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"ᴬⁿᵈ ʷʰᵒ ᵇⁱᵗᵉˢ ⁱᶜᵉ⁻ᶜʳᵉᵃᵐ, ʸᵒᵘ ᵖˢʸᶜʰᵒ?"
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Gabby had never liked planes and this was no different, but as they neared Hartford, she was started to think the butterflies in her stomach were more for the boy waiting for her rather than the idea of plummeting to her death in a metal tube. She shifted again, fiddling anxiously with her skirt, and probably annoying the girl next to her to death.
"Hey, is your boyfriend picking you up?" Tia Weaver was the grade above and had been her roommate/buddy for the entire trip. She was a year older, and was on the list for Gabby's birthday, seeing as Tia was on the hockey team. They had grown somewhat closer over the four days and Gabby was glad they had been stuck together.
"I don't have a boyfriend." Gabby frowned, confused.
Tia smiled slyly, "Oh sorry, I just assumed the boy you called everyday whilst you were on a school trip may be romantically involved with you."
"He wishes." Gabby snorted under her breath.
"Callum Johnson right? I'm in most of his classes, when he shows up." Tia hummed, turning back to her magazine. "I hear him talking about you to his mates at school, my friend Ava is dating his friend Phillipe and he said the same thing."
"I mean- I only met him last week, so-" Gabby trailed off, looking at the older girl next to her.
Tia just smiled, "Come on, Gabs. Don't be dense."
"He's picking me up so we can go on a date." Gabby blurted out suddenly, looking out the window at the sky.
"I knew it." Tia laughed, shoving the magazine into the pocket of her backpack and checking her watch. "Soon too, we land in like ten minutes."
"Please don't tell anyone. It's meant to be a secret. We're just 'seeing where it goes'." Gabby told her. "I'm friends with his brother, it just makes it so much more awkward."
"I get it. I won't tell anyone." Tia smiled softly, as if amused by Gabby's earnest manner.
"Really?"
"I promise." Tia laughed, "But, you have to tell me how it goes at school, okay? I'll see you at hockey practice after school at Monday."
"Okay." Gabby giggled, and the nerves in her stomach settled slightly.
But, by the time they had landed and had been driven to the school car park, the nerves were back, suffocating and strangling. She got off the coach, struggling slightly with her suitcase and bag as she did so. The car park was rife with parents collecting their children and their posh cars lined up in the spaces, younger siblings grumbling as they were forced to great the older ones.
Callum was leaned against his shiny black car, in a very much chick-flick movie manner, the only thing he was missing was shades and leather jacket, the cigarette drooping from his lips was there though. A wide grin split his face as he saw her walking over, wheeling her suitcase over, tapping his cigarette before grinding it under his shoe.
"Don't I get a hug?" He called as soon as she was in earshot and she raised her eyebrows, stopping in her tracks. She stared at him for a second before laughing, shaking her head and continued walking towards his car. He laughed too and walked over, taking her suitcase and bag, putting them in the back of his Dodge. Then he stood silently, holding his arms open for a hug, making her laugh again and wrap her arms around his waist after a moment of hesitation. He chuckled again and wrapped his arms around her in turn, resting his chin on her head as she snuggled into his chest.
"I missed you." He whispered, and she smiled.
"We spoke everyday." She whispered back.
"I still missed you."
"You don't know me."
"That's what this date is for." He concluded, pulling back and then opening the passenger door for her. "M'lady."
"Why thank you." She laughed, smoothing her skirt out as she sat inside. "Where are we going?" She asked as he started the engine.
"Well, since the lady wishes to not be seen, we're going to a restaurant in Bloomfield, I figured that you'd be starving. Plane food is gross." He explained, starting to drive out of the school.
"Thank you, Cal. I mean it. And also, yeah. I didn't even touch it." She screwed her nose up and he laughed. He switched the cd player on and the starting notes of Nickelback's 'Pusher' drifted from the speakers.
"You can change it if you want." He nodded, gestured to the glovebox. She hummed and opened it and then chuckled.
"To what, an empty cigarette case or, aw that's cute, a cd marked 'Callie's Toones'. Spelt with two Os." She cooed, holding up the childishly labeled CD, covered with heart stickers.
"Oh, that was my cousin. A parting gift."
"How sweet." She awed at the back, where more stickers of hearts and puppies were.
"Not really. 'I want it that way' is on there 3 times." He rolled his eyes playfully.
"Marcus never mentioned a cousin." She hummed, still inspecting the case.
"Maia. She's only six." He told her, Nickelback still playing in the background. "Anyway, how was the trip?" He asked after a moment of silence.
"It was good actually. I didn't know many people, so I just went around with Tia Weaver, from your grade? She plays hockey with me, so we're kinda friends. She was my roommate." She explained.
"Oh, yeah I know her. Her friend Ava is dating my friend Phil." He hummed, turning right.
Gabby stilled for a moment before saying, "She thought we're dating." She said, letting it hang in the air.
"Oh yeah?" He smirked smugly as they pulled into the restaurant car park.
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"I am indecisive. I'll admit to it." Gabby shrugged, licking a part of her ice cream that was threating to drip off of the cone.
"Good. Acceptance is one step on the way to recovery." Callum teased, eating his own ice-cream with a little plastic spoon.
"I also love routine, so it doesn't matter that much. I rarely stray from familiar things." She explained as the two walked down the dim streets. They had had dinner at a cute little restaurant which had no apparent theme before Callum had brought her to an ice-cream parlor for dessert and now they were walking along the town pavements, lit only by the moon and the lampposts overhanging the empty roads.
"Maybe you should, once in a while."
"I'm here, aren't I?" She giggled, and looked at him. She had grown gradually more relaxed over the evening and was now comfortable, walking close enough to him that their hands brushed. He grinned and let the silence wash over them. It was cold, but not enough for him to offer his hoodie, or for them to not have ice-cream.
"Hey, what do you want to be when you're older?" She asked, focused on her ice-cream rather than where they were walking, following him blindly.
"I'm not sure, to be honest. I've kinda always assumed that I'll either be a lawyer, accountant or join some part of the military." He shrugged and she frowned.
"Why?"
"Well." He huffed, running his hand through his hair, "My dad owns an accounting firm, my uncle runs a law firm and military school has been the biggest threat since I was seven." He explained and her frown only deepened. "What about you?"
She paused, thinking it over, "In the way you're talking, I could go into the insurance business, or I could marry someone my mom likes. I'll probably go to Yale and then join the D.A.R. That's what my parent's want."
"What about you? What do you want?" Callum asked.
"I could say the same. What's your real dream?"
"I mean, if I'm being completely unrealistic and admitting it's a dream, then I'd like to own a music store."
"Yeah?" A smile pulled at her lips as she watched him, the expression on his face torn between two realities, the one now, with the over-bearing father and threat of military school and one where he was free.
He chuckled to himself before continuing. "Yeah. I mean a really chill place with a bunch of vinyl and CDs and merch and instruments and a place for bands to play and like just a really nice place. And you know what, someday a kid'll come in, wearing the school uniform from the nearby posh school and he'll walk up to the counter and say, 'where's the AC/DC stuff, a girl told me to come here' and I'll answer with, 'over there kid, knock yourself out' and he'll leave and come back years later with his wife and say, 'she told me to ask about the AC/DC stuff'." He ended, making her laugh, him joining in, lacing their fingers together smoothly as he put his empty ice-cream tub in the bin.
"Oh really?"
"Yup. But, seriously, it's just a dream. I don't think it'll happen." He shrugged.
Gabby retorted, "I get it. But you're not five with some outlandish dream to go to space, you're seventeen with a trust fund and good opportunities. It's not impossible just because it's unlikely. Why not go for it?" She said, silencing herself afterwards with her dessert.
"What about you? What are you gonna go for?" He asked, pulling her closer to him as he held her hand.
"I'm not sure. There's too many things I could go for. Too many things I like." She told him, not minding at all how small her hand felt in his, how pale she looked against his honey skin, how soft his skin was.
"Like what?"
"I like English, I like music, I like clothes, I like cooking, I like art, I like History, I like languages, I like sport, I like learning, I like helping, I like taking photos. But I don't love those things, I can't picture myself doing them when I'm older." Gabby explained. "The future is just a big blank for me, one I'm both terrified and excited for."
"I'll find something you love." He murmured, pulling her to a stop, close to him, one of her hands in his, the other clutching her ice cream. He leaned in close, her breath hitching as he moved closer. She was almost prepared for his lips to touch hers when he swerved, taking a bite out of her ice cream before pulling away, starting off down the pavement again.
"How dare you?" She scoffed, eyes alight with amusement as she began to follow him, "And who bites ice-cream, you psycho?"
He dropped her off at home, driving through the silent, sleepy streets of Star's Hollow, hand still holding hers as it lay on her lap. She was tired, yawning frequently and head lolled to the side as she looked out of the window. An old Eagles song was playing quietly on the radio and he would occasionally hum along to the chorus, stopping when he pulled up outside Lorelai's house.
"Aren't you gonna kiss me goodnight?" She teased and he chuckled in response, shaking his head.
"I would, but your sister is sat on the porch giving me the stink eye. So, maybe next time." He explained and she laughed, catching sight of Lorelai on the porch seat, with a cup of coffee.
"Next time?" She asked, getting out of the car at the same time as him as he went round to the trunk to get her bags. "How well did you think you did?"
"Call me." He smiled, amused. "And I mean it, this time. Don't wait until you're in a different state."
"Okay. I promise." She laughed, taking her suitcase from him, "Night Cal. Thank you for tonight, I had a really great time."
"Night Gabs. So did I." He smiled softly back and waited until she had made it up the porch steps before driving away.
"Hey stranger." Lorelai welcomed as Gabby plonked down on the porch seat, exhausted, "I missed you."
"I missed you too." Gabby mumbled, curling up into her sister's side, "What'd I miss?"
"A lot. Babette's cat died and I think I'm dating your English teacher and Rory has a boy." Lorelai told her, wrapping an arm around her.
"I went on a date with my best friend's brother who my other best friends think is a dick and now I like him and that's unfair."
"Who wins?" Lorelai chuckled.
"Why is my life so complicated?"
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