Chapter Soundtrack - Chapter 12: "We Belong Together" by Gavin DeGraw
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"Athena Rose Thorpe, what were you thinking?" my father demanded, the veins in his forehead about to explode from anger.
"Dad, if you'll just give me a minute to explain, you'll see that nothing dangerous happened at the gym. Gabe is not a threat to me," I cried, frustrated.
"He is the son of a crime lord and was arrested for murder," my father bellowed. "He is the definition of danger."
I glared at Nathan, who was standing in the corner of the living room. I was sitting on the couch, my mother sitting next to me with my father pacing back and forth in front of us. I had barely walked through the front door before I was ambushed. For the past twenty minutes, I had listened to my parents talk about how I should have better sense than to spend my time with a gangster.
"Honestly, Athena, it's like you move from one extreme to the other," my mother complained. "Either you don't socialize at all or when you do, you pick the most inappropriate person."
"He's not inappropriate, Mother. He is the most thoughtful and generous person I have ever met. And he is not a murderer. How can you both judge someone you've never even spoken to?"
"Do you know who his father is?" my father asked, visibly trying to calm himself. "Do you know what his family does for a living?"
"He didn't get to choose his family, Dad. Believe me, he wishes the world he comes from was different, but he can't change that any more than you can change the sky being blue."
"Just look at what happened tonight," my father reasoned. "You're not the type to get into a shouting match with one of your classmates, but one night out with the Valente kid and that's exactly what occurs. Do you really want to spend your time with someone who's going to get you into that kind of trouble? This time may have only been a war of words, but there are no guarantees about what will happen next time."
"There are no guarantees for anything in life," I argued, "no matter who I hang out with. I could be at Robertson's or just sitting in a classroom and something terrible might happen. You can't use Gabe as an excuse if something bad were to happen to me. I could just as easily get hurt even if he had never moved to Sparrow."
"That may be true, Athena, but why knowingly put yourself in the line of fire?" my mother said.
"What line of fire?" I asked in disbelief. "For the last time, Gabe is not dangerous. Jackson Montgomery was the one who started the fight at the game. If you should be warning me about anyone, it should be Jackson."
"Why are you so hell bent on ignoring what's right in front of you?" my father asked.
"You don't know him the way I do," I countered.
My father stood still, his eyes widening. "How much time have you been spending with him, Athena?"
I looked down, his stare practically condemning me before I had a chance to respond. I knew I hadn't done anything wrong, but at the same time, I had purposely kept my involvement with Gabe from them. I had anticipated some questions once I did decide to clue them in, but nothing like this. They were acting like he was some deadly disease. I once again gave my brother a piercing look. He hadn't said a word since my arrival, which was good because he had already said enough.
"Athena," my father pressed, his voice rising again.
"I've hung out with him a few times at school. Tonight was our first official date," I confessed, my gaze still on Nathan.
"Your first and your last," my father said briskly.
"What?" I cried, looking up at him now. I could feel the blood rushing to my face as anger and indignation rapidly heightened within me.
"You heard me. You are not to see Gabriel Valente again."
"But you can't do that," I argued. "I'm not a child. I can decide for myself who I will and won't spend time with."
"You are my daughter and it is my job to keep you safe," my father yelled. Then he said the most cliché line ever. "As long as you are living under my roof, you will abide by my rules and that is final."
"Mom?" I said, turning to face her, foolishly hoping she would support me against my father.
"I'm sorry, Athena, but I'm with your father on this one. We haven't spent the last almost eighteen years of your life protecting you so you could become reckless with a member of the mob."
"He's not part of that world," I growled, frustrated tears forming in the back of my eyes. "Why can't you understand that? Maybe if you met him, you would see what kind of person he really is."
"That boy will not set one foot in this house, is that clear? And do not even think about spending time with him at school. Nathan will let us know if you do," my father warned.
I gave Nate the angriest look I could muster. "How could you go back on your word?"
As Nate reluctantly looked at me for the first time that night, my father cut in.
"Nate is not the one to blame here, Athena. All he did was try to protect you. You should be thanking him for caring enough to look out for you."
"Thank him?" I scoffed. "Thank him for what? For being so jealous of Gabe that he broke his promise? That he can't stand the fact that the girl he likes wants Gabe and so he figured I should be just as miserable as he is?"
"I am not jealous," Nathan hissed, taking a few steps toward me. "You've just got your head so far up in the clouds you can't see what kind of person he really is."
"And what kind of person is he, Nathan? Tell me. What makes you think you know anything about him? You've never spoken to him. You've never spent any time with him. All you know is what the rest of this town thinks they know. Only the lies spread around by pretentious gossips. If you're really the kind of person who would believe them over your own sister then maybe you're the one I need to stay away from."
"Now, Athena, that's enough," my mother said, standing up.
"No," I said, standing up as well. "It's not enough. Forbidding me to see Gabe is the most unfair thing you could do to me. And in case you've forgotten, I'm an adult. I'll be eighteen in a few months."
"A few weeks ago, I might have agreed that you were an adult," my father said. "You've always been so level-headed. I've never had to worry about the choices you'd make in life because you have always made the right ones, but it seems Nathan is right and this boy has clouded your judgment. As your parents, we now have to step in and make some decisions for you."
"You can't keep me away from him," I stated, crossing my arms in defiance.
"You aren't eighteen yet, which means we can," my father said, walking towards me and placing his hands on my shoulders. "You are my only daughter and I want to keep you safe. I realize there are things in life that can hurt you that I can't control, but I can try to shield you from people who, in the end, will do nothing but cause you pain. Promise me you will stay away from Gabriel Valente."
"Never," I stated, shaking my father's hands off my shoulders.
Nathan started laughing, shaking his head. "You are so blind."
I chose to ignore him and continued to give my father a look I hoped was telling him my decision was final.
My father sighed. "Athena, I suggest you reconsider. What kind of relationship do you think you'll be able to have? Nathan will be watching at school and Sparrow is a small town. You won't be able to go anywhere without us knowing."
"I can't believe you're doing this," I whispered, shocked my father didn't have more faith in my decisions.
"I will do whatever I have to do to keep you away from Valente. If I hear that you are seen somewhere with him, I will waste no time in coming after you to bring you home," my father promised.
I closed my eyes, shutting out the words that were slowly breaking my heart. I knew my father would make good on his promise. What he didn't realize was he wasn't just asking me to give up spending time with Gabe, he was asking me to give up the first taste of real happiness I had ever experienced. Although I had never done it before, I was now desperately trying to find a way to break the rules. To my dismay, I couldn't come up with a solution that would work.
"Then I guess you win," I said coldly, grabbing my purse from the couch and stalking to my room, avoiding the disbelieving look from my brother. After slamming the door and flinging my purse on my desk, I stood very still, trying to stop the sobs that were now coming fast and furious. I crumbled to the floor, pulling my knees up and hugging my arms around my legs. As I rocked back and forth, tears streaming down my face, I tried to block the memories of Gabe flashing through my mind. Then again, I should probably try to hang on to them as they were all I would have of him now.
I had no idea how I was going to break this to him. I would be humiliated, having to explain why I would no longer be able to see him. I took a deep breath and stood up, wiping the tears from my cheeks. I realized there was no point in putting it off. I would do it first thing in the morning. I walked over to my desk and grabbed my phone out of my purse. I hurriedly typed out a message and pressed the send button, asking Gabe to meet me at Robertson's before my shift started. We'd be able to speak privately in the back room
My phone beeped. I flipped it open to read his response:
I'll be there. See you soon.
I closed my eyes, trying to keep from breaking down in tears again. Our time together had been brief but my heart was already Gabe's. I would now have to find a way to exist without it. I slowly walked to my bed and fell on top of it, clutching my pillow to my stomach, already nauseated at what I would have to do the following day.
# # #
As I waited for Gabe in the backroom at Robertson's, I went over what I would say to him. I had arrived extra early so I would have time to prepare myself. Sleep had never found me the night before. I had waited for it while reliving the events that had taken place, but it had stubbornly kept its distance. I finally stopped waiting and was ready to go by the first ray of light shining through my window.
Only my father was up when I entered the kitchen. "Where are you headed so early?" he asked.
I kept my back to him as I opened the refrigerator and removed a small bottle of apple juice. "I'm opening the store today and there's a bunch of inventory to go through. You're welcome to follow me if you like," I said, walking out without so much as a glance in his direction. I could hear him call my name as I hurriedly left the house, praying he wouldn't call my bluff. After all, he had said himself that I always made the right decisions. That was me: Athena Thorpe, Sparrow's number one goody two-shoes. In my mind, meeting Gabe was the right thing to do. I couldn't tell him over the phone I wouldn't be able to see him again. He deserved to hear the truth face-to-face.
If only I wasn't so nervous. I couldn't stop fidgeting with my hands, running them through my hair and taking deep breaths. I needed to get it together. As much as I tried to tell myself it hadn't gotten that serious, my heart knew the truth. It was that serious. The feelings had been there from the moment I had first seen Gabe, and they had only become stronger after I had actually spoken to him. This was going to be hard. My body suddenly tensed as I heard a soft knock on the back door. I opened it for him but before I could say a word, he pulled me into his arms and said hello in his own wonderful way. I amended my previous thought. This was going to be excruciating. He slowly pulled away and looked at me. The smile on his face immediately began to fade. My red, puffy eyes must have alerted him that something was wrong, even though I had tried to disguise them with makeup. Apparently my skills in that department were more than lacking.
"What happened?" he finally asked, his tone worried.
"You should probably sit down," I said quietly, gesturing towards a small desk in the corner. The backroom was not only where Mr. Robertson kept his stock of shipments, but it was also his makeshift office and my break room.
His eyes became really alarmed now. I cursed myself for being so cryptic. I probably sounded like someone had died, but that's exactly how I felt. He refused my offer and instead started rubbing my back. "What's going on, goddess?"
"Don't call me that," I pleaded, already feeling myself start to break down. "It just makes this harder."
"I thought we were past the angst part of this story," he joked, though his voice told me he was becoming anxious.
I was staring at my hands, not knowing how to begin. I just wanted to lean against him for a few minutes and breathe him in. His warm hand making circular motions on my back was more than soothing, but it failed in draining away my sorrow and apprehension.
He waited silently for a few minutes before trying again. "Athena," Gabe said, lifting my chin up so he could look into my eyes. "Please tell me what's going on." His eyes were filled with worry.
I looked at him and decided to just blurt it out. "I can't see you anymore."
Shock washed over his features. "Why not?" he whispered, his jaw clenched.
I took a deep breath. "My parents found out what happened with Jackson last night. Not about the chase but they know we had a heated conversation with him."
"I had a heated conversation with him, not you," Gabe clarified, his voice icy, "but that still doesn't explain why you can't see me."
"They know that we've been hanging out and they.....they..." I couldn't say the rest. It was too embarrassing. How could I explain this without offending him?
"They what?" he pressed.
I stared directly in his eyes, hoping he could see how much I didn't want to say what I was about to say. "They forbid me to see you anymore. Not just because of what happened with Jackson," I explained. "They're afraid being with you would be a danger to me, because of your father."
He remained silent, his eyes now filled with understanding.
"I tried to explain to them that you're not dangerous and that I'm perfectly safe with you, but they wouldn't listen," I explained, desperately trying to keep the tears from falling. "I'm so sorry, Gabe."
"What are you sorry for?" he asked in disbelief.
"For my parents," I answered, "They wouldn't even agree to meet you before making their judgments. Even after I told them how kind and generous and amazing you are."
He raised his hand and wiped away the one teardrop that had defiantly slipped down my cheek. "Athena, it's okay. Please don't cry," he murmured.
He leaned forward so our foreheads were touching. "Your parents are not the first to warn their kids about staying away from me and I get where they're coming from. They just want to keep you safe. I can't blame them for that, but in the end it doesn't matter what they think of me. To know that you feel the way you do about me is all I need to know."
"But it's all meaningless now that we can't be together," I stated. "I tried to think of a way we could still see each other but came up empty. Nate will be spying on me at school and like my father pointed out to me, this is a small town. Anywhere we go there will be someone that knows me or my parents."
He wrapped his arms around my body, hugging me to him. I lay my head on his shoulder as he started to rub my back again. "So I've become the forbidden fruit, have I?" he asked, trying to sound light-hearted. "Does it make me more appealing?"
I chuckled in spite of my melancholy state. "I don't think it's possible for you to be more appealing to me, Gabe."
He pulled away and put his hands on my face. "You've told me what your parents want. It sounds like your brother is on their side as well."
"Nathan was the one who told them everything, the brat," I confirmed angrily.
"Athena, the important thing here is what you want. Do you want to be with me despite the fact that your parents have forbid it or do you want me to stay away? I wouldn't blame you if you chose the second option. Our deal can become null and void. You just say the word." His eyes looked deep into mine, searching for the answer before I could say the words.
"How can you even ask me that?" I cried. "Of course I want to be with you. Last night, being in the cabin with you...that was one of the best moments of my life. I thought we were going to have a lot more, but I guess....."
"That's it!" Gabe exclaimed, a heart-breaking smile spreading on his face, "Athena, you're a genius."
"I am?"
"Yes, you are, among other things," he said, moving away from me so he could start to pace while putting the pieces together. "Don't you get it? We can use the cabin to spend time together."
"The cabin," I repeated, starting to follow his logic.
"It's obvious no one uses it, or if they do, they don't use it often. We can be really careful to always leave things the way they were. Think about it. Our own little hideaway in the middle of the woods. No one would have any idea we were there or that we'd be together."
I looked at him, hope starting to unravel within me. "I guess it is a possibility, but how often would we really be able to meet up there? Between school and me working here, a few hours during the weekends and maybe one or two nights a week is all we would have."
"Any time is better than no time with you."
"I feel the same way," I said softly, "Okay, this might work. Although my parents might get suspicious if I start going out more than usual."
He reached out, grabbing my hands and pulling me into his arms. "Do you think Gretchen would help out by covering for you when necessary?" he asked, his face close to mine.
"Yeah, I'm sure she would," I said, my heart now racing with the feeling of renewed faith and the fact that I was in such close proximity to him. I lay my head against his chest and closed my eyes. "I thought this was the last time I was ever going to speak to you."
"Please tell me you weren't going to give up so easily."
"I didn't want to, but I couldn't think of a way around it. And...I've never disobeyed my parents before," I revealed quietly.
"Having second thoughts?"
"Not at all," I said, looking up at him. "My parents are the ones who are in the wrong in this situation. If lying to them is what I have to do to see you, Gabe, then it's a very small price to pay."
He was silent for a moment, finally letting out a deep sigh. "I don't want to come between you and your family, Athena. I don't want you to have to sacrifice anything to be with me."
"You're not going to come between us," I said. "Don't worry about it. It's going to be fine now that you've thought of a way for us to see each other without anyone knowing."
"You were the one who mentioned the cabin," he pointed out.
"But you were the one who saw its potential. I wish everyone else knew how brilliant you are," I said, grinning.
"Everyone else is irrelevant, goddess. You're the only person that matters." And with that he bent his head and placed his lips on mine, pulling me closer to him.
His arms supported me as his mouth became more demanding. I wrapped my hands around his neck and felt my stomach flutter with emotions that were still pleasingly foreign. He finally gave me a second to breathe and I reluctantly took the opportunity to start moving backwards.
"Hey, where are you going?" Gabe asked wickedly. "I'm not done with you yet."
"I have to open the store," I explained.
"Fine," he grumbled, softly kissing my forehead. "I'll call you later so we can figure out when we can meet up at the cabin."
"Sounds like a plan."
He gave me a devastating smile and left.
As I walked out of the back room and into the store, I fought the urge to pinch myself to make sure this was all real. Yet, as creative as my imagination could be, I never could have dreamed up anything that felt like this. Sure, I was taking some chances by lying to my parents and sneaking around, but the one thing I was definitely not worried about was being hurt while spending time with Gabe, at least not physically. My parents were being too overprotective.
As a result, my present situation was now a very precarious one. Meeting Gabe in secret was going to be tricky. I would definitely have to enlist Gretchen's help. As I began to really think through what this would entail, I was a little surprised to find there was no trace of doubt in my mind on whether I was making the right choice or not. How could I allow anyone to keep me from the one person who had finally shown me that the real world could be just as, if not more, thrilling than fiction? Besides, the warnings were so off base. Spending time with Gabe wasn't a threat to my life. Being with him had saved it.