"When she saw me sitting in front of her hotel room door, I could tell by the expression on her face that this trip wasn't going to go the way I'd wanted it to," Kelly continued. He'd already filled Gabby in on Girls On Fire and Stella's lack of contact, and had just finished telling her about his trip up to the point where he'd decided to wait for Stella outside her hotel room door.
When Stella had arrived back at the hotel, she hadn't looked at all pleased to see him, despite the fact that they hadn't seen each other in nearly six months. In fact, she'd been downright angry with him for being there. "What the hell, Kelly? How could you just show up here without letting me know you were coming? Or even asking me if it was okay?" she'd yelled once they'd both gone inside her hotel room.
"How could I ask you, Stella? We barely talk anymore. You never call me; you never text me unless I text you first. Hell, you barely even answer my calls!" Kelly had retorted.
"I'm busy, Kelly. In case you haven't noticed, Girls On Fire keeps me pretty busy," she'd argued back.
Kelly took a step towards her and reached out his hand to touch her arm, but she shook her head and stepped back, so he let it fall back to his side. "Stella, we're engaged. We're supposed to be planning a wedding. But I haven't seen you in almost six months. We haven't had a conversation that's lasted longer than five minutes in weeks. I miss you. I know that you're busy, but it just kind of seems like you've forgotten about us. I came to see you because I love you, and I miss you. I just want us to get back on the same page," Kelly begged.
Stella sighed and dropped down onto her bed. "Kelly…" she started. She paused and then continued. "When I left Chicago, I didn't know that Girls On Fire was going to take off like it did. I thought I'd just be gone for a couple of weeks and then I'd be back. But now…" she lifted her arms in a shrugging gesture. "I have cities across the country calling and asking me to come help them start a Girls On Fire program."
"What about us, Stella?" Kelly asked softly. "Where does that leave us?"
Stella shook her head. "I'm not the same person I was when I left, Kelly. I'm different. I've finally found what I'm supposed to be doing. I love being a firefighter; I do. But I love this even more. I'm making a difference; I'm helping girls find their place in their communities and in the firefighting community." She sighed and looked up at him before standing up and walking over to her nightstand. She opened the drawer and pulled something out before turning back to look at him. "Kelly, I'm not coming back to Chicago. I called Boden this morning and officially gave him my resignation."
Kelly shook his head as Stella walked towards his slowly. "Stella, don't do this. Please," he begged. "We'll find a way to make this work. I'll ask Boden for a furlough and come help with Girls On Fire. We'll make it work. We'll make us work," he insisted.
Stella sighed, "Kelly, I'm not the same girl that you asked to marry you. I can't ask you to put your career on hold for me. You'd resent me for it. Being a firefighter is your life. And I can't ask you to give that up for me."
"You're not asking," Kelly insisted. "I'm offering. I love you, Stella Kidd. You make me a better man."
Stella reached out and took his hand. "Kelly, this is my life now, and there's no room for you in it." Kelly opened his mouth to argue with her, but she stopped him with her next words. "I don't love you anymore, Kelly" she told him as she placed the ring box she held into his hand, wrapping his fingers around it. "This is goodbye."
Kelly had tried to argue with Stella for a while longer before finally realizing there was no changing her mind. He was in a daze as he walked out of Stella's hotel room and took a cab back to his hotel. While he'd been prepared for things to not go the way he'd hoped, he hadn't been prepared for this. He hadn't been prepared for his heart to be broken when the woman he loved, the one he'd thought was the one, told him she didn't love him anymore.
"And that was that. My flight back isn't for another couple of days, and I figured there was no point in changing my flight just to go back to an empty apartment, so," Kelly motioned to the bar, "here I am."
"Oh, Kelly," Gabby sighed. "I'm so sorry."
Kelly shrugged as he signaled to the bar tender for yet another drink. "She doesn't love me anymore. She said it like it was no big deal." He took a swig of the drink the bartender placed in front of him before continuing. "Now I've told you why I'm here; it's your turn to tell me why you're here looking all fancy and pretty," he told her.
Gabby chuckled; it was obvious that Kelly was drunk. "How about I tell you that on our way up to our rooms?" she suggested.
Kelly shook his head. "I'm not done drowning my sorrows yet," he slurred.
"If we don't go up now, neither one of us will be able to walk to our rooms without falling all over the place," Gabby warned him, standing up and tugging on his arm. She'd downed two gin and tonics while Kelly was telling her about what had happened with Stella, and she was feeling pretty tipsy herself.
Kelly took one last longing look at his drink before standing up. He draped his arm over Gabby's shoulders. "You're stayin' here, too?" he slurred.
Gabby nodded. "I'm in town for a fundraising gala. They like to trot me out as their secret weapon for these things," she explained.
"So that's why you look all fancy and pretty," Kelly grinned, causing Gabby to laugh. Drunk Kelly Severide was entertaining, she'd give him that much.
"What room are you staying in?" she asked as they reached the elevators.
Kelly thought for a moment and then looked at her, his eyes large. "Fourteenth floor," he slurred. "That's Stella's floor."
Gabby stopped suddenly, causing Kelly to stumble. "Wait, you're staying in the same hotel as Kidd?" she exclaimed.
Kelly threw his head back and laughed loudly, drawing attention of other guests to them. "No, Stella's not here. But we're on the same floor."
In her alcohol fogged brain, Gabby wasn't entirely sure what Kelly meant by that, but she hoped they wouldn't be running into Kidd on their way to Kelly's room. There was no way she'd be able to control a drunk Kelly if they did. She pushed the button for fourteen and the elevator doors closed behind them.
The elevator jerked a bit when it started moving, causing Kelly to fall against her. "Oops," he chuckled. "Sorry pretty Gabby." He started to push himself back upright, but then gave up. "You smell good."
Gabby laughed. "I smell like rich people."
Kelly started nuzzling her neck. "I like rich people smell," he stated matter-of-factly.
Gabby tried to push him away, but she was only successful in moving his face away from her neck and onto her shoulder. "Kelly, you're drunk," she laughed. "You don't know what you're saying."
Before Kelly could respond, the elevator doors opened on the fourteenth floor. Gabby guided them off the elevator then asked, "What's your room number?"
"I dunno," Kelly slurred. "I think 1430."
Gabby took a quick glance at the sign with room numbers to figure out which direction they needed to go. There was no room 1430; the last room number was 1420. "There's no 1430, Kelly. What's your room number?"
Kelly started chuckling. "1430 is Stella's room. I forgot."
Well at least we won't have to worry about accidentally stumbling across Stella, Gabby thought to herself, relieved. "Okay; what's your room number, though?" she asked again.
Kelly shrugged as he leaned up against the wall outside the elevators. "I dunno. I don't remember," he replied slowly.
"Where's your room key?" Gabby asked. "What does your room key say?"
Kelly grinned. "Oh, yeah. My key is in my pocket," he said happily.
Gabby waited a few minutes, waiting for Kelly to reach into his pocket, but he just stood there. "Can you get it out?" she prodded.
Kelly shook his head. "I don't think so," he replied seriously. "I need you to get it."
Gabby sighed. "Kelly, get your room key," she told him.
Kelly grinned in response. "Nope," he replied. "I want pretty Gabby to get it. It's in this pocket," he said, patting his right front pocket. "My key for room 1412."
Gabby groaned, then realized he'd just told her a room number. "1412? Is that your room number?" she asked him, wanting to make sure.
Kelly nodded happily. "Yep! I remembered!"
Gabby grabbed his hand and tugged him away from the wall, causing him to stumble into her again, forcing her to take a couple of steps to avoid them both falling on the floor. She forced him back upright and wrapped her arm around his waist to help keep him upright. He threw his arm across her shoulders again, and they walked down the hall to room 1412.
When they reached Kelly's room, she leaned him against the wall outside his room. "Okay, now get your key out," she instructed.
Kelly once again shook his head. "You need to get it," he told her, his blue eyes sparking with mischief.
Gabby bit back a groan. He was obviously a lot more drunk than she'd originally thought, and there was going to be no reasoning with him if she wanted to get to her own room any time soon. "Fine," she grumbled, and stuck her hand into the pocket he'd indicated earlier, fishing for the key. Her fingers brushed the corner of it, so she stuck her hand in a little further in order to grab it.
"You're pretty," Kelly mumbled. "Pretty, nice, Gabby. Thank you, pretty Gabby."
Gabby looked up as she moved to pull the key out of his pocket. Just as she looked up, Kelly leaned down, initially intending to sniff her hair, but ending up with his nose against her neck once more. He began nuzzling her neck again as he wrapped one arm around her, effectively trapping her hand between them.
"Thank you for taking care of me, pretty Gabby," he murmured against her neck, causing her to get goosebumps. "You're so nice."
"Kelly," Gabby said softly, trying to slip her hand out of his pocket, but stopping when a moan escaped Kelly's lips, vibrating against her neck.
Kelly began softly kissing her neck, and Gabby, feeling drunker by the minute, just stood there, unsure of what to do. "Pretty Gabby," he whispered, causing her breath to hitch. The last time someone had called her pretty had been Casey, and that had resulted in her waking up to an empty bed the next morning.
Kelly's lips trailed up her neck and along her jaw. She held her breath for a moment, then released it as she moved her hand to the left ever so slightly. Kelly growled softly and tightened his arm around her, pushing her into him. "Mmmm," he murmured, his lips right next to her. "Gabby…"
She turned her face towards his and their lips met. His tongue brushed against her lips, and although she tried to tell herself not to, she couldn't help but open her lips, granting him access to her mouth. She shuddered against him as his tongue met with her, causing him to groan and deepen the kiss. She felt something hard pressing against her and moved her hand towards it.
Kelly broke the kiss as her hand brushed against his erection, and he dropped his head to her shoulder as he let out a low, guttural groan and pressed into her hand. "God, woman," he bit out.
Gabby let out a shaky breath and moved her free hand up to his face. "Kelly – " she began, before cutting off to bite back a moan as he thrust against her. She caught her breath and continued. "If we don't stop now…" she trailed off as Kelly began kissing her neck again.
"No," he murmured against her neck. "Don't wanna stop." He pulled back just enough to grab her wrist and pull her hand, key and all, out from his pocket, his breath catching as her hand brushed against his erection again. He took the key from her and then tightened his arm around her again, pressing her tight against him. His lips found her mouth again as his hand fumbled behind him, searching for the door handle. He found it and pressed the key against the sensor above it, pushing down on the handle once he heard the beep indicating the door had unlocked.
He slowly pushed back against the door until they were in the room, his lips never once leaving hers. Once they were inside the room and the door had closed behind them, he pushed Gabby up against it, one hand tangling in her hair while the other ran up and down her side.
Gabby moaned into his mouth as his erection pressed against her. She moved her hips slowly at first, then faster as his hand tightened in her hair. "Gabby-" he gasped out as he pulled his lips away from hers. "God, Gabby," he growled.
Gabby moved one of her hands to his face, forcing him to open his eyes and look at her. "Kelly – " she murmured. "We should stop; Stella-"
Kelly cut her off with another kiss. When he pulled away, he looked her in the eyes. "I don't care about Stella. Let me fuck you, Gabby. Please. Just one night. I don't want to be alone."
Gabby looked in Kelly's eyes and saw the hurt and the pain there; she saw the man who had given a woman his whole heart and had received it back shattered into pieces. She wondered how much of this they would remember in the morning, and hoped they weren't making a mistake. "Okay," she breathed.