All characters that are from the TWILIGHT saga by Stephanie Meyer belong to Stephanie Meyer. All others belong to me. I do not receive profit for these stories except for the joyous enjoyment of reviews.
This story follows right after When I'm Gone: Third Installment to GONE Saga, so if you haven't read that one or the two before, please do.
The timeline of the story will coincide with Gabriel Michael Laskaris' growing up years, starting at Seth and Rosa's wedding day, April 12th and will progress from there.
AN: Happy New Year! Here's a new chapter and I am excited to say I'm working on the next one already! Look forward to reading y'all's reviews and I hope to get many -they're an inspiration to me.
Enjoy as you read and remember to review!
Chapter Eighty (16 yrs old)
September, end of first week of school
Nine year old Tyra was not enjoying sixth grade.
Her teacher, Mrs. Vaughn, was nice enough and knew how to make whatever she was teaching interesting –especially the math stuff –and her classmates looked at her like she was a freak but they pretty much left her alone. She missed all her friends who were in Miss Dearing's fifth grade class but none of that was why she wasn't enjoying sixth grade.
No, the reasons why were two of her classmates who seemed to think picking on her at home wasn't enough –they now got to do it at school too.
It had only taken this first week for Ady and Aly to perfect their tricks so they wouldn't get caught; and the fact Mrs. Vaughn liked to sit them alphabetically seemed to be to the terrors' favor.
She couldn't tattle on them –it just made it worse and no one liked a tattle tale –so she was going to have to be on guard.
It didn't help how they tag-teamed her –while Aly distracted her by pulling her pigtails, Ady would swipe her pen or calculator or her answers for their classwork.
What was frustrating was knowing if she did tattle, they would flash their get-out-of-jail smiles and Mrs. Vaughn would just let them go with a warning.
Her brothers knew nothing of consequences and now, because she was in sixth grade with them, she was going to have to suffer for it.
Life was so not fair.
Walking out of her room, she caught sight of Gabe on the couch; because it was so quiet, she knew he was just staring at the blank TV while rolling that odd marble between his fingers.
She knew he too understood life wasn't fair.
She felt bad for him –she missed her cousins too –but there was no point in pouting. Mama always said pouting got you nowhere.
"What you doing?"
Gabe looked away from the TV, his fingers closing over the marble, "Nothing."
"Why?"
She cocked her head to the side as he gave her a look of confusion, "Why am I doing nothing?"
She nodded, blond pigtails brushing along her cheeks as she kept her brown-green eyes on him.
"'Cause there's nothing to do."
"There's always something to do," she grabbed his hand, pulling at it in an effort to get him to stand, "You can help me clean out Henry's cage."
She towed him back into her room, maneuvering him until he was sitting at the end of her twin size bed, "Don't squeeze him too hard, okay?"
He cupped his big hands around the brown and white hamster as soon as she handed it to him, looking over at his little sister as she dropped to her hands and knees, "Why don't you put him in his exercise ball?"
"'Cause I can't find it."
He watched as she stretched out halfway under her bed, kicking her sneakered feet in a one-two tempo, "Are you looking for the exercise ball?"
"No," her words were muffled but he had no problem hearing her, "I'm looking for Natalia."
"Who the hell is Natalia?"
She backed out from under the bed, popping up beside him, her lightly tanned face flushed a dull red, "My other hamster."
"I thought ma only bought you one hamster."
She gave him a look he knew she had picked up from Emmie, successfully making him feel as smart as a rock, "She did –she bought me Henry."
"Where did Natalia come from?"
"Miss Lee's hamsters had babies before summer break started," she informed him as she turned to the closet she shared with her older sister, shoving aside shoes, boxes, some toys, but no hamster was found, "I asked her if I could have one and she said yes."
"Does ma know you got another hamster?"
She turned to give him a long suffering look, "She will if I don't find her."
Gabe chuckled as he looked down at the little ball of fur currently asleep inside his hot hands, "When did you last see Natalia?"
"When I put her in the exercise ball."
He burst out laughing, a little bit of the fog he'd been struggling through lifting as he grinned at her, "How about you clean this little guy's cage, we put him back and I help you find Natalia?"
He laughed again as she threw her arms around his neck, smooching her lips against his cheek in a loud kiss, "You're the best big brother ever!"
"Anything for my favorite little sister."
She grinned at him, brown-green eyes twinkling at their private joke, "I won't tell Emmie."
"And that's why you're my favorite."
It was odd how time seemed to lose all meaning when there was nothing to mark it. The days bled into each other, day and night becoming interchangeable in her mind.
Homeostasis –a state of being where all conditions remain stable and relatively constant. In this case, it was a lack of stimuli to make the day memorable. In dance, balance was everything but without any forward movement, it wasn't dance. For the first time in life, there was no dancing. She just stood, perfectly balanced, going nowhere and accomplishing nothing.
She flipped the page of the GED study book, the material sinking in without any effort on her part. She didn't really care about getting a GED in lieu of a high school diploma but he hadn't liked her spending the days staring into space, face blank of any thoughts or emotions. Aside from not being able to handle her lack of emotional involvement, he was having an equally hard time handling his own influx of emotions. While she sat, time passing by without any interest on her part, he seemed to throw himself into life's distractions in hopes of numbing the mess his raw emotions were making.
It wasn't working…she made sure of it.
Not long after he found a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment in San Francisco for them to share, she observed how her apathy for life seemed to fuel his own emotional state. The less she engaged, the more manic he seemed in his attempts to find some semblance of emotional peace.
It was a just punishment, not that it mattered to her.
At this point, nothing mattered, except keeping her balance on the edge of whatever she was standing on. If she moved any which way, she knew she would break into thousands of pieces of ice and stone.
The front door opened, closing with a soft snick a few seconds later. She didn't look up from the book, simply turning the page as the sounds of him heading down the hallway to his room filtered through the closed door of hers. She looked up at the knock on her door, knowing he wouldn't wait for her to invite him in so she set the book aside, already tuning out whatever he wanted to share with her.
She just couldn't understand why he kept trying.
"The gallery took my paintings," he leaned against the door frame, watching as she stared out the window. She never looked directly at him, and after all he'd taken from her, he couldn't force this one issue, no matter how much it bothered him, "The owner recommended someone who might be interested in buying my book."
She didn't respond, her attention remaining on whatever was outside. Then again, there didn't need to be anything for her to ignore him so thoroughly.
Turning away, he closed the door, running his hands through his hair in an effort to keep control over his emotions. There were so many of them, he could no longer identify any of them…they were all slowly carving one big aching hole in his chest.
Grabbing his car keys from where he'd left them on the kitchen counter, he headed out without letting her know, needing to get away for a few more hours.
It was the only way he could feel a semblance of peace…the only time he could somewhat breathe.
October 3rd
She tried staying away from him but she hadn't made it more than three days the first time before seeking him out, something inside her knowing exactly where he was at all times, like some supernatural homing device.
It drove her crazy how, while she couldn't stay away from him for too long, he seemed to have no problem staying away from her. Was he punishing her for pushing him away? Or for the way she treated him now they were equally bonded to each other?
She knew she was a challenge –opinionated with a temper (and a mouth), neither making it easy to give in or give up. They were constantly arguing, her fault mostly, and although their heated fights resulted in mind blowing sex, she wished she could bend a little…enough to show him the softer side of her overwhelming feelings for him.
The morning afters, when she was still half asleep, she had no difficulty taking and giving tenderness; the gentle way he touched her –as if she were a precious treasure –always left her fighting back tears. It was in the mornings when she kissed him with her heart and soul, when she gave herself over to his loving ministrations without holding anything back.
The morning afters took everything from her…they terrified her…but she couldn't stay away.
Closing the door to her Jeep, she eyed the sporty red Mazda parked at the curb, his gray Audi A3 in the driveway signaling he was home and, obviously, had company over. Her nose wrinkled as she got closer to the door, easily picking up on the female pheromones. She had come in the hopes of them having a pleasant night together but now it seemed her plans were taking a most unpleasant turn.
She should turn and leave but something inside demanded she stake a claim on her territory however necessary until it was clearly understood by all who Brady John Kale belonged to.
The door was locked, surprisingly, and since he'd yet to give her a key, she found herself knocking, her anger slowly increasing with each rap of her knuckles against the wooden surface.
Dark brown eyes met blue as soon as the door opened, Bailey's face successfully hiding the urge she had to kill the petite blonde standing on the side of the door belonging to her, "Where's Brady?"
Blue eyes widened then narrowed, Bailey's eyebrow arching at the rude tone to the blonde's question, "Who are you?"
"I'm Brady's girlfriend," Bailey watched with satisfaction as the girl's face paled then flushed, her smile growing as she was assessed from head to toe –she knew she looked better than good in a sleeveless turtleneck black mini-dress paired with four inch purple stilettos, "I take it you're Sandra?"
"How –how did you know?"
Bailey smoothly pushed her way into the house, dropping her black purse on the couch before turning to face her, "We spoke on the phone some months ago. Brady told me you were a co-worker of some sort?"
"Yes," Sandra slowly closed the door, still taking in the tall shapely exotic beauty before her, "Brady didn't tell me he had a girlfriend."
"It's fairly new," Bailey brushed back her side bangs, the ends of her professionally cut hair brushing her jawline, "But we've been working towards it for some time now."
"Oh."
They stood there, sizing each other up, Bailey unable to keep a satisfied smirk from appearing at the obvious disappointment on Sandra's face. It was obvious to her the little blonde had been hoping for more than just a co-worker title.
He's all mine, bitch, she sneered silently as she asked once again, "Where's Brady?"
"In the shower."
She bit her tongue, moving around the couch to put space between them as she fought back her homicidal tendencies. Five long minutes later, the bathroom door opened, Brady stepping out wearing low slung jeans and nothing else as he rubbed a towel over his wet hair.
He froze as soon as he entered the living room, dark eyes slowly moving down her body then back up to her eyes, "What are you doing here, Bailey?"
"Hi baby," long legs closed the distance between them within seconds, arms wrapping around his neck as she molded her body against his, her wet looking lips spreading into a smile when his arm automatically curved around her narrow waist, "I thought I'd surprise you. Take you out to dinner or something."
He was about to explain how he had a working dinner with Sandra but her mouth covered his, effectively throwing any coherent thought out the window.
Sandra's heart sank lower with every passing second as she watched them kiss, able to feel the heat all the way across the living room. They fit together so well, both with the same dark hair and beautifully tanned skin. Sandra had known her hopes for something more than a working friendship with Brady were unfounded but to actually see it…
It hurt.
Brady sucked air into his lungs as soon as the kiss came to an end, grateful to have Bailey plastered to his front, hiding his body's response to her blatant display of ownership. Giving her bottom lip a good nipping bite in playful retaliation, he gave Sandra an apologetic smile, "Do you think we can reschedule our meeting?"
"Sure," Sandra took her purse from the coffee table, giving him a tight smile, "Give me a call and let me know when you're…available."
Brady knew as soon as the door closed behind her, there were two possible ways this was going to turn out –either way, he knew he would end up where he was aching to be…between her thighs, buried deep inside her.
Pulling away from him, Bailey headed towards the kitchen, voice tight with barely controlled anger, "Why is it whenever Sandra's around, you're in the shower?"
Letting out a sigh, he tossed the damp towel he was holding over the back of the couch, following behind her, watching as she took out a bottle of water from the fridge, "I had a…altercation and needed to clean up. She was just waiting for me –we had a working dinner planned."
Bailey swallowed a mouthful of water, twisting the cap back on before she effortlessly pulled herself up onto the counter, crossing her long legs as she gripped the edge to lean slightly forward, "What kind of co-worker is she?"
Staring at her, he wondered how much he could tell her, realizing at the same time he couldn't keep anything from her, "She's not my co-worker so much as…my handler."
Bailey's perfectly arched eyebrows lowered in confusion as she studied his face, doing her best not to let his bare chest and shoulders distract her, "Your handler?"
Letting out a sigh, he moved towards her, pulling her crossed legs apart so he could stand between her knees, hands stroking the hot silk of her thighs until they slipped under the hem of her tight little black dress, "I work for the government…in an effort to fight cyber warfare, they've begun to recruit computer geeks, such as myself, to find and root out potential threats."
She stared at him with wide eyes, her mouth opened in an 'o' of surprise as he continued to explain how he made a living, "They gave me a handler because I'm one of three hackers in the world able to infiltrate just about any high security network. Not only that, but I'm in the process of designing a security software that's virtually impossible to breach."
The silence was unnerving but he didn't break it, knowing she was processing what he'd shared.
"So…" Bailey stopped, still trying to grasp the magnitude of the information he'd given her, "You're a spy? Like James fucking Bond?"
He grinned as he curled his fingers around her knees, pulling her to the edge of the counter with one hard yank, able to feel her heat against the crotch of his jeans, "More like Brady fucking Kale."
She couldn't help laughing, letting go of the counter's edge to drape her arms over his wide shoulders, perfectly manicured fingernails combing through the hair grazing his neck, "So how often do you and your...handler have working dinners?"
He cocked an eyebrow at the obvious jealousy in her voice, "Really? You're gonna give me shit when I have to put up with assholes drooling over you while you strut around dressed like that?"
"I'm a model," her lips tightened, her back going ramrod straight but he didn't let her pull away, instead keeping hold of her spread thighs, his thumbs rubbing circles on the soft inner skin as she continued with her argument, "It's part of my job."
"And Sandra is part of mine."
"Difference being Sandra would like nothing more than to get into your pants."
He laughed, dipping his head to nip at her throat, leaving his mark on her, "And the assholes eye-fucking you sure as hell wouldn't mind getting into your panties."
She dropped her arms from his shoulders, doing her best not to let the feel of his fingers so close to where she wanted them to distract her from the way her chest seemed to shrink around a painfully large heart, "I've never let a guy touch me before you…why would I let one do so now?"
"And why would I give Sandra any idea there's more than just work between us? I never have before."
She dropped her eyes but not before he saw the vulnerable pain she was feeling. Letting go of her thigh, he reached up to cup her face, lifting it up to have her look at him, his thumb rubbing over her bottom lip, "What's going on in that beautiful messed up head of yours?"
He watched as she bit down on her bottom lip, his body reacting as it always did. Every little thing she did, no matter how innocuous, got his body temperature skyrocketing along with another part of his anatomy, "Hey. Talk to me."
Letting out a heavy breath, she placed her hand on his chest over his heart, curling her fingers until his skin dimpled under her manicured nails, "It seems so easy for you…to stay away, I mean. I'm the one coming over all the time, calling you…"
He knew laughing would just piss her off –at this point in their tumultuous relationship, her temper wasn't such a negative thing, being it ended with them in bed, both trying to find the gravity holding them in place. If he had to be honest, he was getting seriously addicted to angry sex –having her go off on him was like watching a Roman candle go off while still holding it.
Painful, yes, but still blindingly beautiful and breath-takingly exhilarating…not to mention, it made the morning afters so much sweeter.
"You kicked me out of your life, Bailey," he reminded her gently, knowing it would still get her back up, "I've had months of practice staying away from you."
He watched as her brown eyes darkened, moving his hand back down to her thigh, pushing her skirt as high up as it would go, his thumbs slipping under the leg elastic of her panties, "You're going to have to show some mercy, baby. It's getting harder and harder for me to stay away from you."
She let out a gasp, surprised to find she had been holding her breath, her body tight with wanting and her heart aching with need. Leaning forward until her lips were barely resting against his, she looked deep into his brown eyes, "I don't want you to stay away…not anymore."
Taking her bottom lip between his teeth, he gave it a tug before kissing her, his arms moving under her bottom as he scooped her off the kitchen counter, a growl vibrating his chest in response to her legs closing around his narrow waist. Not even five minutes passed by the time he had her stripped naked and spread out under him in the middle of his bed, mouth and hands intent on driving her out of her mind.
He loved how responsive she was when he touched her; loved how she demanded her due as well as giving him his. In bed, she gave no mercy nor did she ask for any.
Sliding into her wet heat in one smooth stroke, he wrapped his arms around her, shivering at the way her body molded to his. He knew his next words were going to piss her off but in the current position they were in, he would definitely enjoy a Bailey-sized tantrum, "This is why I put up with your crazy shit."
October 24th
For Harry's third birthday, Rose and Seth decided to keep it low key, all of them still reeling from the trauma of losing Sue. Three year old Harry had no idea his birthday party was just a low key family event, what with his eight Laskaris cousins, two Young cousins, and two Uley cousins (Bradley hadn't been able to come up from Portland) –not to mention aunts, uncles, Embry and the newest addition of Brady –he had enough playmates and gifts to label it a birthday festival for him.
Childish laughter and giggles filled the Clearwater home, the back door swinging open and shut as the young ones came in and out of the house, the older ones hanging out in the living room where a movie was playing while the adults congregated in the kitchen, conversation flowing smoothly from one topic to the next.
They briefly touched on Charlie –he had gone back to working overtime, despite currently having two deputies on the payroll. It had taken Harry asking for him to promise to drop by for a bit. They all knew they were going to have to find ways to keep Charlie engaged in their lives. He'd always been quiet and reserved, with few friends, and now, without Sue, he seemed to be drawing back into himself. If it weren't for the kids, all of them from oldest to youngest having grown up with Grandpa Charlie in their lives, he would drift out of their lives without a sound if they didn't draw him in.
The conversation moved on to Billy and his failing health, Sam mentioning how Paul and Rachel had spoken to Jacob, as well as Rebecca, over the possibility of losing their father in the near future. Change was taking place among the Quileutes –with Gabriel now Alpha of the Quileute pack, he was part of the Council, along with Sam, Seth, Leah (who'd taken Sue's place) and their newest addition of Quil.
This, of course, led to conversation on the upcoming Ateara-Fields wedding set for December. With Quil and Claire moving back to the reservation, the Council was excited over what they would contribute, being they were bringing much needed skills learned through education and work experience while in California. They were both going to be an asset what with the plans being discussed concerning the recent granting of land from the U.S. government.
The conversation continued moving along at a comfortable pace, the smells of cooking spaghetti and meatballs permeating the air while an ice cream cake sat in the freezer.
Laughter from the living room had Leah peeking in, a smile spreading across her face at the sight of Harry and Erick taking turns using Gabriel as a playground. It made her heart glad to watch her oldest laugh and smile, a rare occurrence nowadays. She knew Rose and Seth, along with their boys, missed Marc and Vivi –and in all honesty, she did too –but every once in a while, when he was interacting with others, especially his siblings, there was something about him she had never seen; a new quality she was liking very much.
The first week had been difficult for her –to watch him going about the day in a muted daze had made her want to go after Marc and Vivi to bring them back…well, to bring back Vivi being Marc was forbidden from setting foot on Quileute land. She hadn't been the only one having a hard time with Gabe's withdrawal. It had taken a lot of begging and pleading from her to keep Rick from letting his worry for their son spill over to frustration. It hadn't occurred to either of them the answer was the rest of their children.
Without prompting, all of them banded together to help their older brother through the fog he seemed stuck in. All of them were getting him to rejoin the land of the living in their own unique ways –from Zak's quiet company to the twins' boisterous prodding on down to Tyra's direct approach and Erick's playful ways. Three months later, he still had his quiet moments but they didn't seem as desperate, as isolating as they had at first. Now, when she thought of Vivi, Leah hoped she stayed away, despite loving her the same way she loved Harry and Carlos.
Her quiet musings were interrupted by the phone's ringing, eyes swinging over to watch as Rose answered, the smile appearing on her sister-in-law's face letting Leah know the first test to Gabriel's slow process to achieving emotional independence was about to take place.
After several minutes of quiet conversation, Rose moved into the living room, avoiding eye contact with Leah as she called out to the birthday boy, "Harry, someone's on the phone for you."
The little boy scrambled off his cousin, hazel eyes twinkling as he ran over to his mother, "Is Marc 'n Vivi?"
Rose bit her lip, shooting a look over at Gabriel, noticing the way he'd gone rigid at the mention of her niece's name. Three months and the awkwardness between their families was still there; after all, Rose's nephew had attempted to kill Leah's son and in turn, had gotten banished from the only home he knew. To top it all off, her niece had left without an explanation, causing further damage all around.
She hated the tense awkwardness, especially because Seth was stuck in the middle –with her being his wife and imprint on one side and Leah being his sister on the other.
A rock and a hard place.
He was the reason why she hadn't put up much of an argument when Marc and Vivi left –something inside her whispered it would be best for everyone involved if they left…if only they hadn't done it the way they did, without explanation to everyone involved.
Handing Harry the cordless phone, she easily lifted him up to sit on the kitchen counter, straightening the pewter gray body hugging knit sweater she was wearing with jeans and knee high brown boots, smiling when she caught her husband looking her over, his eyes tender when they briefly rested on her rounded stomach.
The mood shift was felt by all, a few smiles appearing at Harry's excitement as he jabbered into the phone, every other word garbled but it was obvious to all Harry was getting the response he wanted from his cousin.
"Lub you, Marc," Harry grinned up at his mother as he held out the phone, "Vivi go bye. Bye Marc too."
Chuckling, she took the phone, kissing his pudgy cheek as she lifted the phone to her ear, "Marc?"
"Yeah."
"Were you wanting to talk to Seth?"
Harry leaned his head against her chest, letting out a yawn as she combed her fingers through his dark hair.
"Does he want to talk to me?"
"Of course he does," Rose looked over at her husband with a smile, the silence in the kitchen and living room making her very uncomfortable, "He'd like to talk to both of you."
"Well, just me. Vivi had to leave."
"Oh," Rose managed to foil Harry's attempt to jump off the counter without dropping the phone, "Where did she go?"
"She didn't say, just that she had things to do."
Helping Harry down, they all looked towards the living room at the sound of the front door slamming shut behind Gabriel.
Leah let out a quiet sigh, having seen the look on his face, knowing with his supernatural hearing, he had heard both sides of the conversation.
Zak gave his mother a reassuring smile as he stood up from the floor where he had been sitting along with Lili, Emmie, Embry and the terrors while they watched the movie, and followed after his brother. Two months shy of his twelfth birthday, he was already taller than all the boys in his seventh grade class, his lean body frame more along the lines of his father's, which Zak was fine with as his long legs ate up the distance.
He fell in step beside his brother, saying nothing as he kept pace, hands in his pants' pockets.
The silence between them was comfortable, despite the tense way Gabriel was holding himself as they made their way to First Beach. They were a few yards away when Gabriel finally spoke up, "Am I horrible for wanting her to be miserable too?"
He looked over at his brother, giving him a reassuring smile, "No, not horrible. Just human."
"I'm trying to figure out who I am without her in the picture. Half the time I feel like I'm drowning without her and she's out doing things."
"Life goes on, Gabe," Zak shrugged as they reached the beach, both stopping just out of reach of the salt water, "For both of you."
They stood together in companionable silence, listening to the waves as they crashed onto the surf while the wind blew over the tops of the nearby pine trees.
"It doesn't hurt," Gabe rolled his shoulders back, taking in a deep breath and holding it for a few seconds before letting it go, "Mostly, it's just…like being in a vacuum…but it doesn't hurt, not like the way it would have had I imprinted on her."
"Are you sure you didn't?"
Gabriel looked over at Zak for a brief moment, realizing his little brother was just a few inches away from catching up to his own six foot three inches, "Yeah…when I phased, I looked over at her and…there was this moment, very brief, like a flash, where I wanted to…kill her…just as much as I wanted to kill Marc."
Zak heard the shame in Gabe's deep voice, knew this was what kept him up most nights, what had him sneaking out of the house in the dark without saying anything to anyone, "Gabe, you weren't yourself that night. You know the wolf had complete control –it's why Dad had such a hard time getting you to phase down. You had to consciously do it and the wolf wasn't letting you –Gabriel, man, human being –from making that decision."
Gabriel didn't respond, simply staring out at the heaving ocean, wondering what exactly she was doing.
"So are you ready for your first away game," he asked Zak in reference to him having joined the Forks Middle School baseball team, playing first pitcher.
"Yeah," Zak shrugged, reaching up to run his fingers through his dark hair to get it out of his eyes, "I'm gonna end up missing a diving lesson, so that sucks."
Gabe chuckled, kicking at the pebbles as he looked over at his younger brother, "What is it about the ocean you like so much?"
Zak pointed out to the horizon where the gunmetal gray waters met the overcast sky, the promise of rain heavy in the air, "She keeps going, farther than you can see…and not just on the surface. She has so much depth…there's no way any one can fully explore everything she holds in a thousand lifetimes, much less one."
"Why do you refer to it as female?"
Zak gave him a lopsided grin, "Secrets and mysteries –what all females are made of."
Gabe laughed as he nodded in accord, crossing his arms over his still broadening chest, "Very true."
They stared out at the darkening horizon, both finding the crashing waves soothing but in very different ways.
"Do you think…I'll ever be the same?"
Zak looked over at his brother, tilting his head slightly to the side, "Like you were before?"
"Yeah."
"Nah," Zak let his smile spread into a grin, reaching out to bump his Gabe's shoulder with a fist, "I think you'll be better."
Chuckling, he returned the brotherly punch, "Thanks."
Gabriel was grateful for his family –there may be a lot of them, and they all seemed to think his business was theirs as well, but no better family could possibly exist.
Of this, he was certain.
October 30th
It was cold and misty but she was too miserable to even feel it.
Sitting a couple of feet away from the cliff's edge, she wrapped her arms around her drawn up knees, the heavy knit sweater she wore doing a decent job of keeping her warm. Minutes passed as she stared out at the moving ocean, watching the white caps form before swelling into waves and crashing onto the beach.
Shivering, she fought back the urge to cry, hating the way her emotions came and went, just like the ocean waves. She was feeling so many things but at the top of the list was a sense of worthlessness stemming from being rejected…again. She was needing her best friend and the fact she hadn't heard from her since she left just heaped on more pain onto her already hurting heart.
Wiping a tear away, she rested her chin on her drawn up knees, doing her best not to sink into self-pity but it wasn't easy when she didn't have anyone to talk to about what she was feeling. A slight sound had her looking over her shoulder, the corner of her mouth tilting into a small smile as he approached her, a somewhat self-conscious smile on his face as he greeted her, "Hey."
"Hi," she turned her attention back to the panoramic view spread out before them as he sat down beside her, "I didn't know you were in town."
"My mom's birthday's today," he rested his elbows on his drawn up knees, large hands clasped between them, "I was on my way out of town when I felt…anyway, I came looking for you, see how you're doing."
She tried to smile and tell him she was fine but she'd never been able to lie to him, "Not so good…Davie broke up with me."
A cold breeze blew over them, Nika's shivering making Doug smile as he moved closer to place an arm around her, placing his hand flat on the ground, "I'm sorry –he's a dumbass that doesn't deserve you."
A soft chuckle escaped her as the heat of his body seeped into her trembling muscles, "I wouldn't kiss him…he said he wanted a girlfriend, not a buddy."
Doug leaned in closer, smiling when she leaned her head against his shoulder, neatly tucking herself into his side, "Monika, you have every right to choose who to kiss. If he didn't understand that, then he's definitely not worth your time."
Letting out a soft laugh, she tilted her head back against his shoulder, her eyes widening at seeing how close their faces were. He wasn't looking at her so she took the time to study his profile, realizing for the first time he was really cute…well, more than cute.
He was downright hot.
Looking away as her face flushed, she gnawed on her bottom lip, letting out a soft sigh, "It's just a kiss –but I felt weird about letting him kiss me after Bradley…after he, well, he told me how…how my first kiss should…should belong to my imprint."
Letting out a sigh, he looked down at her averted face, the breeze ruffling her raven black hair, "Monika, your kisses belong to whoever you want to give them to, from the first one to the last one and all the ones in between. Just because I'm your imprint doesn't mean you owe me your first kiss or…or anything else."
"Have you ever kissed anyone?"
Pursing his lips in concentration, he looked up at the overcast sky, "Well…I was fourteen when I phased but…I faintly recall kissing this girl from school when I was thirteen."
"Was she pretty?"
Doug's smile spread into a grin as he looked down to find dark brown eyes on him, "I don't remember."
Their chuckle blended well together, twin slashes of deep rose spreading across her high cheekbones. Dropping her eyes, she sucked on her bottom lip, feeling confused over the sudden attraction she was feeling for Doug. She'd grown up knowing he was her imprint, knowing she would be the only one who would ever matter to him. She had always thought it unfair –how she could go about her life, do anything, be anything while he could only be who she needed him to be, and she had always needed him to be a distant friend. Thinking over what Bradley had told her, she realized he was right. Doug should have her first kiss; as for any after that, she had a right to give them to whomever she wanted, but the first one –the first one should definitely go to her imprint.
Feeling her crippling shyness rising, she quickly glanced over at him with the last bit of courage she still had from her decision, "Will you kiss me, Doug?"
Doug's near black eyes flew to her face, trying to figure out what she was thinking but she wasn't looking at him, her cheeks a deep red under the beautiful hue of her copper colored skin, "Monika, you don't have to do this."
"I want to."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Look at me, please," he reached out and gently took her chin between his thumb and finger, smiling into her shy brown eyes and leaning in close enough for their noses to touch.
She sucked in a deep breath, seeing the attraction she was feeling reflected in them. Without thought, she tilted her head back, her lips gently pressing against his. Seconds ticked by then his lips moved over hers, gently plucking at the corners of her mouth before touching the tip of his tongue to her bottom lip.
She was drowning in unfamiliar sensations, her mouth blooming open under his, slim fingers curling into the leather of his bomber jacket to hold him in place. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her in closer, his heart beating frantically against his ribs as she shyly wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself up against his body.
Finally giving in to their need for oxygen, they broke apart, both breathing hard as they stared into each other's eyes, the awe and wonder he was feeling reflected in the most beautiful brown eyes ever to exist in his world.
She wasn't exactly sure when it happened, before or during or after the kiss, but the world as she knew it had been turned upside down and inside out. She couldn't look away, couldn't really think or move but she was able to vocalize how she was feeling in a rush of air.
"Oh, wow."
