Gabby has been asleep for more than an hour but neither gentleman had left her room. The party music has started to tone down. There were several people passing by who were ready to call it a night. The lights in the room were already off save from the two little lamps at the edges of the balcony that provided a flickering light to the table.
"Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?" Red broke the silence. They weren't drinking nor eating. They were plainly sitting across each other awkwardly. Red had closed the glass doors separating the room and the balcony so Gabby won't have to wake up from the noise or the conversation.
"I could ask you the same thing." Aaron casually replied. "They said they've got a room ready for you."
Red chuckled. "I don't know if I am interpreting this right but are you really sacrificing some precious sleep just because you're not comfortable leaving me here with Gabby?"
Aaron didn't answer. Instead he shifted his gaze to the ocean. He couldn't admit it but he was right. For some reason, he didn't like knowing that there was another guy in the room with her albeit he's her 'bestfriend'. This feeling was rather new to him. Sure, for quite some time now he had grown some fascination over her. She was a mystery to him. And the more curious she makes him, the more he wanted to be with her.
"Gabby always makes people around her worry" Red shifted on his seat and he turned towards the ocean as well. "When we were kids, she was always left alone at home. She had to take care of herself. She had to do everything herself. At school, she never had friends except for me. And because I was her friend that everyone bullied her. I felt obliged to take care of her. "
Aaron never looked at him but he was carefully listening.
"I saw everything next door, how she would nurse herself alone when she would get sick. How she would eat by herself on the big table. How she would say she's okay even if she clearly was not. She had a tough life and it was always so hard to watch." Red sighed. The laughing of the people passing by seems to have muted down for them both. "I always swore on my life that I will protect her but I was wrong. I underestimated her"
"I thought she would stay as the little Gabby I've known her to be. I always thought that she would always need someone to be by her side. That is why I came here, because I thought she needed me." There was another deep sigh from him. As if it was hard admitting the words coming out from his mouth. "But what happened awhile ago, how she openly welcomed you inside, and how she interacted with you, that was new to me. Gabby's been in a closed cage for years and even if it was not locked, she wouldn't let someone in to help her out. But she let you in."
A small smile was growing in Aaron's lips. He was thankful that it was dark otherwise it would have looked creepy. She was biting down his lips. Hearing this from someone important to her was kind of nice for him.
"Why you though?" Red groaned facing Aaron. "I mean she always complained about you. She said you're an egotistical superstar who doesn't know when to grow up"
Aaron laughed. "Man, is she really telling that to everybody!"
A small laugh came from Red. "Well, my point here is, I know you may feel some sort of protective feeling towards her. Everybody who gets close to her feels that way. There was me, her cousin Alec and at one point Gray Aldaine did as well. But Gabby's stronger now. And I'm just so proud of her."
Aaron nodded "I know. It's just that, for some reason, I feel like she keeps pulling me in. She keeps me on my toes. She always makes me wonder."
"You do like her then." Red chimed. The light was flickering on his face. There was a small smile on his lips. He bit his lips to keep the smile from growing. "Gabby's life is more than the surface you are aware of. It's way deeper than you can probably dive into."
