It Could Only be You

Episode 45: Drawing a Line with the Last Straw

Having spent much of the night being pulled for chats here, there, and everywhere, Daphs is looking forward to a pretty chill morning, especially after how aggy the night before had been. And that's without what happened with her and Lucas under the sheets. God, she wished she'd know what a little shit he could be when they first met.

In the morning, Daphs has barely sat down after finishing off the breakfast Lucas unexpectedly made for her (poaches eggs with smashed avocados and toast – pretty all out, perhaps he's trying to make up for something...?) when Gary approaches her.

"All right, D? How are you this morning?" He says, cap and sunglasses on.

He comes over as she's cleaning up, her back turned from the small group that's formed in the kitchen, speaking quiet enough that the conversation is clearly only for him and Daphs.

"I'm good, G," Daphs replies, eyeing him watchfully. "How are you feeling?"

He hesitates. "Do you mind coming with me to the gym? A bit quieter there..."

Daphs exits the kitchen with him without a word, her water bottle in hand. At the gym, Gary sits down on the bench, one leg either side of it. Daphs sits on the other end, legs crossed over as she faces out to the pool. Bobby and Marisol aren't far away at the beanbags, but Gary keeps his voice low so they won't be overheard too much.

"Yeah, so, last night ... sorry, I had just been a bit thrown by the whole Lottie and Ibrahim thing ... I hadn't seen it coming," Gary begins. Daphs can't see his eyes because of the sunglasses, but he's looking low. "If I was a bit ... much or that last night towards you, Daphs, I'm sorry. I do think we're friends, and when for a minute there last night I thought you might have snaked me ... I don't know, I was hurt by it."

Daphs nods, leaning her shoulder towards him as she crosses her ankles, too. "I understand, Gary, of course. It's not nice to think your friends might have betrayed you like that, and for what it's worth, yeah, I did say to Ibrahim it would be worth talking to Lottie, I did tell him that he should talk to you first."

Gary nods like he appreciates the thought, but the rest of him sits so dejectedly that there's not a lot of the appreciation to have. "I didn't think that either of them would do that, but I can't really blame Lottie, can I? Not after the way I've acted in here."

"Give her a bit of time, and, as nicely as possible, shut your fucking face for five minutes."

With a short snort of laughter, Gary's left with his first smile all morning. "Think that's my biggest problem, yeah?"

Daphs nods and tilts her head at the same time. "Well, it hasn't been fucking helping, has it? I don't know what you were thinking when you said that Hideaway comment..."

He opens his mouth like he's going to say something, pauses, then chuckles to himself. "Nah, I can't say what I was gonna say, but know that it was hilarious."

"I can imagine." Daphs looks out over the garden with a breathy sigh. "But, honestly, Gary, she's obviously still head over heels, but a little hurt. I don't think it was just the Hideaway one either, I think that's just what tipped her over the edge. Obviously, there was the comment from Hope, but Hope said that that was from before you and Lottie even coupled up. Then there was the comment from Rahim about you and Noah..."

"... About you."

"About me, yeah." Daphs does her best not to roll her eyes. "So, I think everything got to her, and maybe she's feeling a little scared, a little anxious that she's going to be hurt in the long run. It was a risk she took when she chose you, and I truly think that it was a risk worth taking for you both, but she's obviously a little nervous now. The best thing you can do is try and win her back. If you are serious about it, don't let your head get turned when a new girl inevitably comes in, don't say anymore stupid shit about any of us girls'. Lottie wants someone loyal to her; no head turning, no games."