Healing Gabriel (BoyxBoy)

✣ Chapter Nine ✣

Healing Gabriel: Chapter Nine

 

                                                                  ※(*)※Gabriel's POV※(*)※

      "Wha-why are you frowning?" Evan asked, a confused look upon his face.

      He liked me. But, oh, God, what if I was just put in the friend zone? I replayed his reply in my head, remembering exactly how his voice sounded when he said it. No, he said it in a different way. I somehow knew that he hadn't meant he liked me in a 'bromance' type of way, but instead, a...romantic, way, I guess. I felt my frown deepen slightly. "You're not supposed to like me back," I whispered.

      "Who made up that stupid idea?"

      I glanced at his brown eyes. I noticed a few flecks of gold in them around his pupil. We both seemed a little taken aback by our stares locking together. "Me," I answered, looking away from him and back at my fish tank. Evan seemed to be suffering from inarticulateness for a few moments, because each time he stuttered, or tried to make a sentence, it never really made sense at the end. He couldn't express what he was trying to get out.

      To be honest, nor could I.

      I couldn't tell him that I wanted him to be mine. I couldn't tell him that I wanted him to be my first kiss. I couldn't express myself to him the way I could normally express myself through my art.

      "I can like you as much as I want," he finally got out. From my peripheral view, I could see him folding his arms across his chest, a hard and determined look on his face. "Hell, I can love you if I'd like to," he continued defensively. The thought of being loved by him made me turn into a girl inside. My stomach felt full of butterflies instead of weights, my heart seemed to beat faster from excitement rather than of fear.

      "Not if I don't want you to," I had replied, keeping my face free of the emotions that I felt on the inside.

      "Usually, people who just confessed their likes for each other have a huge kissing scene right now..." he said, placing his hand in mine.

      I glanced at him, my lips pursing and my eyebrows furrowing. He gave me a half-smile, then a wink. "You never seemed like someone who'd be gay," I told him, releasing my grip on his hand. He scoffed, then rolled his eyes. I closed my own eyes, then leaned my forehead against the cool glass of the glowing fish tank. "Hey."

      "Yeah?"

      "You really do like me? You're not just saying it?"

      He was quiet for a moment until I heard him laugh a bit. "Yeah, I guess so. I mean, I really do like you."

      "Why?" I asked.

      He paused for almost a full minute before answering. "You've...grown on me. Gabe, I'm not really good with all this confessing stuff, so it's your turn. Why do you like me?"

      "No comment," I mumbled, opening my eyes just as a group of yellow fish swim past me.

      "You know what?" I looked at him, giving him my attention that he seemed to be begging for. "You're just filled with all these mood swings that you can't control." I tilted my head at him, confused. "I mean, one minute, you like me, and you seem to want me. And then the next moment, you just get all mute, like you don't want anything to do with me."

      "You want to be a couple, don't you?" I murmured after he finished his small vent. His eyes widened slightly in surprise that I said that aloud. He looked away from me. "Evan...I'm sorry. I like you a lot. But I don't think I can handle a relationship."