Hello! I'm very excited to finally get this new story started for you guys. As some of you know, this has been in my head for the better part of a year and a half, and I'm glad to finally get it going. Hopefully, it doesn't disappoint.
Just a reminder, this story is AU. Also, it is Rated M. So, fair warning. There's nothing too intensely graphic in this chapter, but I just wanted to let you know.
I hope you enjoy.
O N E
"You want another one?"
Gabby glanced up to the bartender, her tired eyes moving from him to the empty shot glass sitting in front of her. She quickly weighed the pros and cons of downing another shot of tequila, ultimately deciding it to be in her best interest to have one more, giving the guy behind the bar a nod as he filled the small glass.
Despite having been sitting here for awhile, she was surprisingly sober. More sober than she would've liked. But even though she had every desire to drown her sorrows in alcohol, she knew she couldn't. She was upset, not stupid. She wouldn't let herself get plastered tonight, not when she was in an unfamiliar bar across town from her apartment.
Although, it wasn't her apartment anymore.
Shaking her head, she forced the thought away as she downed the shot, missing the raised brow from the bartender.
"Rough night?" He questioned, filling up the glass without prompting this time, Gabby focusing her attention to the glass of water she'd made sure to order, quickly swallowing the rest of it.
"You could say that." She muttered bitterly as she picked up the liquor, knocking her head back as she accepted the burning liquid down her throat again, nearly slamming the shot glass back onto the bar.
"Wanna talk about it?" He questioned, Gabby's eyes narrowing despite the sincerity in his tone.
"No thanks. But I'll take another." She spoke roughly, nudging the glass with her knuckles. Merely nodding, the man filled the shot glass once more, this time turning to leave, walking further down the bar as he left her alone with her alcohol.
But this shot she let sit, her eyes zeroed in on the clear liquid, her mind elsewhere as she sat perched on the same barstool she'd been at for the better part of the evening.
She never imagined this is where her life would end up. In fact, she envisioned quite the opposite. Though she never pictured marriage this soon, she did like to think she would've found her soulmate by now, the one person she was destined to be with forever. The person who'd love her unconditionally, someone who would always be by her side. She figured she would've met that person already. And she did.
Or she was led to believe she had.
He made her think she had.
She thought he loved her. For three years, he filled her head with lies. He assured her he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, his words being solidified by the ring that had been on her finger for the last seven months.
The ring that, up until a few hours ago, hadn't ever come off.
Two hours ago, she'd been sitting at home with the love of her life. Two hours ago, Gabby had that ring prominently displayed on her finger. Two hours ago, she had a fiancé. But now, that was nothing but a memory. She'd not only lost the man she thought she'd be spending the rest of her life with, she lost a life that could've been. All the plans they'd made, all the late nights spent talking about their future, it was all a lie. He never wanted that with her, he strung her along for three years, letting her believe their love had been real.
And she didn't know why. She didn't know why he had done this to her. She didn't know what she'd done to cause all this. It wasn't as if they'd been perfect. God no, they were far from it. They had their problems; they were both too stubborn for their own good, neither could listen to reason when they got their heart set on something, neither would ever want to back down first. And she knew the last few months had been hard on them, that both of them were struggling. But they were in love. She thought he loved her. But he didn't. And she couldn't help but wonder how long that had been the case.
She needed to know how long he'd been planning on ending things. Was it sudden? Did he just wake up one day and realize he wasn't in love with her anymore? Or had their life together been a temporary thing for him all along. Gabby had no idea when he first started thinking of calling off their engagement, of how long he'd been wanting to break up with her. She could only hope he hadn't been feeling like this for awhile, that he hadn't spent God knows how long dragging her along in a relationship he was planning on ending.
But a part of her knew, deep down, this wasn't a sudden realization. She knew he'd been thinking about this for awhile. His behavior the last few months, how distant he'd been; the coming home late, or not coming home at all. How he'd leave the room whenever he got a phone call. Not only did she think he'd been planning this for awhile, she had a pretty good feeling he'd been finding comfort in the arms of other women while she struggled to keep their relationship together. But still, she believed him. Every time he said he loved her, that he couldn't wait to get married to her, she believed him. Maybe because it was easier than facing the truth. Maybe because, deep down, she hoped things would change once they got married.
But he never meant any of it. For years, she believed every stupid, blatant lie he filled her head with, only for her to be tossed aside like their relationship meant nothing.
And that's how she found herself in this unfamiliar bar, her gaze focusing back on the shot glass sitting in front of her. Gabby picked it up and downed the drink quickly, grimacing as the liquid burned her throat, silently praying for it to numb the pain she was feeling. She'd never been one to turn to alcohol for relief, but after her sure future had been turned upside down, Gabby figured she deserved it. She deserved the moment to not have to feel this particular pain, knowing that this feeling would only get worse the second she walked into work tomorrow and had to face him. She would have to force herself to keep her head high, and not let him see how much his choice had broken her. Even though all she wanted to do was fall apart, she knew she couldn't. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing he destroyed her life. In less than twelve hours, she'd have to walk into that firehouse and pretend that she was fine, that her heart hadn't just been ripped out of her chest and shattered. She would have to deal with all that tomorrow, so right now she figured she deserved a little relief.
If she was being honest with herself, she would gladly never have to face him again. She would put in a transfer, start over at a new house, and begin a new chapter of her life away from him. But she knew she couldn't do that. She refused to let him win, and her transferring houses would be the ultimate victory. She wouldn't leave behind her entire life just because of him. He made this choice, if either of them should have to leave, it should be him. But she knew that would never happen. So her only option was to face it, to walk into work like she was unbothered by what he put her through.
But for now, she knew she didn't have to pretend. She didn't have to deal with him yet, Gabby having stumbled across a bar neither of them had ever been to in hopes that he wouldn't find her here, not that she was expecting him to come look for her after she walked out. Her desire to find a new place was more so the fear of her going somewhere they frequented, only to see him picking up other women to take home, Gabby knowing they'd be going back to the bed that they once shared. The thought was bad enough, having to see it in person was something she didn't think she could handle. She didn't need to see him leaving to go hook up with another woman hours after he ended things, although the unsettling feeling in her gut told her their engagement hadn't really stopped him from doing that in the past, it was just now he had the option of taking them home.
A loud cheer jolted Gabby from her thoughts, turning her head to look down the bar, finding the source of the sound as she saw a few older men cheering on their buddy as he chugged a beer, Gabby quickly tuning out the noise around her again as she stifled an eye roll. Since she showed up to the surprisingly busy pub, she'd effectively ignored the chaos around her, choosing to focus on the alcohol in front of her instead of the people near her. She found herself back in the midst of her own thoughts, not hearing the sound of the bar door opening, or the sound of the heavy boots against the wood floor as a new patron came up to the bar, stopping beside her. She didn't notice any of that, her eyes fixated on the now empty shot glass in front of her. It wasn't until she heard a greeting did her head snap up.
"Casey."
Gabby nearly jumped as she saw the unfamiliar blonde now standing next to her, not knowing how long he'd been there. But his attention wasn't on her, it was on the bartender, as the keeper of the liquor came up to stand across from this man.
"Hey Cal." The man supposedly named Casey responded, the bartender holding out an already prepared beer, Gabby watching their interaction curiously.
"You want another one?" The man, Cal, offered, Gabby glancing to him and nodding. She felt Casey glance towards her, but he quickly looked away. As Cal poured her shot, he spoke up again. "So how's the job treating you, Casey?"
"Well, speaking of that, I'm actually starting my new job tomorrow." He spoke with a grin, taking a drink of his beer.
"Congrats, man. That's great news. Your first drink is on the house tonight."
"Thanks Cal." With a nod towards the bartender, Casey turned to leave, his eyes locking with Gabby's for a split second, wordlessly flashing her a soft smile before slipping past her. She turned her head to watch him, Casey soon disappearing into the crowd and out of sight.
Over the next hour, Gabby decidedly broke from her own thoughts and started paying attention to those around her, silently observing the crowd as she took to drinking water instead of the hard stuff. She chose not to focus on any person too long, not wanting to invite any unwanted attention, but she couldn't help but watch that man named Casey any time he came into her view, something about him drawing her attention, Gabby keeping her gaze on him longer than she would others.
Something she quickly noticed each time she found him was that he was with a different woman every time he came into view, and even from across the bar she could tell he was flirting, shamelessly. It also soon became apparent that each time he went in for his final shot, he got turned down. Each and every time. It was almost becoming amusing to her, watching as all of these women walked away from him, leaving him to go and try to find someone else. And try he did.
Gabby was sure she saw him with at least five different women the past hour, and she couldn't help but wonder how much longer he'd soldier on until he gave in. While she definitely found it funny, she could only assume he didn't see the same humor in it.
After watching him get shot down for the umpteenth time this evening, Gabby moved her attention from Casey, looking around aimlessly until she heard shuffling in front of her. She turned to look ahead, seeing Cal standing there, placing a drink down in front of her beside her other glasses, Gabby furrowing her eyebrows as she looked up at him, clearly confused.
"What's this?"
"A drink from that guy over there." He gestured, Gabby following his movements to find a familiar face watching her, the man smirking as he winked at her, holding up his glass. Gabby didn't bother to stifle the eye roll this time as she instantly recognized him as the man from earlier, who'd been chugging a beer as his friends cheered him on. The one who seemed to be a little too old to be acting like a drunk frat boy.
Seeing her reaction, the man's smirk only grew, Gabby turning her head before she could see him push himself up from his bar stool.
"So I take it you don't want it?" Cal asked, Gabby shaking her head.
"No thanks." She responded, Cal giving her an understanding nod, seeing his eyes move from her to someone at her side, Gabby following his gaze to find the clearly drunken man now a few inches from her, leaning his weight into the bar.
"Hey pretty lady." He spoke lazily, his eyes glazed over from the amount of alcohol he'd consumed this evening. Releasing a light scoff, Gabby kept her eyes forward, taking a sip of her water as Cal took the gifted drink away. "What, you didn't want it sweetheart?"
"I'm not your sweetheart." She spoke through gritted teeth, placing her water down on the top of the bar, turning to look back at him.
"Feisty, aren't we?" He murmured with a chuckle, placing his hand on her arm. Gabby immediately snatched it away, narrowing her glare at him. "I bet you're a fun time, baby." He began slurring over his words, his body leaning against hers.
Despite her fear, she refused to let it show, Gabby pushing back against him, forcing him to move.
"Roy, cut it out buddy. She doesn't want your company." Cal spoke from behind the bar, leaning over and placing his hand on his shoulder, the man apparently named Roy shrugging off his touch.
"She's just playing hard to get, aren't you honey? I've seen the way you've been watching me." He mumbled, bringing his hand up to caress her face, Gabby smacking it away.
"Get off me before I-"
"Back off, man." Another male voice spoke, Gabby seeing Roy's body be pulled away from her, the man now practically shielding Gabby from the drunken man. She quickly recognized him to be Casey, the blonde pushing his hand against Roy's chest. "I think she was pretty clear she doesn't want to talk to you."
"Get out of here, Casey. Go find some other whore to take home, mind your business." He spoke angrily, smacking Casey's hand off of him.
"Leave her alone, Roy." Casey bit back, straightening his back.
Gabby saw Cal motion at someone further down the bar, and soon the guys Gabby saw this Roy guy with earlier were dragging him away, hearing him mutter something under his breath about 'this bitch' not being worth it as his friends pulled him from the bar.
Blowing out a relieved sigh, Gabby ran her hand over the side of her face.
"You okay?" Casey asked, his body now facing her, Gabby able to make out a hint of worry in his eyes.
"I'm fine." She responded shortly.
"I'm sorry about Roy, he's an asshole."
"Most men are." She responded quickly, not even registering the words until they left her mouth. For a split second she felt guilty for snapping at the man who'd helped her, but that feeling quickly faded. She didn't owe him anything and hadn't asked for his help. And, based on the way she's seen him parading himself around the bar this evening, there was a chance he only stepped in to try and get her to go home with him.
But his reaction wasn't what she was expecting, Casey's eyebrows raising in near amusement, his tongue running over his bottom lip as a grin appeared across his face. "You know, most people would just say thank you." He spoke lightly as he sat down on the stool next to her.
"Yeah, well, I didn't ask for your help." She responded quickly, his grin only widening. She felt herself getting annoyed at his demeanor, not understanding why he was finding this funny or why he was even still here.
"Fair enough." He conceded, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "But, regardless, I'm glad you're okay." He continued, Gabby able to detect the slightest bit of sincerity in his words.
When she said nothing, he pressed on. "I'm Matt." He introduced, holding his hand out towards her. Gabby's eyes flickered down towards his hand before back up to his face, not moving to return the gesture as she tilted her head to the side in confusion.
"Hasn't everyone in here been calling you Casey all night?"
"That's my last name." Matt answered, dropping his hand when he understood that she wasn't going to accept it. Gabby simply nodded, taking another sip of her water. "Do I not get to know yours?" He questioned as she signaled to Cal for another shot, Gabby remaining silent as she downed the shot as soon as she could.
"Cal, go ahead and put the lady's drinks on my tab." Matt spoke, not taking his eyes off of her. The bartender nodded as Gabby looked at him unimpressed.
"You really think paying for my drinks is gonna get me to sleep with you?" She questioned bluntly, Matt choking on the beer he was in the midst of drinking.
Once he composed himself, he placed the glass down before responding. "I don't remember mentioning anything about trying to sleep with you. I don't even know your name." He mentioned again, Gabby ignoring the comment.
"Well, I just figured since you haven't had much luck tonight, your next tactic is paying for alcohol to try and get someone to go home with you." She explained, Matt cocking his head to the side. "Speaking of, shouldn't you get yourself back out there?"
"I'm not following." He replied quickly in confusion.
"You haven't been able to land a woman to take home yet, and it's getting late. Might as well keep trying until you find someone desperate enough."
Ignoring the shot she took at him, he raised his eyebrow in curiosity. "Have you been watching me?" A satisfied smirk was resting on his face, Gabby rolling her eyes.
"Don't flatter yourself." She shot back, looking away from him. Even though there was some truth to his question, she'd never admit to it.
"Alright." He spoke with a breathy laugh. "Well, even though you haven't been watching me, I'm still gonna take your advice and get back out there. Enjoy your drinks." He told her, grabbing his beer and walking away without another word.
The night wore on, Gabby falling deeper into despair as she continued to drown her sorrows in alcohol, doing everything she could to ignore the fact that here very soon, she'd be facing the man who broke her heart, and she'd have to deal with a firehouse full of people looking at her with nothing but pity.
And that was nothing compared to what her brother will think.
The main reason she was still here was because she didn't want to have to face her brother tonight, although she had no other option. Here soon, she'd be showing up at his apartment with the bag of few clothes she'd packed, and have to explain what happened. How she needs to stay there until she can find a new place. How everything he'd told her for years was right.
She wasn't looking forward to the lecture. And even though she knew he meant well, and he loved her regardless, she knew he wouldn't be able to stop himself from reminding her how he warned her to stay away from that relationship.
So she continued to sit on the stool, spacing out her drinks to try and keep as much as her clarity as possible, desperate to put off the conversation with her brother for as long as she could.
But she wasn't the only one having a rough night, her head snapping up as she saw Matt come up to the bar a few stools down from her, groaning softly as he waited for another refill, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. He looked frustrated, beyond it actually, and Gabby couldn't help but let out a chuckle.
But the sound was louder than she intended, Casey's head turning to look at her, his eyes narrowing.
"Something funny?"
"No, just seems like you're a bit frustrated. Can't find anyone willing to go home with you, huh?"
Grabbing his beer from the bar, he walked towards her, a look of confusion mixed with annoyance covering his face. "What exactly is your problem with me?" He asked, ignoring her question.
"I know your type." She responded with a shrug. She knew his type too well, she just hadn't realized it at the time. She'd been engaged to his type. And, for the sake of the woman, Gabby could only hope Matt didn't have someone waiting for him at home.
"And what type would that be?" He prodded curiously.
"You don't see these women as people, you only care about finding someone to sleep with. You prey on women for a meaningless fuck and then toss them aside. And, that's fine. As long as they're willing, who cares. But I know your type, and I've had enough of being around men like that." She muttered bitterly, missing the flash of darkness that flickered in his eyes, Gabby clearly having hit a nerve without even realizing it.
"You only met me a few hours ago. You don't really know me."
"Maybe not. But from what I've seen, I don't think you and I would get along very well." She replied bluntly, Matt shaking his head as he placed his drink back down on the bar.
"Well, as fun as this entire evening has been, I think it's time for me to get out of here." He spoke, an edge to his tone that hadn't been there before. "See you later, Cal." Matt called out down the bar, the bartender waving goodbye as Matt shoved his hands in his pockets, beginning to walk towards the door. But he stopped as he got to Gabby's side, turning his head towards her, his voice low. "I'm sorry for whoever hurt you."
As soon as the words left his lips, he walked away, Gabby's blood boiling as she whipped her head around to watch him go through the door, anger coursing through her veins. She grabbed her jacket and bag, practically stomping out of the bar as she went in search of him, pushing the door open forcefully as she was met with the cold air, her eyes darting around the street until she found him. He was walking down the sidewalk, his back to her as she jogged down the steps.
"Hey!" She called out in anger, effectively stopping his movements while she hurried to him, Matt turning around, releasing a heavy sigh as he saw her. "What was that?"
"What was what?"
"Your comment about being sorry, what the hell was that about?"
"You really don't take apologies well, do you?" He commented frustratedly, Gabby crossing her arms over her chest.
"Excuse me?"
"You have been at my throat all night, when I did nothing to you. And then I apologize for whoever sent you to this bar, angry at the world, or angry at men at least, and still somehow I'm the bad guy?"
"So, what? You just assume because I wasn't putting up with your bullshit that I must've been hurt terribly by some guy?" She fired back, Matt huffing out a breath.
"Well am I wrong?" He questioned, eyeing her intensely. The way her body physically recoiled told him all he needed to know, Gabby faltering for a moment before regaining her hard exterior.
"It doesn't matter whether you're right, it doesn't mean you know anything about me." She fired back defensively.
"That sounds familiar, doesn't it?" He questioned sarcastically, Gabby's eyes narrowing. Their eyes locked as they stood there, anger radiating off the both of them as they glared at one another. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm gonna get out of here. You've effectively ruined-"
Matt's bitter words got cut off by Gabby roughly grabbing the edges of his jacket, pulling him towards her as she slammed her lips into his. He was initially stunned, as her lips moved against his roughly. The feeling wore off after a few seconds, Matt greedily returning the favor as they fought against one another. His hands moved to her waist, holding her firmly in place while she deepened the kiss, all of their inhibitions out the window as his grip tightened on her hips, Gabby moaning softly into his mouth.
When air became a necessity, they pulled back, their chests heaving as they stared at each other, Matt seeing the challenging gleam in her eye, his head tilting in confusion.
"What was that?" He asked between breaths, Gabby's gaze flickering from his eyes to his lips, a soft smirking playing over her face.
"What was what?" She questioned, repeating his words from a few minutes prior, her grin widening as she saw him let out an annoyed huff.
"You spent the entire night pissed at me, talked about how you've had enough of guys like me, and then you just kiss me after berating me?"
She could tell he was confused at the events that had transpired in the last five minutes, and maybe a little irritated. But she didn't care. Running her eyes over him one last time, she cocked her head to the side, meeting his puzzled gaze.
He was exactly the type of distraction she needed right now.
"You wanna get out of here?" She asked, ignoring his question as she gently bit on her bottom lip, watching his eyes widen slightly.
"I thought you didn't like me?"
"I can't stand you. Does that matter?"
Before he had the opportunity to answer her question, she pressed her lips against his again, this kiss much more heated than the last one, which he didn't think possible. But she pulled away as quickly as she came to him, Matt's eyes staying closed as he blew out a breath.
"No it does not." He muttered, his eyes opening to find her darkened gaze waiting for him. "So, uh, my place or yours?"
"Yours." She responded instantly, Matt nodding as he took a step away from her, needing to calm himself down. "I'll follow you." Gabby replied, Matt sucking in a breath as he nodded again, the two heading in different directions towards their vehicles.
As Gabby got into her car, she released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, nerves filling her body at what she was about to do. As she put her car in drive and followed what she found to be Matt's truck, she felt a wave of guilt flush through her system, and she didn't know why. She wasn't cheating, she wasn't doing anything wrong. He left her. She owes him nothing. And she hated that he still had her feeling like her having a one night stand with some guy she met at a bar was her cheating on him. Because it wasn't. She couldn't cheat if their relationship was over. If he was gonna be out finding random strangers to hook up with, there was no reason she couldn't do the same.
But the further they drove, the more doubt that started to creep in. She wasn't sure if it was because of the fact that up until earlier this evening, she'd still been engaged. Or if it was because it had been such a long time since she'd been with anyone else. But all she knew was that she wasn't sure if she really should be doing this. Especially with the man she was currently driving behind.
Her thoughts shifted as Matt's truck parked against the curb, Gabby parking behind him on the surprisingly quiet street, her hands gripping the steering wheel tightly as she thought over her options. She knew if she wanted to bail, this was her chance. She watched as Matt killed the engine on his truck, Gabby blinking harshly as she tried to figure out what to do.
Just as she had almost convinced herself to drive away, her gaze moved down, a small flash of reflective light catching her attention, a heavy feeling settling in her stomach as she caught a glimpse of her engagement ring. The engagement ring she'd taken off in haste as soon as she left the apartment earlier that night. The one that didn't really belong to her anymore.
And in that moment, she made her decision. Screw feeling guilty. Screw this indecisiveness. She was doing this for herself. She deserved a night of fun. A night of meaningless, harmless fun. And Matt was going to give it to her. She didn't owe her ex anything, he didn't deserve to be the thing keeping her from having a good time. He'd taken enough from her already, she wasn't gonna let him take this too.
Turning off her car, Gabby got out, locking up as she saw Matt waiting for her, leaning up against the side of his truck.
"Thought you might've changed your mind." He spoke lightly, twirling his keys on his index finger. Despite the truth to his words, Gabby played it off, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of knowing he'd been right.
"There's still time." She responded, coming to stand in front of him.
"I'll take my chances." He replied with a smirk, pushing himself off the truck, Gabby catching a glimpse of the writing on the side as he moved, the words shining under the street light.
Casey Construction
"Ready?" He asked, Gabby's eyes flashing back towards him, her eyes landing on his lips again. Before she could answer, she pulled him towards her, Matt releasing a breath of contentment as they battled against each other, Matt pinning her up against his truck. He pressed his hips into hers, Gabby's breath catching in her throat at the movement. Matt moved his lips from hers to trail across her face, tracing down her jaw to her neck, Gabby releasing a soft sigh of pleasure as he left his mark on her skin, her hands gripping his arms tightly.
"I still don't even know your name." He spoke against her, gently biting her neck before his tongue came out to soothe the skin, Gabby pushing herself into him.
"It's Gabby." She breathed out, her teeth grazing his ear, Matt letting out a low moan at her actions.
"Alright, Gabby," The way her name left his lips sent chills through her spine, him drawing out the syllables as he whispered in her ear. "Let's take this inside, shall we?" Following his lips over the same path he took earlier, he found his way back to her lips, capturing her in a dizzying kiss before pulling away, Gabby's eyes staying closed for a few extra moments, trying to gather herself.
Matt reached for her hand, pulling her behind him as they walked up the path towards his front door, Gabby barely able to take in her surroundings as they climbed the steps. She hung back behind him while he unlocked the door, pushing it open and walking inside, Gabby following his steps.
She barely got inside before Matt slammed the door shut, pressing her body up against it as he attacked her neck once more, simultaneously shrugging off his jacket, the material falling to the floor with a silent thump.
Grabbing his face with her hands, Gabby moving his head up until she could capture his lips with hers, pushing his body backwards into the living room, their lips never disconnecting. Their movements were sloppy and frantic, Matt sliding his hands over her shoulders under her jacket, pushing the clothing to the floor, while Gabby's fingers moved to the buttons on his shirt, blindly beginning to open the material.
Matt managed to lead them to his bedroom, Gabby practically ripping open his shirt and peeling it from his body, moving her kisses to his neck, down to his exposed collarbone, her hands running over his toned skin.
He began kicking his shoes off, Gabby stopping her movements to follow his actions, Matt's hands moving towards his jeans as he unbuttoned them, sliding them down his legs and kicking them to the side.
"You're still wearing too many clothes." He muttered, Gabby's eyes raking up and down his body, the thin boxers left on him leaving little to the imagination.
Matt went to work, hastily pulling her shirt over her head, Gabby letting him as he tossed the material to the ground, grabbing her by the hips and leading her to the bed, pushing her down on it. She slid back, giving him room to move as he hovered over her, placing a few sloppy kisses on her mouth before his hands found their way to her jeans, his fingers teasing the skin just above the fabric, Gabby moaning softly against his lips.
Kissing his way down her neck, he began placing kisses over her chest, leaving multiple marks as his fingers undid the button on her pants, sliding her zipper down. Gabby let out a frustrated huff when he pulled back completely, standing halfway off the bed as he hooked his fingers under the waistband of her jeans, roughly pulling the material down her body, throwing them out of the way without a care.
Their movements became frenzied, Matt hovered over her as he slid one hand under her back, expertly unclasping her bra, removing it without question. His eyes fell to her exposed, heaving chest, an appreciative grin falling onto his face before he ducked his head down, placing kisses all over her skin, Gabby's labored breaths turning into moans as he captured her nipple in his mouth. One of her hands moved towards his neck, Gabby basking in the feelings he was stirring within her as he moved to give her other breast the same treatment. While he had her distracted, his hand moved down her body, his fingers lightly ghosting over her covered center, Gabby bucking her hips up into him at the contact.
Releasing the hold his mouth had on her skin, he glanced up at her with a smug grin. "Someone's excited." He spoke softly, Gabby rolling her eyes, using her grip on his neck to guide his head back towards her.
"The more you talk, the more it makes me want to leave." She whispered, Matt falling silent as he went back to work, worshipping her body with kisses as he made his way back down, his lips continuing down her torso, his fingers peeling the last item of clothing from her body.
Within seconds, he was focused between her legs, the combination of his mouth and fingers working wonders on her as she was overwhelmed with intense sensations, pleasure shooting through to her fingertips as he expertly showed off his skills. Gabby's grip on his hair tightened as he picked up his pace, Matt feeding off her reactions to him. It felt like an out of body experience, Gabby not used to this amount of effort put towards making her feel good.
After he'd paid a sufficient amount of attention to that part of her body, he began kissing his way back up, Gabby streamlining the process as she forcefully grabbed his face with her hands, pulling him up to her as she kissed him heatedly, Matt freeing himself from his boxers, removing the last barrier between them while Gabby took control of their kisses. She felt him pressing against the inside of her thigh as they kissed, Matt blindly reaching into his bedside drawer, pulling out the foil package he'd been searching for. The two broke apart, Gabby pulling back the covers and adjusting herself on the bed, Matt rolling the condom on as she watched him intently, pleasantly surprised at what he had.
Hovering over her, Matt threw the sheets over top of them, lining himself up against her entrance as he captured her lips in his again, slowly inching his way inside. Shifting from their pace up until this point, his movements were slow, not wanting to hurt her as he slid inside of her, hearing her gasp against him. He gave her a few seconds to adjust, her body feeling incredible around him as he waited for the signal to continue, Gabby soon lifting her hips to meet his.
The hesitant pace didn't last for long, their movements soon becoming needy and rough, both taking and giving whatever they wanted. Moans of passion and pleasure filled the room as he thrust into her, working them towards that release they both so desperately needed.
Gabby was working on clasping her bra as she looked around for her shirt, needing to find her last piece of clothing that had been thrown aimlessly around the room. Soon locating it by his dresser, she leaned down to pick it up, turning around towards the bed, finding him watching her intently. The edge of the bed sheet was partially thrown over his waist, leaving little of himself covered as he laid there shamelessly, a satisfied smirk resting on his lips while his hands were clasped behind his head.
"This was fun." He commented, Gabby raising her eyebrows.
"Yeah, it was something." She responded quietly, her words unknowingly encouraging him.
"Well, from what I could tell, you seemed to enjoy yourself." He replied smugly. "More than once."
She ignored his comments, sliding her shirt over her head and running her fingers through her hair, wanting to at least try and hide the fact she'd just spent the better part of a couple hours in bed with this man.
"We could do this again sometime." He spoke when she had yet to respond, Gabby chuckling as she slid on her shoes.
"No thanks, I'm good."
"Suit yourself. Maybe I'll see you around."
"I wouldn't count on it." She replied sharply, heading for the bedroom door, stopping in the doorway to glance back at him. "Uh, well, thanks for this, I guess. I'll see myself out."
"Anytime." He responded, Gabby leaving before he could make any more comments. She stopped by the living room, grabbing her jacket, before heading for the front door, needing to get out of this apartment.
As she made her way to her car, the weight of everything began to hit her. It wasn't that she regretted what she'd done. Because she didn't. Surprisingly, she managed to enjoy herself. Even though she would've rather not gone home with someone as self-assured and arrogant as Casey, he proved to know what he was doing. It wasn't the sex she was struggling with.
It was the fact that this is where her life was now. It was how she never imagined herself to be in a position where she'd be able to go find random strangers to hook up with. Even though that hadn't been her intention when she went out tonight, it's where she ended up. And there was nothing wrong with that.
But somehow, that's what she was struggling with. It was that she now had the freedom to go and do whatever and whoever she pleased, when she never imagined that to be a part of her life anymore. She had been promised a forever, but after what happened tonight, what she'd been able to do, it made her really understand that promise was gone. It was in the past, it meant nothing. And while she'd already known that the second he ended things, the events of the night only solidified it, making the ache in her chest a thousand times worse.
Tears clouded her vision as she began driving towards her only place of solace. The only place she knew she could go, the drive taking barely ten minutes in the empty streets of Chicago, Gabby continuously blinking back the tears in her eyes to keep her vision focused.
Pulling up outside his apartment complex, she grabbed her bag and got out of the car, wiping a stray tear from her cheek as she made her way inside, walking the familiar path to the elevator, quietly making her way to the third floor.
Her feet felt heavy as she walked down the hallway, stopping in front of the door she'd gone through many times, bringing her fist up to knock on the wood. It was late, well past two in the morning, but she knew he was home.
Continuing her constant tapping, she heard shuffling on the other side of the door, Gabby taking a step back as she wiped her face one more time, trying to make herself look at least a little bit presentable. But the second he opened the door, he knew something was wrong, his concern breaking through his exhaustion, his eyes flashing down to the bag in her hands before back up to her face, Gabby unable to keep up the facade as her older brother watched her.
"I, uh, I need to stay with you for awhile." She whispered, afraid if she spoke any louder her voice would betray her.
Taking a deep breath, Antonio nodded, stepping out of the way to make room for her. "Come on in, sis." He spoke sadly, Gabby swallowing thickly as she stepped inside, feeling a small source of comfort from the fact that, no matter what happened in her life, she could always count on her brother.
So, how are we feeling? Maybe a little confused? Hopefully a little intrigued? I'm excited to get into more of this story and their lives, because, as I'm sure you could tell from this first chapter, we don't really know anything about them. There's a lot of backstory that I'm looking forward to getting into, hopefully you guys are excited as well.
I know we haven't gotten into much yet, but I do want to give you all a little clarification to the timeline of this story. As this chapter shows you, Matt and Gabby had never met until tonight. This story is in no way connected to any storylines done on the show, it's completely AU. Aside from the characters (and once we get further into it, you'll see who all knows who), there are no similarities to the show.
Speaking of characters, there is one thing I want to let you all know. Shay is in this story, she never died or anything like that. I want to be transparent with you guys, when I first started writing this about a year and a half ago, I had Brett in this instead of Shay, but there were two reasons I decided to go ahead and change it. One, I absolutely love Shay and miss her character. And two, I honestly don't think I have it in me to write a lot for Brett right now. I'm not the biggest fan of what they've done to her character on the show, and I've found it's much easier for me to write this with Shay instead. That's not to say they're interchangeable, because they definitely are not. I've had to rework a lot of ideas/scenes to fit Shay, because they are very different characters. But I just wanted to explain my reasoning a little bit. I hope none of you mind.
I can't wait to hear what you all think of this first chapter. Trust me when I say, things are gonna get a lot crazier. Thanks for reading!