parents to call me and ask what happened. One day turned into two days and I stayed inside my house. A new phone was delivered a week later, and I went on my Instagram. The first picture that popped up was hers, which shocked me. It was a picture of the sun with a caption that said, “Shine like the sun.”

So many things went through my head. One, how did she not block me on social media? It was what everyone did. I expected to be blocked, but then I remembered this was Gabriella, and she didn’t play those games. She never once played the game with me when we were together. Never once made me chase her for fun. Never once avoided taking my phone calls because she was angry. She was everything I wished for in a person, and I threw her away.

Two was that no comments were made on any of my posts. There was no “cheating bastard asshole,” and believe me, I was the biggest piece of shit out there. No attention was brought to anything. It was like it was business as usual.

Days turned into weeks and still nothing came up. No one knew anything, and it was after the third week that I knew what a class act she was. It was also then I realized what she meant to me. I let the woman of my dreams slip away from me for nothing.

I blink as the memory fades and the pain in my chest picks up. Just like so many nights after that, I sit awake as I think about Gabriella. The way her eyes shone bright when she smiled. The way she moved her head to the side so I could kiss her neck because I loved to. The way whatever I shared with her was just for her. But now with those memories, I see the pain I put in her eyes. I knew I hurt her, knew it was there. Knew we had to talk about it, but knowing and then seeing it is two different things. I don’t know how I can make it up to her. I don’t know what I can do to make her realize I was an idiot. I don’t even know if she can ever look at me again without that pain in her eyes. I don’t know what any of this will do, but I do know one thing. I love her. I love her with every single beat of my heart. I love her with every single breath that I take. I love her with every single fiber of my being. I just hope I can make her fall in love with me for a second time because this time, it’s forever.

THIRTEEN

GABRIELLA

“Okay, I think it’s going to be this one,” I declare as I walk out of the dressing room, going to the middle of the room to stand on the podium. My aunt Zara is zipping up Vivienne as they both turn around and look at me. The girls have assembled in this shop to try on outfits for the gala. It’s a huge deal, so big that everyone, and I mean everyone, in the family is coming down. Even my father, who has a game the night before, is coming down for the night and then flying out that very night. The Max Horton Foundation is branching out to Dallas. He has a huge foundation in New York, where it started, and he works with the oncology department. A couple of years ago, he started bringing it to Dallas, where he wanted to help children in the system. He even hired Julia, who runs it now, but it’s not just the two of them anymore. They have grown and so many people have reached out in order to help support in any way they can. Now they have their own office here and the work they are doing is amazing. They are doing this gala in order to raise more funds, and everyone who is anyone is showing up. From what I heard, there are more than a thousand people coming, so it’s going to be a big deal.

“Wow,” Vivienne says, turning and looking at me as I shimmy my shoulders, “that is so perfect.”

I lift the hem of the dress to stand up and look at myself. There are five dressing rooms, which are full of half of the women in my family. The podium in the middle faces three different mirrors. I turn to the side, seeing that it fits me perfectly, before looking at the front again. The one-sleeved, long black dress is very simple but very elegant at the same time. It tightens around my waist and hugs me all the way down to the floor. “It’s chic but then…” I move my leg out of the dress, and you see the slit up to my thigh. “Sassy.”

“I knew that dress would look great on you,” Zara gushes, coming over now to stand beside me. “You are going to have them eating out of your hand.” I smile down at her, ignoring that I feel a ping in my heart at the same time.

Two nights ago was one of the worst nights of my life. Rehashing that shit, over and over again, was draining. When I woke up on Sunday morning, I bailed on lunch, not sure anyone would be able to see through my bullshit of “I’m just tired.” I was tired, but my eyes were also puffy, and my head felt like it would blow up. So instead, I got two plastic Ziploc bags full of ice, trying to bring it down enough for today. I thought I was over it, to be honest, it was in the past, and there was nothing I could have done to change things. But clearly, it still got to me. At least now it was over with for good. We hashed it out, and he left. This time, I’m sure it was for good.

“Should I bring a date?” I look over at Franny, who has just walked out of the changing room wearing a V-neck, spaghetti-strapped, champagne silk gown with an accordion skirt, showing off her little bump.

“A date?” Vivienne and Franny say at the same time, which makes me roll my eyes. I pick up the bottom of my dress, going over to the dressing room and grabbing my cell phone.

“What are you talking about?” Abigail asks as she steps out of her dressing room looking like an angel with her dress.

I hold up my finger and call my cousin, Michael. “Please hold,” I mumble, putting him on speakerphone.

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