GABRIEL
I am finally breathing again.
It's been a while since I last sang a new song in front of an audience. I can't stop grinning, my pulse racing as I take in Jo's stunned face. Now and then, she takes a quick look at the people in the room, then her eyes settle back on me with a look of disbelief.
Gently strumming the last few notes of the song we created for her book, I sing the words in a soft whisper. "You know it's difficult to find someone who gets you when you're trying so hard to hide..."
The women in front of us throw their hands in the air, their joyous cheer echoing through the room. The crowd starts to clap and make comments about my looks, and I can almost hear Jo's sharp intake of breath as her eyes narrow. I take it as my cue to speak.
"Thank you." I adjust my guitar on my shoulder. "This one goes to the love of my life," I say, and start playing the song I wrote for her. My voice is thick and strained with emotion, but I need the world to know that I love her; that there's no one but her. With each note I sing, her eyes fill with emotion, and my heart swells in my chest.
Running her finger under her eyes, Jo starts singing along. She memorized the lyrics. God, maybe there's still hope for us.
With our eyes locked, I pluck the last chord of the song. This time, the cheering that follows is a soft rumble of appreciation. People turn their attention to Jo with newfound understanding, their eyes widening as they pieced the puzzle together. Yeah, I'm singing for her.
Maria whispers something in Jo's ear, and she looks down, her eyes growing wider with surprise. Taking a quick moment to think, she eventually nods and moves towards the stage. Appearing to be unruffled on the outside, I can tell she is a little overwhelmed as she meets my gaze and I hand her the microphone.
"Well..." She clears her throat. "I have no words to thank you all for doing this." She smiles at the guys before turning to the crowd. "When Gabe first proposed we wrote a couple of songs to go with my book, I could've never imagined how amazing it would turn out. I hope you all loved it as much as I did. Thank you all so much for all the support here today. It means more than I'll ever be able to put in words." She takes a deep breath as her voice starts shaking a little. "The guys will need to leave soon, but they have a couple more songs for you."
The sound of clapping hands fills the room as she hands me the mic, the crowd's enthusiasm palpable. Our gazes lock for a split second before she quickly hops off the stage with one of our security guards ushering her and Maria out of the room.
Josh takes the next twenty minutes singing some of our most popular songs, and it feels like the time is passing by excruciatingly slowly. Once we're done, the crowd is filled with excitement and eagerness for pictures and autographs, making me wonder how we're going to leave this place.
Thankfully, Justin, the head of our security team, has implemented top-level safety measures, so we can quickly evacuate the building before they organize for people to exit.
Putting together and executing a show at a bookstore was no easy feat, but it was certainly worth it in the end. The mix of confusion and awe on Jo's face when she saw us all gathered on stage is something that will stay with me forever.
But now comes the hardest part. As I roll to a stop in front of her house, I need to take a couple of deep breaths before exiting the car. The thought of her not wanting to be with me again scares the hell out of me.
Reaching into the back seat, my fingers wrap around a brown envelope, and I exhale a sigh of relief. This is it. I rush to ring the bell, my heart pounding in my chest.
It feels like an eternity until I hear the keys fumbling around on the other side of the door.
Swinging it open, she tilts her head to look at me. Her eyes are glassy and swollen, a clear sign she has been crying. It crushes me to watch her go through this agony.
"Gabe," she whispers.
My throat tightens with emotion. I stop fucking breathing. How have I managed to let her go?
I need to swallow past the lump in my throat before I can speak. "Can we talk?"
Nodding, she opens the door wider so I can come in.
As soon as I enter her house, a warm, comforting feeling envelops me. The pale blue hue of the walls stands out beautifully against the bright white color of the large arched windows and the plush wool rug that is laid over the wooden floor. Her couch is comfortable and inviting, with huge cushions and a few decorative pillows. There's a tall and large bookshelf consuming most of her living room, and it reflects her bookworm personality.
It feels like home here; something I haven't had in a long time.
The thought that I've never been here before dawns on me, making me realize how much we have to explore about ourselves. We grew up together. I've known her my whole life. I've had her in my arms as we've explored each other's bodies with so much passion it consumed me. But I'm greedy. I want all these other things too; these little everyday details of her life.
"Can I get you something to drink?" she asks, making me turn to her.
"Uh..." I look at her, hating this awkwardness between us.
"I think we could use some wine?" She raises her eyebrows, motioning for me to follow her.
In the kitchen, she busies herself opening a bottle of wine, and my eyes dart to the fridge. There are a couple of photos stuck there. One of a younger version of her catches my attention. She's taking a shot with Maria and wearing a t-shirt that says I'm 21, bitches on it.
"Maria was in charge of my outfit for my twenty-first birthday." She stops by my side, her eyes on the photo as she hands me a glass.
"Why doesn't it surprise me?" I ask, accepting the wine.
"Thank you so much for today." She takes a sip of her wine as she leans against the counter. "I'm afraid to check my social media. I had to silence my phone because of the incessant buzzing from all the notifications."
"God, I missed you so much..." I whisper, taking a tentative step toward her.
"Gabe." she shakes her head, her eyes watering.
Reaching for her wine, I put both of our glasses aside before I held out the envelope for her. Her face falls as she takes it from me.
"What is it?" she whispers, her fingers trembling as she pulls the single sheet of paper from it.
She hastily reads the document, and her eyes bulge when she grasps it is the DNA result.
"You're not the father." A sob leaves her lips as she clutches the paper to her chest.
"I'm so sorry for everything I've put you through, Jo." I run my fingers up and down her arms, surprised when she clutches my T-shirt and pulls me to her.
"Damn it!" She cries out. "Fuck!"
Pulling her close, I inhale the sweet scent of her hair as my arms wrapped around her. I can feel the wetness of my tears on my face as her angry words echo in my ears and her punches, weak as they are, land on my chest.
"I'm so sorry," I keep whispering until the sound of her crying begins to fade away.
"What does that all mean?" She sniffs, trying to detangle herself from my hold.
I gently cup her face, looking into her eyes and preventing her from moving away. "It means... Fuck, it means that these past months have been torture. It means that I thought about you every single day you were not with me. It means that I'm here begging you to take me back."
She closes her eyes tightly for a second. "Gabe..."
"Seeing you leave and having to wait to take the paternity test was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life," I say. "But I knew I couldn't force Nora to take the DNA test and endure the anxiety that would come with it. I knew she was afraid the baby was not mine, but she was seriously having a lot of health complications during her pregnancy. So, I just couldn't risk something happening to an innocent baby. Mine or not, his life should've been preserved."
"I felt like you chose her over me," she says, the hurt in her eyes so strong I have trouble breathing.
"No!" I nuzzle her cheek. "God, no! I swear to God, I just wanted to protect that innocent life."
"I saw a video of you and Nora leaving a restaurant a couple of weeks after I came home," she murmurs.
"I was having a meeting with a couple of doctors, trying to figure out how to make her take the DNA test, and she fucking showed up there." I swallow. "She had been stalking me and threatened to make a scene if I didn't leave with her."
"Dear God, Gabe!" She looks away, her heading shaking.
"There wasn't a single scenario where we were romantically together, Jo." My hands slide to her waist. "I have no reason to lie to you."
"I'm so scared to trust you with my heart again," she whispers, her lips trembling as she gazes at me.
My gut knots. "Jo..."
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A/N: AHHHH! I'M SCREAMING!!!!
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XOXO
Celeste