My work message notification goes off again after I’ve ignored the last five. I haven’t been doing my best at worksince I last saw Gabe. Luckily, working in IT remotely, I’m not under a ton of scrutiny all day.
The day after I left Gabe’s place was the hardest for me. Neither of us contacted the other, which I completely expected. I acted like a total asshole leaving like that, all because I thought he was using me for a quick way to get off—another notch in his bedpost along with all his groupies.
Most people would take someone telling you "you’re an incredible fuck’ as a compliment. Unfortunately, those words just make me think of someone taking advantage of you for their pleasure—just a toy for them to play with. I know Gabe and I aren’t in a relationship, but when he said those words, it made me feel used and dirty. I wish I could forget some memories, but all the noises and conversations I’ve heard through the walls over the years are etched in my brain.
Gabe’s silence didn’t last long—two days later, he started texting me. Every day with a good morning and good night. Then random pics of him at work, in the grocery store, or lying in bed. The captions are always similar—“wishing you were here” or “hope you’re okay.” He found another puppy in a car with his tongue hanging out—I’m glad he sent me those. Even after dozens of messages, I still haven’t had the courage to respond.
This morning’s pic was one of the menu at Stonewood’s—they opened last Wednesday. The caption asked if I would pass up the jelly beans for a night and come have dinner with him. Seeing it reminded me that I agreed to go with my friends on Saturday, and my heart sank. I want to cancel just to avoid the embarrassment of having to face him. There’s no way I can explain why I left without attracting a lot of attention to us. I need to decide whether to text him beforehand or just show up and act like it was nothing, but it seems like an impossible feat.
I curse under my breath, knowing I won’t be texting him anytime soon. I finish up a few last-minute items and kick back on the couch to distract myself with a movie.
“Does this outfit look okay?” I didn’t want to wear jeans and a t-shirt as usual, so I dressed up for the first time in a long time.
“Yes, you look good, Ender.” Kaden mirrors my whisper.
“How about my hair?” I never style my hair like this.
“Ender.” Kaden rests his hand on my forearm while we wait for our table. “It won’t matter what you look like. He’s just going to be happy you’re here.” He gives me a soft smile with a light squeeze on my arm. I know he’s trying to reassure me, but it does little to calm the dread sitting heavy in the pit of my stomach.
“Thanks, Kaden.”
“Are you guys coming?” Connor interrupts our conversation as he follows the host to our table.
The host catches my hands shaking when they hand me the menu, and I clench my fists before dropping them onto my lap and begin wringing them. I regret not texting Gabe back. When he didn’t text me at all today, I came to the conclusion he had finally given up. If that’s the case, I’m going to look like such a fool coming here.
“This is unexpected.” Luke seems surprised to see us, which probably means Gabe doesn’t know we’re here either—I’m not sure if that’s a good thing.
“We wanted to surprise you. Hope we aren’t taking you away from anything important.” I barely hear Kaden continue when my attention catches on someone else across the room.
Gabe’s long strides narrow the gap between us, affection lighting up his eyes. “Well, well, well, who do we have here?” He beams like his smile is for me alone, his gaze never leaving mine.
“Hey Gabe. Congratulations on opening week.” Gabe gives no sign he even heard Kaden. “It’s a full house tonight.” He waits for a response with a smirk—Gabe still doesn’t give him one.
Apparently, Gabe needs a little saving. “Yeah, congratulations, guys,” I say to both of them, glancing at Luke and then quickly back to Gabe. “The restaurant looks amazing.” His gaze drags from my head to my waist with a spark in his eyes.
“Thanks. That means a lot.” I breathe deeply when he turns his attention to the whole table and continues. “Glad you could all join us.”
Luke smiles knowingly at Gabe. “Alright, there’s plenty of stuff to do around here tonight.”
Neither of us seems to hear the rest of what Luke says, our world shrinking down to nothing more than the invisible bubble surrounding us.
Luke pats Gabe on the back, finally prompting him to say goodbye. He leaves me for last. “Nice to see you again,” he says.
Heat builds behind my neck, spreading over my cheeks when he leaves.
“Okay, what secrets are you keeping, Ender? Because the way that man just looked at you, I’d be surprised if you’re not pregnant already,” Faith snarks, fishing for information.
“Don’t worry, Faith. I’ll get all the details and update you later,” Connor says.
Kaden offers me comfort with a gentle rub on my back, knowing it’ll be a long night once I get home.
We were well into our meals when Kaden started acting funny and excused himself to use the restroom. It’s been about ten minutes, and I rise to my feet to go check on him, but Gabe appears out of nowhere—his tone riddled with urgency.
“Everyone needs to meet Kaden and Luke outside—now.” His usual politeness is gone. I’m instantly on my feet, my head spinning as I rush to find Kaden.
When I get outside, Luke’s concerned expression doesn’t affect me as much as Kaden’s blank stare does.
“Kaden, what happened?” I say, stepping right up to my friend. I almost pushed Luke away from him, thinking he might have been the reason for Kaden’s obvious distress.
