“Mi amor,” he whispers.
“It’s okay, love.”
I nod, breathing him in—his cologne, his warmth, the familiarity of him—letting forgiveness settle in my chest, tangled with all the complicated ways I still love him.
11
NOAH
“Oh, my goodness!”
My foot catches on a stick, and I nearly face-plant into the dirt, but Gabriel swoops in like he’s been waiting for this disaster. He catches my arm—and my hat—before I can fully embarrass myself. Chuckling, he dusts off my shoulders, adjusts my balance, and slips his hand back into mine as if it never left.
Fall has always been my favorite. It’s like the whole world gets repainted—fiery oranges, deep reds, bursts of gold—as if someone handed Mother Nature a paintbrush and saidgo wild.
Having grown up surrounded by water, I never really got to experience this kind of beauty. Walking through Central Park in the fall feels like stepping into a Monet painting. I wonder if my sister ever had the chance to paint trees like these. I hope she did.
We wander beneath the canopy of color, my fingers twined with Gabriel’s, and every time a breeze ruffles through his waves, I swear he looks even more beautiful. He really is handsome in a way that’s hard not to get pulled into.
“You look so adorable,” he says, giving my hand a gentle squeeze.
I glance down at my ripped skinny jeans and purple-and-white NYU hoodie, cheeks warming despite the chilly air. He reaches up to tuck a loose strand of hair beneath my lavender knit beanie, then winks—effortlessly charming, like he doesn’t even notice the effect he has on me.
“I still feel terrible about what happened at dinner the other night,” he says, for what has to be the eleventh apology. Not that I’m counting. I just wish he’d let it go already.
I flash him a cheeky grin. “It wasn’t that bad. I actually had a nice time. I like Elijah. Alex too. They’re very friendly.”
And very familiar.
But something in me says to keep that part quiet. Better to leave whatever Alex and I have… unnamed.
Friendship.
If that’s even the word. With Elijah, maybe. But Alex? I don’t know what to call that.
“That they are. Lovely, indeed,” Gabriel says, giving my hand a warm squeeze. “I just hope Elijah and Alex didn’t scare you off with their… theatrics the other night. As you already know, Elijah and I are very close—having been married and all. And we have a daughter. But Alex? Well, he’s totally crushing on me. Elijah has?—”
“What?!” I stumble over my own feet, and Gabriel’s hands are there instantly, steadying me.
“Whoa.” He chuckles, catching my forearms. “Okay, maybe I exaggerated. Let’s just say… Alex hasn’t quite adjusted to my filthy mouth.”
He wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me flush against him. Warmth spreads through me, steady and grounding.
“You, on the other hand…” he murmurs, brushing his lips against mine, “should get much more acquainted with my mouth.”
I smile into his kiss as his tongue teases mine, slipping over the metal stud. A shiver runs through my body.
“Then again,” he mumbles, tugging gently on the piercing, “I might end up enjoying whatyourtongue has to offer even more.”
He keeps talking, but his voice thins and drifts, blurring as my attention slips away—back to Alex’s breath against my lips, back to the chaos I’ve been trying to outrun. Back to the voice in my head, relentless and insistent, well-meaning despite itself, urging me to come clean. To tell him about me. About my sister. About his?—
A sudden stir of leaves snaps me back. Gabriel pulls me against his chest, shielding me from the little whirlwind of dirt and gold. The scent of pine and coconut rushes up around me, and I bury my face in his neck, breathing him in—familiar, steady, safe.
“Want to pick up some dinner on the way home?” he asks, chin brushing my head. “We can take it back to my hotel room. Stay the night with me, sweetheart.”
I hesitate for a moment, letting a soft, steady peace wrap around me, almost like angel’s wings. Cozy. Calming. It feels good to just be here—happy. My mind drifts less now; it’s quieter than it used to be, especially when I’m with him.
Still, sometimes I can catch her voice humming at the edges of my thoughts… but it’s distant now, a soft whisper at best.
