Gabriel laid awake staring at the ceiling. He couldn't stop thinking. He didn't know what he was going to say to his father, what questions he was going to ask. He didn't know if his father would ask him questions that he wouldn't know how to answer or tell him things he didn't want to know.
He rolled over and looked past Elle at the clock. It was two-thirty in the morning. David was sound asleep on the opposite bed. Elle hadn't stirred since they went to bed. He laid his head back again and looked at Elle. She had slept in her underwear since they hadn't brought a change of clothes. He admired the way that the moonlight streaming in from the window danced on her skin. He noticed the way her long, blond hair sprawled out behind her back like a sea of golden sun rays. He wanted to touch her. More than he ever had before. She had said that she loved him. He wondered if she really meant it.
He averted his eyes when he saw her move. "You awake?" she asked rolling onto her back.
"Yes. I can't sleep," he replied, wondering if she knew he had been staring.
"Me either. Are you thinking about it?"
"What, meeting the man who murdered my mother and left me as a child?" He rolled onto his side and she did the same. He looked into her eyes. "What am I going to say to him? I don't even know why he wants to see me."
She touched his hand. "You're confused. I understand that. But you don't have to worry. I know you'll think of something." She touched his cheek. Her hands were cold. "Did you mean what you said earlier? Do you really love me?" She looked away from his face.
"No," he said smiling. He crawled on top of her and kissed her softly. "I just brought you along so I could kill you." He saw the surprise on her face at his words. She laughed.
He kissed her again. He pulled back to look into her eyes again. "I do love you, Elle. More than anything." She pulled his face back down to hers and kissed him, this time with more passion and urgency. He felt the blood rushing through his veins, the adrenaline he got when he touched her. He felt her pressing her body close to his, as if she were trying to mesh their souls together into one. He slid his hand underneath her back and felt her warm, velvet skin. He reached for the clasp in the middle of her back and loosened it. He slid the straps down her small arms and threw the undergarment aside. He kissed her soft neck.
"Wait, Gabriel," Elle whispered, surprising him., her breathing heavy.
He stopped and looked at her. "What?"
She lifted her head and looked over at David. "We'll wake him up."
Gabriel smiled and kissed her again. "You'll just have to keep it down then."
"No, no. I'm serious. Stop." She made no effort to prevent him from continuing.
"He hasn't moved since he fell asleep. He might as well be dead."
Elle giggled. He kissed her neck again. "I love you, too, Gabriel."