Gabe smirked over the top of his coffee cup before taking a sip.
Bastian snorted from the living room, but I kept my attention trained on the man before me. I fought the urge to smile as Bastian muttered, “Here we go.”
Steele’s fingers drummed against the side of his mug as he contemplated my words. “Perhaps the horribly concealed laugh?”
My jaw dropped, feigning shock. “Well, I would nev?—”
He cut me off with a shrug. “Or maybe it’s just because I know you, and you always have something to say, Princess.”
While it felt like a typical jab from Steele, the barb lacked his usual heat. If anything, the interaction left me feeling a bit out of my element, because it genuinely felt like a light-hearted joke. Which was another thing I was not used to receiving from the man.
I nearly fell over when he cracked an actual smile at me.
My lip curled as my brow furrowed. “Are you feeling okay?”
I couldn’t help it, the words fell out of my mouth before I had a chance to mull them over.
Gabe took a step closer to his friend, placing a hand on his forehead and tsking. “You do feel a little warm, Steele.”
The big brute rolled his eyes, shrugging Gabe off with an easy smirk. “Shut up.”
The moment felt so normal and wholesome, making it easy to forget, for this brief moment, all the shit that occurred between Steele and me. Truthfully, I thought that maybe this was the first true glimpse of him I was seeing.
A whine sounded from the living room before Bastian asked, “Gabe, what’s for lunch?”
As if a smile wasn’t enough to floor me, Steele let out a laugh and clapped Gabe on the shoulder. “Yeah, buddy, what’s for lunch? I’m feeling a sandwich with extra mayo.”
I paused with my coffee mug next to my lips, muttering, “What the fuck,” quietly to myself.
It was Gabe’s turn to roll his eyes before giving Steele a small shove as he walked by. “Make your own, asshole.”
We all knew he’d make everyone food, though. He always made sure the people around him were taken care of. The thought had me reminiscing on his quiet, calm strength from last night. He’d never lost his cool, always focused on how to get us through the exhausting, emotional situation at hand.
Placing my coffee down as Gabe went to the fridge and opened it, I melded myself to his back, resting my cheek against him as my arms wrapped around his middle from behind.
“Thank you,” I whispered as he stilled.
A rumble spread through his chest, the vibration moving through where my cheek was pressed against him, before he asked, “For what, Little Star?”
A million reasons popped into my head, but I settled on one. “For being our rock, always.”
He went lax before turning, forcing me to let go briefly before he pulled me to his front. Enveloping me in the tightest hug, his chin came to rest on my head as he let out a sigh. “I told you when we stood in your bedroom that I’d do more than just protect your body if you fell. I know I hold a piece of your heart, even if you haven’t admitted that to yourself.”
My eyes widened as his hand lifted to rub circles on my back.
“What you probably don’t know is that you hold every ounce of mine.”
I didn’t know what to say back, and I wasn’t given a chance to process it as Ronan’s voice carried through the room.
“Niz is still asleep upstairs and probably will be for awhile, but he’s recovering well, all things considered.”
Gabe released me, turning to get food from the fridge, and I took a step back to give him room to work. My brain felt like it was torn in half, wanting to stay in that conversation with Gabe but also wanting to be present in the conversation about Niz.
It hit me then, how little time Gabe and I had together since I’d joined the Rebellion. I’d been preoccupied by training with Steele and studying with Noah, letting the days pass by easily as I put my head down and tried to better myself. I swore then and there to do better about creating intentional time for each of them, but especially Gabe. The man was always respectful of my space, was wherever he needed to be for anyone else at the drop of a pin, and almost certainly never put himself above anyone else. Thus, he wasn’t one to demand my time.
“Should we do a quick rundown of last night and where we’re at now, so everyone is on the same page? Or should we wait for Niz to be up?” Gabe questioned as Ronan took a seat at the kitchen island.
Ronan waved him on. “I have no clue how long he’ll be out for. Let’s do a recap now, and then we can catch him up.”
