Hello hello! Here's another chapter for you guys!
It's crazy that we're already on chapter ten of this story. It's been just a little over a month since I first published this, and all the support and love I've gotten has been incredible. I'm so glad you all are enjoying it!
Happy reading!
T E N
Gabby blew out a content sigh, rolling off of Matt as she fell down onto his mattress, her chest heaving as she held the sheets to her bare body. Glancing to him, she saw a proud smirk on his face, his arm moving to rest behind his head as he looked to her.
"You seemed to really enjoy that one." He spoke between deep breaths, Gabby rolling her eyes playfully, releasing a light scoff.
"Says the man who lasted all of five minutes." She joked back, his free hand resting against his chest.
"I was doing fine until you started doing that last thing." Matt spoke with a sheepish grin, Gabby feeling heat rise to her cheeks. "You left me no choice." He admitted, chuckling softly.
"Well, I was feeling inspired… I'm glad you liked it." She replied lightly, pushing her hair out of her face, Gabby finally regaining control of her extremities.
"Hopefully I can inspire you like that more often." He responded, tossing the sheets off his waist as he pushed himself up, sitting on the edge of the bed. Gabby watched as he reached down to the floor for his boxers, Matt standing up to slide them on, her eyes being drawn to the rough patch of skin on his lower back, wrapping around his side.
She'd noticed it their first night together, but she never asked him what had happened. Before she knew he was a firefighter, she had no idea what would've caused such scarring on him, Gabby assuming it had something to do with his construction job. But once she learned of his main profession, she assumed it happened on a call. Practically every firefighter she knew had scars, some worse than others, but this looked pretty bad.
There was a slight discolored patch of skin on his lower back, it was only a few inches wide, but Gabby knew that to be the remains of a skin graft. But partially covering that area, as well as moving to cover part of his side were rough scars. She wasn't sure if it was something he wanted to talk about it, and that maybe she should just leave it alone, but she was curious.
"If, uh, you don't mind my asking," She spoke hesitantly, Matt glancing back towards her, "how'd you get that?" Gabby caught his confused gaze, clearing her throat before elaborating. "The scar on your side." Realization settled in over his face as she spoke, Matt turning his body to face hers. "It looks pretty bad."
"Oh, that." He responded softly, his eyes moving away from her as he focused his attention on his sheets, mindlessly picking at the edge of the material.
Sensing the shift in his demeanor, she rested herself up on her elbows, watching him closely. "You don't have to tell me, I just always noticed it and was curious. But I shouldn't have asked."
"No, no it's fine." He responded, flashing her a small smile. "...It happened when I was a candidate."
"Wow, all those years ago, huh?" She teased gently, hoping to ease some of the anxiety from his body. Her grin widened when she saw him chuckle softly, shaking his head.
"Yeah, all those years ago." He responded, the smile her words brought to his lips falling. "But I got trapped in a house. The roof caved in, sent part of the top floor crumbling and I ended up trapped under the debris down on the first floor. I'm lucky to only have these scars, but it wasn't pretty." He admitted, Gabby grimacing as he spoke. "I don't really even remember most of it, my memories from that day are hazy, at best. I had a pretty nasty concussion, I had some issues from that for awhile."
"I'm sorry, Matt." She murmured, Casey waving his hand, Gabby sitting up completely in his bed, holding the sheets to her body.
"It's okay. I only really remember what people tell me, but I was impaled by something that fell through the floor. I still don't really know what it was, but it went straight through my coat and lodged in my back." Gabby winced, shaking her head in disbelief. "That's how my side was exposed while I was laying there, and I got burned. I guess I got lucky in the sense that since I don't remember anything, I don't remember the pain, but I was stuck there for about half an hour."
"That's awful."
"It wasn't great. The recovery was the worst part, especially with my head. I had problems with my memory for a bit, I had to take a lot of time off. For awhile I thought it was gonna derail my entire career, but I got back. It took about five months, but I eventually got back on the job."
"I had no idea." She spoke softly, wearing a sympathetic smile. "I didn't think it was anything that serious, but I'm glad you're okay."
Matt smiled appreciatively, resting his hands in his lap. "Yeah, me too… But I think that's part of why I laid into Walker the way I did." Gabby's spine straightened at his words, resting her forearms over her knees. "Because when I saw Herrmann, all I could think about was what happened to me, and it just…" He trailed off, Gabby staying silent as he searched for the right words. She could tell he needed to get this off his chest, and she didn't mind being the person he did that with. "I know, from experience, how much worse it could've been. And then the way he was acting so casually about it, it just kind of got to me." He breathed out, rubbing his hand over his mouth. "Sorry, I know you don't want to hear this. And I shouldn't have mentioned him, I wasn't thinking I'm-"
"It's fine, Matt." She interjected, catching his gaze. "Really, I don't mind. You talking about Walker isn't going to hurt my feelings." She promised, Matt's eyes flickering over her face before nodding.
"Okay, I just don't want to make you uncomfortable."
"I'm good. Trust me."
Matt nodded, taking a deep breath before continuing. "I think seeing that happen just triggered everything, and I probably was harsher on him than I should've been. But seeing Herrmann trapped just brought back the few memories I do remember, and it kind of made me lose my cool for a second."
"That's understandable, though." She responded. "I mean, I only heard bits of what you said to him but from what I did hear, you weren't wrong. From my experience with him, a lot of times he'll do something in the moment thinking he's right, and not realize until later that he was wrong. But despite his intentions, he still messed up. You weren't wrong for what you did. And especially since this has happened to you before, you were trying to make sure he didn't make that mistake again because you know how bad those situations can get."
"Yeah, I guess." He breathed out, shaking his head lightly.
Gabby was a little caught off guard by this different side to him. In the time they'd known each other, she'd never seen him second guess himself, especially not when it came to work. He was always self-assured in his decisions, but she could tell this was different. He was having a hard time, and admittedly, she didn't enjoy seeing him down on himself.
"Casey, you did the right thing." She spoke again, their eyes locking. "Don't second guess yourself. It's better to be a little harsher than you need to if it'll keep the same mistakes from happening later. Walker will get over it, you're his Lieutenant, you're the one responsible for keeping your men safe. And, not to inflate your ego, but from what I've seen you're pretty damn good at your job." She said with a grin, Matt chuckling. "Whatever was said between you and Walker, it'll be fine. You're his boss and he knows that."
Matt nodded, Gabby's eyes raking over his face before settling back on his eyes, the man wearing a look she couldn't read.
"What?" She questioned with raised eyebrows, a slight smirk playing on her lips as she saw the gleam in his eye.
"Nothing, just thinking maybe you should take my job." He responded with a soft laugh. "You're pretty good at it.
"Yeah, let me go talk to Boden about that. I'm sure he'll be fine with it, knowing I have your blessing." She joked back, shaking her head in amusement, Matt pushing himself up from the bed with a grin.
"But, seriously, thank you for that." There was not a trace of any teasing or joking in his voice now, Matt's words sincere and soft. "I appreciate it."
Gabby simply nodded, Matt flashing her a small smile before moving towards the bedroom door.
"I'm gonna get something to drink, you need anything?"
"I'm good."
With another nod, Matt disappeared through the door, Gabby taking a deep breath before collapsing back onto the bed, her mind running through the conversation they'd just had, Gabby unable to stop the heavy feeling in her gut as she thought about what Matt had gone through.
Bryan sat alone on the bench in the locker room, his eyes glued to the scribbled out 'Casey' marking his Lieutenant's locker. It had barely been a day and a half since Walker had learned about Casey's past, and in that time he hadn't been able to come to a decision about how to handle the information. He knew he needed to be smart, that he had a sure way to get Casey off of his back once the man knew he was aware of his less than moral history.
But what Walker couldn't decide was if he wanted to share this news with the house. He felt like they deserved to know what kind of man they were working with, but Bryan was aware that if he just up and told everyone, he wouldn't really have any cards left to play. He wouldn't have the upper hand over his Lieutenant, not unless the house hearing the news ended with Casey getting transferred.
He wasn't sure what he should do, but he knew he was going to do something. Casey couldn't keep walking around here like he owned the place, Walker wouldn't let him. Not when he knew who the guy really was.
He was an abusive asshole. And Walker knew he could use that to his advantage.
He just had to find the right way to go about it. And maybe have some fun at Casey's expense in the process.
Casey stepped into the conference room, seeing a few firefighters gathered in the room already, Matt flashing them small smiles as he headed for Severide, his friend resting against the back wall.
"Hey Kelly."
"Hey man. You doing alright?"
Matt nodded, his arms crossing over his chest as he leaned against the brick, mimicking Severide's stance.
"I'm good. Went and visited Herrmann this morning in the hospital."
"How is he?"
"He's doing good, he was about to be discharged when I was there. He looked more than ready to get out of there, but he said he's feeling good."
"Good, that's good." Kelly mused, Matt's eyes finding Walker as the man entered the room, Bryan's gaze locking with Casey's almost instantly, a smug smirk resting on his lips. Matt's eyebrows furrowed at the man's action, Walker moving towards an empty seat, sitting down next to Mouch. "Did he know anything about how long he was gonna be out?"
Matt looked away from Walker, not able to dwell on the strange interaction right now. "Uh, he wasn't really sure, but a few shifts at least."
Casey turned towards the sound of the door beside Severide opening, looking as Dawson and Shay entered, the blonde stopping by her best friend, Gabby coming around beside her.
"Severide, Casey, hello." She greeted, squeezing Kelly's shoulder.
"Hey Shay." Matt responded, nodding towards her and Dawson.
"Did you have a good couple of days off?" Shay asked, earning a nod from Casey.
"Yeah, I did." He had to stop himself from glancing towards Gabby, knowing his look would surely be caught by Shay, and that was not something he wanted to explain right now.
Their conversation was halted as Boden stepped into the room, Shay and Dawson taking the seats at the table in front of Matt, everyone's attention moving towards their Chief.
"Now, before we get started, I want to address what all of you are obviously worried about. I've spoken with Herrmann this morning, and I know Casey went to visit him, but he's doing well. He's home from the hospital, he'll have to take it easy for a bit, he'll be out for at least the next three shifts, maybe more. It'll just depend on his recovery. But the important thing is he'll be okay."
It was like a weight had been lifted from around the room, everyone thankful their coworker and friend was going to be alright.
"But there was a mixup at headquarters, we were supposed to be assigned a floater to start covering him, but the paperwork got messed up, so 81 will be a man short this shift. I'm sorry for the late notice, I didn't know until about ten minutes ago."
"It's fine, Chief." Casey replied from the back of the room. "We've got it covered, nothing to worry about."
Boden nodded, placing his hands on his hips before speaking.
"I know last shift was a lot, but we've been in similar situations before. Just go out and do your jobs, focus on the work, and listen to your Lieutenants." Boden spoke, Casey's eyes flickering towards Walker, seeing the man already staring at him, almost with a challenging look on his face. Casey met his look with a narrowed gaze, Bryan smirking before turning away, refocusing his attention on Boden. Matt had no idea what Bryan's demeanor was about, but there was no reason for him to be walking around as smugly as he was. It was something Casey knew he'd have to keep an eye on, especially being a man down.
Their meeting went on as usual, going through the normal, every-shift conversations before Boden dismissed them, the firefighters beginning to disperse. Shay turned around in her seat, Gabby pushing herself up, turning around to face Casey and Severide, leaning against the table.
"So, Casey, I meant to ask you before you snuck out of Molly's the other night, what happened between you and that blonde? She was hot." Shay questioned with raised eyebrows, Matt chuckling softly, shaking his head as his eyes bounced around the group.
"Blonde?" Kelly questioned with a grin, Matt glancing towards Gabby, who looked as equally amused.
"Yeah, uh," Matt cleared his throat, looking back towards Shay. "I wasn't feeling it. She seemed nice, but you know, I got a better offer."
Casey caught the sly smirk that instinctually appeared on Gabby's face before she quickly composed herself, Shay's eyes narrowing towards her new friend.
"Casey, is there something you would like to share with the class?" Shay questioned, Matt eyeing her curiously. "Would you happen to have a girlfriend you haven't told us about?"
Matt shook his head, feeling heat rise to his cheeks as all three sets of eyes were on him. "No, no girlfriend. I never said what my better offer was, Shay." He challenged, Shay huffing out a breath.
"You are so goddamn mysterious sometimes." She complained, Severide and Dawson wearing amused looks on their faces. "But next time you decide some girl who was clearly throwing herself at you isn't your type, or whatever, send her my way. Help your best friend out."
"Best friend?" Severide questioned, Shay smirking proudly.
"Oh absolutely, we all know I'm Casey's favorite." She responded, Matt chuckling, shaking his head.
"Is that true, Lieutenant?" Gabby asked, Matt's eyes locking with hers, Dawson raising her eyebrow.
Dropping her gaze after holding it for probably too long, Casey cleared his throat, a small grin appearing on his face.
"Shay, I thought I told you not to tell anyone. You know how sensitive Kelly can be." Casey joked back, earning laughs from around their small group, Matt patting Severide's shoulder.
"Hope I'm not interrupting anything." All four pairs of eyes moved towards the voice, seeing Walker moving towards them, coming to stop by Gabby. Dawson slightly inched away from him until her waist was up against Shay's arm, her movements not lost on her partner or Casey. "I just wanted to apologize, again, to my Lieutenant here." He spoke, catching Matt's gaze. "Despite my good intentions, I know what I did was wrong, and it got Herrmann injured. I'm sorry for what happened, and then how I behaved afterward. It's not easy for a man to admit he was wrong, but I was." Bryan spoke, but Casey wasn't able to focus on his words. The entire time he was talking, Walker had that same smug look on his face, his eyes locked on Matt, like there was some secret meaning behind his statement that Casey was supposed to understand.
"I appreciate you coming to me, Walker." Matt responded after a few moments, feeling the eyes of his friends on him.
"Yeah, I just wanted to tell you that… I mean, the last thing I'd want is to be on your bad side, I know that won't end well for me." Casey's eyebrows furrowed, Walker flashing him a forced smile before turning his attention to Dawson. "Can, uh, we talk for a second?"
"What do you want, Walker?" Shay snapped before Gabby even had the chance to respond, Bryan stifling an eyeroll.
"I just need to talk to Gabby, it doesn't concern you Shay." He responded, frustration evident in his voice.
"Shay, it's fine." Gabby responded softly. Despite not wanting to spend any time with Walker if she could help it, she also didn't want to cause a scene, and she knew if she didn't agree to his request, that's where this was headed. Turning back to Walker, she nodded towards the hallway. "Let's talk."
Walker nodded, giving one last unreadable glance towards Casey before leaving the room, Gabby beginning to walk after him.
"Gabby, whatever he wants, you don't have to go talk to him." Shay spoke up, but Gabby shook her head, moving towards the door.
"I'm good, Shay." She assured her friend before slipping into the hallway.
"If he says something to hurt her again, I swear to God…" Shay muttered, Severide placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"She's right there, Shay. And Walker's been under enough heat lately, I don't think he's stupid enough to say anything to her here." Kelly responded, taking his eyes off her, glancing towards Casey. "What was that about, anyway? What Walker said to you?"
Shrugging his shoulders, Casey blew out a heavy sigh. "I have no idea."
Out in the hallway, Dawson stopped a few feet short of Bryan, leaving enough space between them to keep herself comfortable, Gabby crossing her arms over her chest. "What did you want to talk about?" She questioned after a few quiet seconds.
"I wanted to ask you if we could go and talk, maybe sometime after shift? I feel like there's a lot we need to discuss."
Gabby's eyebrows furrowed as she watched him carefully, trying to get a read on him, but she couldn't. "Why?"
Sighing heavily, he took a step closer to her, stopping when Gabby stepped back, keeping the same distance between them. "I owe you some explanations about what happened, about why I did what I did. And we can't exactly do that here."
"Why now?"
"I've had a lot of time to think about things, and Jennifer's helped me work through some things…" Her gaze flickered towards the ground at the mention of his new girlfriend, Gabby taking a deep breath. "I'm trying to be a better man, for her. And she thinks us talking and clearing the air would help things."
"So you're doing this for her?" She questioned, her bottom lip falling between her teeth.
"I'm doing this because there's a lot I need to get off my chest, about what happened. I can't keep carrying around all this guilt. The both of us need to move on from this, and I don't think we can until you know everything. I need to come clean to you about the things I did."
Gabby stood there silently, thinking over what he was saying, what he was asking her to do. The guy she was talking to right now didn't really sound like Bryan, or at least the Bryan she knew. But it almost reminded her of the guy she used to know, the guy she fell in love with, and that realization caused her heart to sink into her stomach.
"After this, I'll leave you alone. I promise."
Dawson bit down roughly on the inside of her cheek, drawing in a deep breath before ultimately nodding. She knew he wouldn't give in until he got what he wanted, and part of her wanted the answers. She wanted to know if he had any good excuse for what he did.
"Alright, fine." She agreed quietly. "We can talk. But I want to do it somewhere public."
Walker raised his eyebrows, an almost amused grin falling onto his face. "What? You don't trust me to be alone with you?" He joked.
But Gabby didn't find his comment funny, her face remaining blank, Walker's smile falling, sighing heavily before nodding.
"Okay. How about we go to that diner we used to go to?" Gabby nodded in response. "Tomorrow evening work for you?"
"Yeah." She responded quietly, Walker nodding before beginning to take a few steps backwards.
"Alright, thank you. I'll see you then."
Gabby gave him a slight nod, quickly turning around and walking in the other direction. She didn't get very far before the bells rang throughout the house, signaling 61 and 81 to a car accident. Gabby hurried for the garage, meeting up with Shay halfway towards the rig.
"What did the manwhore want?" She questioned bitterly, Gabby shaking her head lightly at Shay's description.
"He just wants to talk." Gabby told her, the two separating as they went to their sides of the rig, climbing into their seats.
"About what?" The blonde asked as she pulled out into the cold city, heading towards the scene.
"He said he wants to talk about what happened between us. That he wants to explain himself, I guess. We're going out tomorrow night."
A look of hesitation covered Shay's face, the paramedic thinking for a moment before speaking up. "You're not… you're not thinking about getting back together with him, are you?"
The near disbelief that covered Dawson's face gave her the answer to her question, Gabby shaking her head. "God no. He said he wants to do this because he's trying to be a better man, he's doing it for his girlfriend. He just wants to explain why he did what he did."
Shay nodded, her eyebrows furrowed as she drove through the streets of Chicago. "And you believe him? That he's trying to be better?"
Blowing out a heavy breath, Gabby shrugged, her gaze moving out the window.
"I don't know."
Gabby sat in a booth by the window, her nerves rising as she waited for Walker. He was nearing ten minutes late, and while she couldn't say she was surprised, Gabby wasn't sure how much longer she'd be willing to wait for him.
"You need anything, sweetheart?" A waitress asked, Gabby flashing her a soft smile as she shook her head.
"No, I'm fine, thank you. I'm just waiting for someone."
The woman nodded understandingly, Gabby's attention being pulled towards the door as she heard it open, seeing Bryan walk in, bundled up under thick layers to protect himself from the cold winter night. His eyes moved around the diner before he caught sight of her, giving him a slow nod before walking towards her.
"Oh, looks like he's here." The waitress responded, glancing back towards Gabby with a smirk. "He's a handsome one, honey. Great choice." Gabby's face fell at her comment as Bryan approached them, the older woman turning her attention to him. "You want some coffee or something, sugar?"
"I'm alright, thank you though." Bryan flashed her his bright smile, the woman practically swooning before leaving them alone. Gabby couldn't blame her, it was the same smile she'd so stupidly fallen for. The same one that got her to waste the last three years of her life. "So, uh, thanks for meeting me here. Sorry I'm a little late."
"It's fine." She whispered, clasping her hands together in her lap.
"I actually was gonna be here early, but on my way over I remembered I'd forgotten to restock the blades in the rig. Turns out Diaz from third shift already did it, but I needed to check. I don't need Casey on my ass about something else." He breathed out, Gabby clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth.
"Yeah, you two don't seem to get along very well." She mused, Bryan shooting her a look.
"Well, he's a dick. Although I don't think he'll be my problem much longer."
Gabby was confused by his comment, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Are you sure Casey's the problem here…"
Walker's glare focused on her, shaking his head as he scoffed. "Guess I'm not surprised you're as enamored by that guy as Shay and everyone else." Gabby swallowed thickly at his comment, Walker not knowing the double meaning behind his own words. "But you all don't know him nearly as well as you think you do."
Sighing heavily, Gabby dropped his eye contact. She had no idea what he was talking about, but the last thing she wanted to talk about with Walker was Casey. "So, you wanted to come here and talk…" She prompted, effectively shifting the conversation.
"Yeah, I did. So, uh, I don't really know where to start. I know I put you through a lot, with the cheating and with…" He trailed off, Gabby taking a grounding breath. "I"ll tell you whatever you want to know, but unless you have any questions, I'll just start from the first time it happened."
Gabby nodded, looking back towards him. "Okay."
"So, uh," Bryan cleared his throat, preparing himself for his story. "The first time I cheated on you, it was a complete accident. I'm not sure if you remember, but the night it happened was when we had that huge fight. You had accused me of flirting with that woman on the call-"
"I remember." She interjected, Bryan nodding.
"And it all spiraled from there, we both said some pretty rude things. You said how you it felt like I was just using you, and how I'd been distant."
"Well, I wasn't crazy for thinking that." She murmured, Bryan taking a deep breath.
"No, I guess you weren't. But then I walked out, and ended up at a bar across town. I don't remember a lot from that night, but I got really drunk. Like absolutely wasted, and the next thing I knew I woke up in bed with some woman. I felt terrible, and so guilty. I got out of there as quickly as I could. On the way home, I had planned on telling you. I was going to tell you what I'd done, but then I got there and saw you asleep on the couch… I could tell you'd been crying, and I just couldn't do it. I couldn't hurt you like that."
"So instead of telling me right after it happened, you chose to keep doing it behind my back. To what? Spare me?" She questioned bitterly, Walker shaking his head.
"I know it doesn't make much sense to you, or to me really. But at the time, I never meant for it to happen again. I didn't think telling you would help anything. I wanted to try and fix things, so when I saw you I decided to not tell you. You had just moved in, I wanted to try and make it work. That's why I told you I just spent the night at Severide's."
"Yeah, I remember that… because I had been so worried about where you were. I was convinced you had gone out and slept with someone, and when you told me- lied to me, and said you were with Kelly, I'd never felt more relieved. I believed you, but I shouldn't have."
"I never intended for it to turn into what it did." He replied softly, shrugging his shoulders. "I never meant for it to happen again, or for it to keep happening."
"Then why did it?" She questioned sharply, watching as he thought over his words before answering her.
"Because things between you and I kept getting worse. We were fighting all the time, it was affecting us at home and at work, and I was frustrated. I could tell you didn't trust me."
"With good reason." She muttered, Bryan sighing forcefully before continuing.
"But things between us, they weren't good. And it kept feeling like too much. Then one night I found myself back at that bar. No one knew me there, they didn't know I was in a relationship, they didn't know anything about me. And it felt good." Gabby kept her eyes on him as he spoke, no matter how much she wanted to look away. "It was easy. Things with us were the opposite of that, and being able to get away for a few hours, to be able to drop all that baggage for a while, it helped me escape from everything. And the cheating just sort of… happened."
"You didn't have to go and sleep with random women to help you forget about our problems." She spoke harshly, keeping her voice low. "The wanting to forget about everything for a bit, I understand that. But you didn't need to cheat on me to accomplish it."
"At first, drinking was enough. It was enough to forget." He answered honestly. "But then it wasn't, and I needed something more. I needed someone else to distract me from our problems, because they weren't getting any better. And then, I don't know, the more I did it, the better it felt… Cheating seemed easier than telling you, or trying to fix things. It was easier than dealing with us, so I kept doing it."
Gabby drew in a shaky breath, her eyes moving down to the table. "How many times did you bring other women back to our home?"
Walker's eyes fell closed, bringing his hand up to rub over his mouth as he released a heavy breath. "Do you really want to know?" Gabby merely nodded, biting down roughly on the inside of her cheek, preparing herself for the worst. "Six times."
His words felt like a knife through her chest, Gabby's neck clenching as she willed herself to not lose control of her emotions. "Was it the same girl?"
Bryan shook his head slowly, Gabby blinking back the tears sitting in her eyes. "No, it wasn't."
Gabby forced herself to look back up at him, her eyes shining with hurt and anger. "I really wish you would've just told me when it first happened… it would've stopped all of this. I don't know why you did any of this, why you proposed to me, why you stayed with me when you were so unhappy."
"I just told you why, because it was easier. I mean, come on Gabby," He sighed exasperatedly. "Did you really believe that you and I would actually work out? That we were meant to be together forever? You can't possibly sit there and pretend you thought things between us were good."
"I thought things between us were hard. And for a while there I did think we might break up… but then you gave me that damn ring and, stupid me, believed you when you said you wanted to marry me. But things being hard doesn't excuse what you did." She snapped, Walker rolling his eyes. "And in what world does proposing equal breaking up? You should've just ended things when you first wanted to, instead of stringing me along for over a year. I thought we'd be okay, but apparently you had no intentions of ever trying to fix things."
"You're not that naive, Gabby. I wasn't happy with you, and you knew it. We barely saw each other, we barely had a relationship. Hell, we were barely sleeping together towards the end."
"Yeah, well it's not like you weren't getting it somewhere else." She bit out, shaking her head. "I knew things were difficult, that both of us were going through stuff, but I thought we were doing it together. You giving me that ring made me think we'd figure it out, it told me that you still loved me even though things had been hard... But you never meant any of it, and I really wish you would've just broken up with me."
"It's not like I can go back and change what happened, I came here to apologize to you and move past it. I know I fucked up, that I shouldn't have done what I did, but I can't change any of it. All I can do is move on."
"Yeah, with your new girlfriend."
"So that's what you're so pissed about? That I'm dating someone else?"
"I'm angry because I spent three years of my life fully committed to you, loving you, when you were off sleeping with God knows how many women. And then barely a week after you break up with me and end our engagement, you've got a new girlfriend. One you're suddenly so eager to change for. You picked her up at a bar, now suddenly she's the love of your life and you've had this epiphany that you should be a better man… She means enough for you to do all this, to bring me here as some sort of way to make yourself feel better about what you did." She responded bitterly, Bryan clenching his neck. "But me, I was your fiancée and you couldn't be bothered to even be honest with me. I loved you for years, and you didn't have the decency to tell me you wanted out. I didn't mean anything to you, I was just someone to keep you warm at night when you got home from sleeping with other people."
"Gabby, I am sorry for what I did. I should've broken up with you a lot sooner than I did, but we weren't going to work out, there's no way you thought we would've. We were happy, for a while. But even early on, things between us were always up and down. We practically ruined each other… our relationship wasn't good for either of us."
"Which is all the more reason you should've said something." She responded quickly. "Because I didn't see us the way you apparently did. I was stupid, I guess, thinking you actually meant everything you said to me."
"Dawson…"
"Even after everything you put me through, what you did-" She cut herself off, shaking her head. "I still thought you loved me. I thought we'd be okay."
"Gabby-"
"I wish I had never met you." She shot, seeing his eyes turn dark. "I wish I never dated you, that I never moved in with you. That I never said yes to your proposal. I wish I could take all of that back." Her voice was unsettlingly quiet, Walker's gaze narrowing at her.
"You don't mean that."
"Yes, I do." She replied sharply, seeing his face harden in anger. "I'm not sure why it even matters to you, I never meant anything to you anyway. All you ever did was hurt me, and I let you. Maybe you were right, we ruined each other. But I let you ruin me over and over again, because I was dumb enough to believe you loved me." She continued on, her voice getting louder, filled with more and more hatred for the man sitting across from her. "You spent over a year making it seem like everything wrong with us was my fault. That I was causing every single one of our problems, when it was you. I was trying to fix us, while you were out screwing other women."
Bryan caught the glances of a few of the other customers, knowing their conversation wasn't exactly private anymore. "Gabby, calm down." He bit out in frustration. But his words only set her off.
"No! You don't get to do that. You don't get to try and control me anymore. I put up with that for years." She responded angrily. "God knows our problems didn't start when you cheated on me, but you made them so much worse. You proposed to me after you had been cheating on me for months, who the hell does that?!"
"Gabby!" He snapped, rage flooding his body. "Be quiet." He hissed, knowing they had the attention of the entire diner at this point.
Gabby shook her head, leaning forward to rest her elbows on the table. "You're the worst thing that ever happened to me." She spoke, her voice firm and honest, seeing a look of absolute fury shining in his eyes. "You ruined my life, and now you're just gonna do the same thing to Jennifer. You only care about yourself. You're a terrible person, all you do is bring down everyone around you. I don't know if it's because you were so unhappy with me, or if it's because you actually just hate yourself and you have to make everyone else around you feel inferior, but I'm done dealing with your bullshit." She responded harshly. "Whatever other explanations you have, I don't care. Nothing can excuse everything you did to me… I don't believe you when you say you're trying to change, because it's bullshit. You can't change… I just hope you don't put your new girlfriend through what you did to me, because no one deserves that."
Without another word, Gabby stood up, grabbing her purse as she began walking for the exit. But she didn't get more than a step before Bryan stood up, grabbing her arm tightly.
"You better watch your mouth, Gabby." He spoke quietly, his body tense with anger.
Despite his tight grip, she narrowed her eyes at him, refusing to show him any fear.
"You can't hide it for long, can you?" She questioned. "Your anger, you can never control it. You came in here acting like everything was fine, that you just wanted to talk about what happened to us, but the second I say something you can't handle, there's that anger again."
She felt his hold on her tighten, his grip almost painful. "Let go of me." She spoke firmly. But he didn't. He continued staring at her with a rage she hadn't seen from him in a long time, Gabby feeling heat radiating from where he was squeezing her arm. "Bryan, you're hurting me, let go." She said again, trying to pull from his grasp.
"Let go of her, man." Gabby heard an unfamiliar voice say, looking over as a man came to stand beside her. She had no idea who he was, but she watched as he roughly pushed against Bryan's chest, Walker letting go of her arm. The second she was free, she took a few steps away from him, reaching up to grab her arm with her free hand, holding over the painful spot.
"Why don't you mind your own damn business?" Bryan fired back, stepping out from the booth. The unnamed man stayed in front of Gabby, blocking Bryan from her.
"I'm pretty sure everyone in here heard all about your business. Sounds like you've done enough to her already, why don't you just get out of here?" The guy spoke roughly, Gabby seeing Bryan scoff, shaking his head as he took a few steps towards the door before he stopped.
"Yeah, I'm starting to agree with what you said, Gabby." He spat, glaring towards her. "Being with you was the worst mistake of my life."
Before anything else could be said, Bryan stormed out of the diner, pushing the door open forcefully as he left. Gabby brought her hand up to run over the side of her face, the unnamed man turning around to look at her. She felt tears pricking the edges of her eyes but she refused to let them fall here, she'd already given the diner enough of a show.
"Are you okay?" He asked her, Gabby forcing a smile onto her face, nodding slowly.
"Yeah, yeah I'm good. Thank you…"
"Maurice." He introduced with a small smile.
"Thank you Maurice." She responded, beginning to slide past him, needing to get out of here.
"Do you, uh, need me to walk you to your car or anything?" He asked, Gabby shaking her head.
"No, I'm alright. Thank you though. Have a good night."
Gabby turned and left the diner without another word, feeling the stares on her as she went. She forced herself to stay composed, Gabby walking quickly towards her car. The second she got in, she locked the doors, leaning her head against the steering wheel and taking a few deep breaths.
She wasn't sure what to do right now. She didn't know whether to go home, or go to Shay's, or just sit here. She had no idea what to make of what had just happened, or how to deal with it. But soon she found herself dialing a different number, wiping the tears under her eyes as she listened to the ringing.
"Hello?"
"Hey, uh, are you busy?" She questioned, trying to mask the emotion in her voice.
"No. I was at a job all day, finished up a little while ago. But now I'm just sitting at home…" Matt responded, leaving a beat of silence before continuing. "Why? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, can I come over?" She asked quickly.
"Yeah, sure." He answered with zero hesitation, Gabby inhaling deeply.
"Alright, great, I'll see you in a bit."
She hung up the phone, putting her car into gear as she began the drive to Matt's place, trying to stop the tears desperate to fall as she drove through the city. She didn't want to let Bryan affect her anymore, or have any control over her, but what happened tonight, it cleared nothing up. And it left her feeling more lost than she had been. Everything felt like too much, and she needed to not have to think about it for a bit, or else she'd break. If she went to Shay and her brother, she'd have to talk. She'd have to explain what happened. But not with Matt. There was no expectation there, and that's what she needed.
Within twenty minutes she had pulled up outside Matt's apartment, locking her car as she walked up the path towards his front door, quickly climbing the steps, knocking on his door.
It took a few moments before she heard him unlocking the door, Matt pulling it open slowly, wearing a small, slightly uncertain look on his face.
"Hey Gabby." He greeted, the woman nodding as she pushed herself through his doorway, grabbing his face with her hands, the two meeting in a heated kiss. The force of her movements nearly sent him staggering back, Casey finding his footing as he stepped them out of the doorway, giving him space to close his front door, their lips never separating.
Her harsh movements only stopped when air became a necessity, Matt panting as she pulled away, his eyes searching over her face as they stood inches apart. There was something strange about her demeanor, something he couldn't quite put his finger on, but she almost looked upset.
Before he could question it, she grabbed his hand, leading him through his apartment towards the bedroom, Matt not resisting as she pulled him behind her. As soon as they stepped foot into the room, Gabby's shirt was off, the clothing falling to the floor as she turned to face him, his hesitation only growing.
Something was off with her, he could see it in her eyes. He just didn't know what it was.
Her hands were on him in an instant, making quick work of his shirt, tossing it down with hers before she moved towards his waist. He reached out to grab ahold of her hands, Gabby glancing up at him curiously.
"Are you okay?" His voice was soft, Matt frowning as he saw tears clouding in her eyes. "What happened?"
"Nothing, it's nothing." She assured him, plastering a smile onto her face as she went back to her task, sliding his pants down his legs. He stepped out of them, watching as she discarded her own jeans, crawling onto his bed, removing her bra as she went. He climbed up on the bed as well, leaving space in between them as she sat half naked in front of him.
"Gabby, are you sure it's nothing?" His eyes stayed locked on hers, seeing a flash of hurt in her gaze before she quickly recovered. "Did something happen?" His eyes moved over her, his frowning deepening when he saw a deep red mark on the top of her arm. "What's that?" He questioned, his voice filled with concern. Gabby glanced down to her arm, blinking back her tears before looking back up at him.
"It's nothing, I'm fine." She breathed out, Matt sensing her frustration. "Nothing's wrong with me, Jesus, can we just do this already?" She reached out for him, pulling him down on top of her, silencing him with a kiss before he could ask anymore questions.
Despite his concern for what brought her here, his mind went blank when her hand slid under his boxers, grabbing ahold of him and stroking him firmly, Matt groaning into her mouth as they kissed.
It took no time at all for them to be rid of the rest of their clothes, their bodies moving together at an unyielding pace, Matt's body covering hers as he did all the work, marking her skin with his lips as he moved.
Their activities were over too quickly for Gabby's liking, Matt stalling before rolling off of her, resting on his side as he glanced to her. Her mind was racing, Matt not proving to be enough of a distraction as she was unable to stop her thoughts from going back to earlier in the evening, Bryan's words ringing in her head. She couldn't stop thinking about the feeling of his grip on her arm, like his harsh grasp was permanently etched into her skin. She couldn't shake how she felt when she spoke to him, how his explanations did nothing but make her feel even more worthless, like somehow despite it being his choice to cheat on her, she did something to cause it. Everything was too much, and she couldn't handle it.
All the concern Matt felt when she first came here tonight returned the instant he saw more tears in her eyes, Gabby's gaze focused on the ceiling.
"Are you okay? Did I hurt you?" He questioned quickly, worry shining in his eyes as she looked towards him.
"No, you didn't." She replied softly, shaking her head. "I'm fine." Her voice was unsteady when she spoke, Matt reaching out to rest his hand over her stomach.
"What happened?" He asked quietly, compassion filling his voice. Matt could see her fighting against herself, like she was trying to forget about whatever was upsetting her. But it was a battle she was losing.
More tears welled in her eyes, Matt seeing her bottom lip begin to quiver slightly, her eyes darting away from him. He had no idea what was wrong, but he was sure he'd never seen her this hurt before.
"You can talk to me." He murmured, his thumb moving comfortingly over the sheet covering her stomach. "Whatever it is."
Their eyes locked again as a lone tear slid down her face, the dam breaking open when a soft sob escaped her lips, continuous tears beginning to fall from her eyes as her hand came up to cover her face.
Concern flooded his entire body, Matt shifting to pull her into his side, feeling her tense against him before she eventually gave in, her body relaxing into his as her cries continued, her face buried in his neck.
"It's okay." Matt whispered, his palm cradling the back of her head, feeling her clutching onto him tightly. He knew she was upset when she first came here, he saw it the moment he opened the door. But he never expected it to be this bad, the sounds of her heavy cries causing his stomach to sink. Her body was shaking in his grasp, Matt feeling her arm move around his waist to secure herself to him.
Matt wanted to know what happened, he wanted to know what, or who, had hurt her so badly to have her react this way, but it didn't matter right now. He didn't need to know. But he could only hope this would ultimately help her feel better, Matt keeping his grip around her tight, assuring her that he wasn't going anywhere.
Matt continued whispering comforting things as he held her, unsure if she could even register what he was saying, but he didn't know what else to do. She sounded so hurt and broken, he didn't know how to help her. All he knew to do was let her cry, so he did.
It was maybe ten more minutes before her cries subsided, Matt feeling her shaky breathing even out, her body curled into his. He sat completely still for a few moments, soon getting confirmation that she had fallen asleep. That she cried herself to sleep.
Taking a deep breath, Matt slowly reached over, turning off the lamp at his bedside, leaving them in complete darkness as he listened to her breathing.
They had never done this before, they never stayed the night. But even if she had tried, he wouldn't have let her leave when she was this upset. And he certainly wasn't going to wake her up to let her go home. Whatever had happened, whatever caused this, she came to him. She sought him out for a reason.
He just hoped that when tomorrow morning came, he'd be able to help her with whatever this was, that she'd let him help.
Well, it looks like Gabby is having a hard time. And Bryan isn't really making life easy for either Dawson or Casey right now. He's just great, isn't he?
I can't wait to hear what you all think of this one. We've definitely got a lot of interesting things coming up. Thanks for reading!