The Sanctuary✔️

19

Ashley zoned out on the coffee table in the middle of them all, looking at the glass as she barely listens to her friends talk. Biting her lip as Gabriel said her name, she thought back to the dark marks on her neck that had to be somewhat visible because of how her shirt was cut.

The realization dawned on her; Marco probably thought she had hooked up with Troy...oh no.

"Ashley?"

"Hmm?"

"You okay?"

"Yeah, sorry I zoned out. What were you talking about?"

"I said, are you able to come in today or tomorrow?" Gabriel, who seemed annoyed that he had to repeat himself, asked Ashley in a dead tone. Arms crossed over his chest with a flat expression covering his face.

"I-Of course I can. T-Today, if you need. Is fine."

"Just stop by The Sanctuary later tonight, I just need to run some things by you."

"Okay." Ashley went quiet again as Marco started to talk to Billy , Gabriel was looking over Ashley with somewhat heavy eyes.

He was curious about why she had left him so early in the morning after the previous night. Though he was an expert at leaving girls after affairs like this--if he ever had them--he was not one to be left alone in the room. 

He was the one who always left.

He almost felt hurt that Ashley left, that he watched the door close before he fell back asleep. He knew she was up, he was actually watching her struggle to find her things with a smile on his face as she completely ignored him. 

He was more interested in what Ashley had to say; what he would get out of her in the new found alone time he would get with her later that day. He watched her lean from foot to foot, tapping her fingers on her cup of coffee that she had yet to drink, how she stared at the table before peaking at him again, then hiding and going back to the table.

He found it amusing how she would get scared to look at him. He found it comical that she didn't know how to act right now, even though she was completely confident in her actions last night, 

It was obvious she didn't know what to do with herself. She wouldn't talk to him yet, she had no intentions or bringing it up either. Is he mad? He looks mad...wait, is he smirking?

Ashley brought her head up and saw Gabriel leaning back and watching her, it made her blush and stare at her coffee again until Marco had said they should head out. Billy and his wife were on their way out the doors already as well.

"Let me run back to-"

"I have your things Ashley, not like there was a lot to grab though, I'll go start the car." Marco reassured her. With that he waved and walked off. Leaving her and Gabriel alone. Alone together. Ashley gulped and looked up at him before quickly looking back down at the ground as if there were something interesting about it.

"So I'll be going then-"

"You left this morning." Gabriel cut her off. Neither his face or voice implied anything, it sounded blank and matter-of-fact like but inside he was a little amused. He didn't know what to expect from her after that night they had spent together but he didn't expect that.

Ashley began to fidget under his gaze, he always looks so intensely...like how he did last night... she stood up a little straighter when her mind began to play back those memories.  "Uh y-yeah, I just thought that maybe I should've-"

"Really?" He quipped, his brow raised slightly at her explanation. "You can probably imagine my surprise when I woke up to a cold bed, I'm sure." Seeing her flustered like this is something I find myself really enjoying, Gabriel thought to himself and a hint of a smirk lifts the corners of his lips.