The group eventually went their separate ways, and upon returning to the Stroup residence, Rebecca expressed her desire to desperately take a shower and wash the paint out of her hair that was beginning to get stiff.
"Julian, do you want to walk with Gabe?" she asked, after Gabriel expressed that he too wouldn't mind hitting the shower, and thus, decided to gather his belongings from the Stroup residence and make his way back home.
"That's not necessary," Gabriel replied, feeling his cheeks flush at the mention of being left alone with Julian. They had a comfortable relationship, but there were still moments when he'd become all flustered and nervous around his crush. It simply could not be helped.
"I don't mind. It'll give me something do while I wait for my turn to shower," Julian informed, giving Gabriel a soft smile that made his eyes twinkle.
Gabriel felt his heart thud loudly – almost painfully – and he looked away, wondering briefly if Julian could hear what madness was going on in his chest.
"Okay," he said, and soon, they were off.
Gabriel didn't live far from the Stroup residence, only three streets away, and together, in a comfortable silence, they made the journey. He was the first to break the silence, wondering just how Julian knew what to do to keep his mind from revisiting the uncanny nightmare.
"I pay attention to the people I care about," Julian replied, gazing softly – fondly – at Gabriel who hummed. Julian tilted his head, taking note of how he bit his lip and kept his gaze downcast – something Gabriel was known to do when he was in deep thought. "It's still bothering you, isn't it?"
Gabriel nodded. "I don't understand it," he admitted, and the other could hear the profound confusion in his voice. "It's been almost four years, or about that, and I haven't had that dream or something like it."
Julian pursed his lips. They had arrived at Gabriel's home, and the former sat down on the steps, patting the space next to him. Without a word, Gabriel complied.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"The dream?" Gabriel asked, and Julian nodded. He sighed, and slowly, though hesitantly, he revealed the details of the dream.
He made a point to say that it was different from the nightmares he'd had immediately following the incident, pointing out all the ways in which it was different. He made sure to point out that even though the setting of the dream felt like his old home, he knew it wasn't. The setting had felt more contemporary, more current. The setting mirrored the Stroup residence.
"Boy," Julian drawled, expelling a puff of air through his mouth, displaying how eerie he found Gabriel's description of the nightmare. "That is creepy. And this is first time it's happened since?"
Gabriel nodded, a troubled look on his face.
"I'd tell you not to read too much into it but I'm guessing that would be pointless since you still look so bothered by it," Julian said, tilting his head slightly to catch a peek at Gabriel's eyes. The latter smiled, and turned away, feeling his cheeks heat up.
It was then he took notice of how closely they sat. The butterflies in his stomach started up again, urging him to react, but he decided against it appreciating the proximity while at the same time, knowing that he ran the risk of making things awkward especially since Julian didn't seem to mind – if at all, he had noticed.
"It doesn't make any sense," he commented, turning to look at Julian. "Did you know that some people believe dreams have meanings in them?"
"I've heard that," Julian agreed. "But given the eerie nature of that dream –"
"Gabriel Hastings? Julian Stroup?"
Julian stopped talking, and both boys turned to the sounds of their names being belted out from across a short distance. In curiosity, their gaze scanned the empty street at this hour of the afternoon on a lazy Sunday afternoon, finding a petite middle-aged woman in a pink tee and light blue jeans. Sitting on top of her head were sunglasses and she cradled in one arm, a light brown Chihuahua.
Mrs. Archibald – Gabriel's neighbour from two doors down, and a churchly lady. The woman had dark hair cut to the base of her neck, and she walked with a confident stride, her steps filled with purpose as she turned and walked the short distance from the pavement to the base of the steps at Gabriel's home.
The town of Shaw was a safe place, so it was not surprising to find open yards on every street. The town of Shaw was also a pain to live in for people like Julian Stroup who valued privacy. Everyone knew everyone and sadly, that meant, nosy neighbours and a town overflowing with gossipmongers.
"Mrs. Archibald," Gabriel greeted with a small smile. "How may I help you, today?"
"I was just wondering," Mrs. Archibald began, "if you boys knew how closely you were sitting? It might give some people the wrong idea. You know, people these days are so judgmental."
Gabriel flushed mainly because he had taken notice of such a thing – the distance between them or lack thereof. However, it hadn't escaped his notice the snide or condescending undertone of her comment.
Julian averted his gaze, trying to relocate his tolerance level since it went away the second he had laid eyes to Mrs. Archibald. If he had to describe her – and he was sure many others would agree – she was the poster child of gossip in Shaw, and quite the hypocrite. She was incredibly, and easily, the nosiest of neighbours one could hope for, and she had a nasty habit of getting involved in matters that did not – and should not – demand her interference. Julian did not like such people, and out of all days – when he was in such a good mood – alas, the devil had come out to play.
"Thanks for the concern, Mrs. Archibald," Julian began with a plastic grin, "but I think we're fine. Gabriel and I were just having a conversation, you see."
"Oh, I know that, and I don't mean to interrupt," the woman rushed to explain. "But I'm just letting you know; other people may not think so. I just don't want you boys to be on the end of any negative comments." She gestured to them, indicating their proximity. "It doesn't look good that you two are so close."
Gabriel lowered his gaze, aware of the subtle homophobia and the blatant condemnation. This was why he couldn't wait to get out of Shaw. At least somewhere where the residents weren't so narrow-minded, he'd be free to be who he truly was, and love whomever he wanted. Conscious of the snide undertone, he started to inch away, creating more space.
Mrs. Archibald's comments and that it had affected Gabriel – when he'd done all he could on a whim to uplift Gabriel's mood – further soured Julian, and he decided to put an end to this irrelevant exchange. Julian turned to look at the intrusive woman, a malicious light twinkling in his caramel eyes, and his smile was none too kind.
"Mrs. Archibald," he began with a charming, sickening sweet intonation. "How's your marriage life going? Is your husband still fulfilling your needs in bed, or is his brother doing a better job?"
Gabriel went ramrod stiff, his eyes owlish, and he stared in shock at Julian. The woman in question, however, turned beet-red and she sputtered furiously.
"Why? You little –"
"No, no," Julian continued, not giving her a chance to retort. "Keep it stepping. Why don't worry about your own business instead of minding other people's when your laundry is nastier than anyone else's? Get out of here, and let us," he said, pausing to indicate himself and Gabriel, "continue our private discussion."
Having nothing else to say, the woman stormed off in a rage, red in the face and mumbling to herself about ill-mannered young adults and homosexuals bringing a plight onto the town, and that homosexuals were destined for hell. But Julian caught it and despite himself, he couldn't help tossing one last comeback to rile her further.
"Yeah, yeah," he said after her. "Guess I'll see you in hell, then. I don't think God will take kindly to someone like you trying to do His job."
"Julian," Gabriel scolded, succumbing to a fit of laughter as he watched the irate woman storm up the steps to her own house. Mrs. Archibald turned to glare in the boys' direction.
Julian waved. "Have a great day, my lady! It was great talking with you."
The woman huffed and marched inside her house, leaving Gabriel in a fit of laughter, and Julian looking as smug and victorious as he felt.
"You're awful," Gabriel light-heartedly commented, playfully shoving Julian's shoulder. The latter only shrugged, a boyish smirk tugging at his mouth.
"What? I don't like intrusive people. Mind your business, dammit."
Gabriel shook his head and turned to look at Julian, feeling his heart skip a beat and it was like the first time they'd met all over again. It was the confidence and the boyish grin, and Julian's natural ability to make light of a potentially serious situation while being as straightforward as possible that had won Gabriel over. He had to wonder, even just briefly, if the guy had any clue how adored he was.
"Anyway, I should go," Julian said. "You probably want to wash off all the dried paint. I'll leave you alone, and also, don't worry about that dream so much. It's probably nothing serious. Maybe you were just tired."
"True," Gabriel replied with a nod of agreement. "I've heard that too. Sometimes when you're too tired, you dream nonsense. And Coach Freidman was a little stricter than usual this time."
"See," Julian said, with a grin. "There you go." He got up and jogged down the few steps, sending a wave to Gabriel. "See you around, Gabe."
A forlorn look came down over Gabriel's face as he admired Julian's retreating form. He wondered if it would ever be possible – even outside of Shaw – for them to be more than friends; more than the dynamic of being caught in an unrequited love story about someone who was in love with their best friend's hot, older brother. He didn't even know if there was such a possibility because Julian had never expressed his interest in anyone – even while he was in high school – and Rebecca had never made mention of him dating someone. Gabriel had never asked either since he didn't want to come across as some kind of obsessed stalker and possibly freak Julian out.
Shaking his head, he gathered his belongings and headed inside. His father wasn't home, having gone to the neighbouring city to meet up with a few of his friends over a few beers. However, Gabriel suspected otherwise since the man was gone almost every Sunday, so, he had theorized that 'beers with friends' was just a cover-up.
He went to his room and started cleaning up, tossing the dirty laundry into the washing machine. He took a shower, scrubbing his skin clean, and washing his hair thoroughly while the laundry was being done.
Finished with his bath, he jumped onto his bed and curled up within the blankets waiting for the load to finish so that he could put in another one to wash. He grabbed his mobile to pass the time, fishing his headset out and plugging it in.
However, before he could hit the side button, his phone lit up with a call coming in from an unknown number. He didn't recognize it and not thinking too much into it, he answered.
"Hello," he said, thinking it was perhaps a wrong number or something. These things happened, and sometimes, the person kept calling the wrong number, wasting their time, and the other person's.
However, there was no one on the other end.
"Hello, is anyone there?" Gabriel asked.
Again, there was nothing. Just silence, and faded background noise. And then, the call dropped. Gabriel frowned but shrugged nonetheless, thinking that maybe the person realized it was a wrong number, or they had entered an area without proper signal.
He simmered down again, listening briefly for the whirring of the washing machine indicating that the load of clothing had yet to finish. It was then a message flashed across his mobile screen sending his heart thumping loudly as chills erupted along his skin.
The message read: I confided my feelings in you. It was already a risky move, and you allowed your friends to read it out loud? You also let that jerk mock it. I would tread carefully, Gabriel Hastings.
"What the hell?"