Rachel ran out of the apartment, ignoring the voices behind her. His voice calling out to her didn't stop her either. Running to the elevator without looking back once, she started hitting the button over and over again, needing to get out of the suffocating place. She heard footsteps behind her, the closer the footsteps got the more frantic her behavior became. The doors opened giving her a chance to escape that nightmare. She spun around, facing Ethan who took a sprint to reach her. She had pushed the button to the ground floor, but he was faster. He managed to slip through the doors and faced her.
"Rachel, calm down."
She wasn't going to listen to him this time though, she wouldn't listen to a single word that came out of the mouth of the man who betrayed her. The man who didn't stand beside her when she needed him the most. Wasn't that part the most important when you were in a relationship? When the whole world was against you the person you loved was supposed to have your back no questions asked.
"Shut up!"
He grabbed her by the shoulders, his fingers digging into her skin, "You're not thinking straight."
She pressed her hands against his chest and forcefully pushed him away from her, "I'm seeing things perfectly clear." She told him, lowering her voice to maintain some of her dignity since his family more or less took it from her a few minutes ago, "No matter how much time we spend together it's never enough. You're never going to trust me nor are you going to treat me like someone who actually matters to you, because I'm not that bitch Tiffany who tried to kill my sister."
Just referring to his ex-girlfriend was enough to make her statement, but she made sure to emphasize on Tiffany being a bad person. She wanted him to face the fact that the woman who was still in his heart was not good enough. A woman who was locked up because she tried to commit murder to make herself feel better. Tiffany was not good enough for anyone until she got her head straight again.
Ethan seemed to be at a loss for words, the surprise in his eyes would have been comical if she didn't feel like dying right then and there. He made her feel like she meant nothing to him like she could be easily replaced. When the doors slid open to the ground floor she slipped away, heading straight for the door to get some air and get the hell out of there. She had no idea where she was going, but she knew for certain she wasn't going back to his place.
"Rachel!"
She was glancing around, trying to find a place to run to. There was nowhere else to go though. She left her family home to live together with a man who never loved her the same way she loved him. He never actually cared, because the crazy bitch was still in his heart. Brushing the tears away she jumped back when Ethan tried to make her face him again.
"You left your things upstairs. There is a lot we need to talk about, just stay here and get some air, I'll go back to grab your things. We'll go home and sit down to talk."
She inhaled deeply when he shrugged his jacket off and wrapped it around her, protecting her from the night's cool air with his jacket which smelled like him. The fresh scent of his cologne lingering around her and driving her crazy. She pushed her arms through the sleeves, wrapping herself up in his jacket. Ethan gently brushed his fingers against her cheek, a warm smile spreading across his face.
"It's going to be okay." He promised her in a calm voice which was supposed to make her feel better, more relaxed, but it had the opposite effect. It made her so angry that he treated her like a demanding client he had to deal with, "I'll be right back." He added.
She watched him leave from sight, going back inside to grab her things. She pushed her hands into his jacket's pockets and was surprised when she felt his phone, wallet, and keys. Him having all these stuff in his pockets was why it felt that heavy around her shoulders. She grabbed his wallet and glanced inside, the tears stopping entirely because she now had her escape plan. Putting the wallet back in his jacket she started to walk away from the apartment building in search of a taxi which she could take. It took her about ten minutes, but she managed to hold a taxi and get the hell out of there. She gave the driver directions to the one place she could go. She didn't want to interrupt Valerie's night in together with Gabriel's family, but she needed her sister. She needed to be around someone who actually cared about her and made her feel like he did matter.
***
Rachel met Gabriel's surprised look, unlike her boyfriend he pulled himself together much faster. Gabriel always had been the one who understood the situation without needing any details. He could read people like a book. He acted on it too, always taking charge without hesitation. She respected him even though it took her a while to figure him out. Gabriel stepped aside to let her in.
"Valerie is in the kitchen." He told her, his voice clear and void of the condescending tone she had heard in Ethan's voice earlier.
She didn't speak up and headed straight for the kitchen, needing to see her sister's face. There were so many people around, but she ignored them all. She wasn't in the mood to socialize if she tried she'd probably offend people who were important to Gabriel. That was the last thing she wanted after interrupting his quiet night in with the family. Rachel stood in the doorway and watched Valerie interact with her sister-in-law. They seemed to get along really well. The jealousy she felt was something she couldn't suppress. She wanted to, but in comparison to Ethan's family, this was heaven.
"Valerie."
Her sister glanced in her direction, a rainbow of emotions flashing across her face. Much like her husband, Valerie read the situation carefully. Her sister walked up to her and wrapped her arms tightly around her.
"What happened?" Her sister quietly asked her, "Thought you were having dinner with Ethan's family?"
Remembering the disastrous dinner she had with Ethan's family made her want to cry again. She tightened her hold on her sister, hating that those hurtful words were echoing through her mind. She wanted to forget, she wanted to forget about everything.
"Why don't you talk to Rachel while I make you some tea?" Gabriel's voice came from right beside her, but she paid him no attention. She couldn't face him when she was a mess because of his closest friend.
"Thank you," Valerie told her husband and then grabbed Rachel by the hand, leading her to their bedroom.
Rachel took a seat on the bed while Valerie closed the door behind her. Valerie quietly approached her and took a seat beside her. She could tell her sister was hesitating to ask anything, but she couldn't keep quiet either. Valerie was worried and she couldn't blame her sister. If the roles were reversed she'd behave the same way.
"Rachel?"
"I'm not going back there." Rachel wanted to be firm about that, yet her voice sounded weak and begging, "I'm not going back there." She repeated, hoping she managed to sound more confident that time. The fact that she was sniffing didn't make her sound believable though.
Rachel looked up when she felt Valerie's hand wrap around hers, her sister tightly holding onto her, "Rachel, I'm not forcing you to go back there. If you want to stay here then that's fine. I don't need you to explain anything to me."
She knew she could talk to Valerie about anything, her sister would listen and have her back. Especially since lately things weren't going that well between Ethan and Valerie either. She wanted to share everything with Valerie, yet the words never came out. They remained silent.
After a while, she got comfortable in Gabriel and Valerie's bed. She was apparently curled up on Gabriel's side of the bed while Valerie laid down beside her. They remained quiet, she was grateful Valerie was just being there for her. She remained motionless underneath the sheets when Gabriel entered the room to serve them their tea. Seeing him looking at Valerie like she was his everything caused her heart to ache again. Everyone always assumed he could care less about anyone, but he was even more affectionate than Ethan who was known as the charmer.
Gabriel brushed his fingers over her sister's cheek. It was a gesture Ethan had done to her when she ran away from his family dinner, yet Gabriel's gesture was completely different. She looked away not being able to witness their intimate moment without feeling the urge to cry again. Her tears were all dried up, she had nothing left to give. Gabriel left the room to join his family, giving them the space they needed. Rachel just laid there, staring into space while she tried to forget everything, trying to block out the hurtful words of Ethan's family. Valerie quietly stayed beside her, not pushing her at all. The fact that Ethan didn't burst through the door and asked her to come home was probably because Gabriel didn't give her location away or he ordered Ethan to stay away. Either way, she was so grateful to him. Her sister was one lucky woman having met Gabriel at some random bar or whatever.
When her tea was cooled down enough to drink without burning her tongue, she sipped it. When she finished her tea she felt so much better, all warm and comfortable. She slipped back between the sheets and slowly drifted off, having a dreamless nap.
***
Opening her eyes, Rachel felt like crap. She was hungry while her body ached all over. Glancing aside her she noticed her sister still peacefully sleeping. Leaving the bed, Rachel took Ethan's jacket off and tossed it on the edge of the bed. It landed with a soft thud since his things were still in there. Rachel opened the closet door and grabbed one of Valerie's sweaters, pulling it over her head to keep herself warm.
On bare feet, she left the bedroom and quietly closed the door behind her. She quietly walked through the living room and entered the kitchen. She moved to the cupboard to grab herself a glass. She wanted to drink her concerns away with a bottle of wine, but she filled her glass up with water instead.
"Feeling better?"
The hushed voice belonging to Gabriel startled her. She turned around to face him. He was dressed in some comfortable clothes, approaching her without hesitation.
"You want something to eat? We have plenty left over from yesterday."
"I'm actually hungry." She admitted to him, her cheeks burning up in embarrassment.
Gabriel didn't seem to mind though. He opened the fridge and grabbed a plate filled with delicious looking snacks. He grabbed a bit of everything and filled up a plate for her, heating it up in the microwave.
"Ethan called." He let her know, "I told him to give you some space."
So he did order Ethan to stay away. She couldn't be more grateful.
"Thank you."
"You shouldn't take their words at heart." Gabriel told her, "They don't even show kindness to Ethan. I have my doubts about them being able to care about someone other than themselves."
She shook her head at that, "Their words were like bullets, true. But what hurt the most was the fact that Ethan did not once stand up for me. He just sat there letting them throw one insult after another. Then when I walked off and accused him of not caring about me because he still loves Tiffany he didn't flat out tell me I was wrong. The one who hurt me the most is Ethan."
He remained silent for a while, he took her plate out of the microwave and handed her the plate along with a fork.
"He's been off ever since Tiffany tried to have Valerie killed."
Rachel forked up pieces of well-seasoned potatoes and stuffed her face. It was delicious, the fact that she had eaten close to nothing made her want to eat everything in one go if that was possible. She leaned against the counter while she ate a very late dinner.
"He still loves her." Rachel eventually told Gabriel who poured himself a glass of wine and handed her one too, "I needed that." She admitted to him.
"You deserve a glass of wine after yesterday's drama, even if it's like four in the morning."
He put a smile on her face, "This is great."
They changed the subject to food and wine, she knew Gabriel did that because she didn't have it in her to face reality just yet. Later that morning Ethan was coming over to pick her up. She'd face reality then. She'd enjoy delicious food and a rich glass of wine at four in the morning while her brother-in-law kept her company.