Romance Collision ✔

Chapter Seventy: Peace Offering

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Gabriel glanced in the side mirror to see his family and friends in the middle of the street waving goodbye to him as his father was heading out of the neighborhood. He sighed, unmoved until Gabriel suddenly sat up, turning around in his seat. He went wide-eyed when he saw Eve's car parking along the curb.

As the others left behind were getting smaller, Gabriel's heart raced and glanced at his father and the stern straightforward gaze the man wore. The teenager knew turning back---even for a split moment--- was not open for discussion. 

Gabriel sighed, closing his eyes and turned back around, resting his head against the side window.

The whole car ride was silent. Not even the radio was playing.

Mr. McNeill glanced at his son as they were approaching the airport an hour later, and Gabriel was still staring out the window with that deep scowl of his. The father lowered a brow and didn't know what to say to his son. 

The father always had a hard time having heart to hearts with anyone, but especially with Gabriel.

Gabriel was the son who pulled away the most from Mr. McNeill. After lying on the couch all week, wide awake and staring at the ceiling, Mr. McNeill thought over his wife's words about how the father was trying to push his dreams on his son. 

All his life, Gabriel had been taught nothing else but what was expected of him.

The look of defeat on Gabriel's face should have been satisfying for Mr. McNeill to finally know that his son was doing as he was told for once. A small part of the father wanted for his son to have jumped off the car when Gabriel saw that girl's car in front of their house. But he hadn't. He just turned back around and didn't fight back.

This side to Gabriel wasn't who Mr. McNeill wanted to see. He missed his son very much. But it was difficult for Mr. McNeill to own up to his mistakes. He didn't know how to voice that, and never had to, which was why Gabriel's compliance this passed week made it so much harder for the father to admit failure.

After parking, the father and son walked in silence through the buzzing airport and were now waiting in line for Gabriel to go through security. Again, neither shared a word. Mr. McNeill glanced at his son frowning as he stared straight forward, but absent-mindedly fidgeting with that coin hanging around his neck. 

The father never understood why his son carried that thing around all the time.

"Flight 489 Delta line to London, now boarding. Flight 489 Delta line to London, now boarding."

Gabriel swallowed, glancing up as he heard the overly cheerful woman's voice announce his flight. He was supposed to fly straight to London, spend thirty minutes in that airport until his second flight took him to Athens where his grandfather was going to pick him up. He clutched tightly to his tickets, licking his lips as he was getting closer to the metal detectors.

"You have your tickets?"

Gabriel blinked, looking at his father. It registered what was asked of him and then Gabriel nodded, "Uh, yeah. Yeah, thanks."

He looked away for a second before frowning at Mr. McNeill. "I'll be okay from here. You can go."

Mr. McNeill blinked, a small part of him hurt to be pushed away again. His son's green eyes that matched his own was what made the hurt worse. Gabriel's eyes lost their gleam.

Nodding slowly, Mr. McNeill rubbed the back of his neck, trying not to sound too dejected as he replied, "Oh. O---Okay. Um, well then... I'll just leave you to it."