Mending (12 page)

“I’d rather C
oke, but if diet is all you’ve got I’l
l take it.”  He winked at her. 
“You know I like fizz with my pizza.”

Gabby giggled and winked back to him.  “And you know that C
oke is not allowed in my apartment.”  

John shrugged one shoulder and had a sideways grin. 
“I figured but it never hurts to ask.”

Gabby got their drinks and walked around to the other side of the bar and climbed onto the stool.  “No
double dipping in the sauce!” S
he teased him.

“I don’t double dip, do I?”

“
Noooo
,
” She exaggerated sarcastically.

She told him everything that had happened during the weekend and about the mid-week appointm
ent proposition as they ate their pizza.  As John finished off his last slice, he hopped up from his bar stool to wash the plate.

“Gabby
, what do you want me to say?”

“Well, I don’t necessarily want you to say anything.  I just want your opinion.”

John raised one of his thick dark eyebrows and looked up
to her as he washed the plate. 
“You seriously want my opinion?”

“That’s what I just said, yes.”

“Gabby, I agree with Sam.  And, I say screw the whole let’s be friends first bit.”

Gabby’s
eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “John Martin!  I should have known you’d think like a typical guy.” She grabbed the towel
he had put on the bar to dry the dishes and
threw it at him.

“Hey, that was uncalled for!  Y
ou asked!”

She rolled her eyes shaking her head, but she couldn’t wipe the grin off of her face.  “Typical.”

“
You come dry if I’m
gonna
wash.”  He tossed
the towel back to her.
“
Seriously
.
  Most people who have that kind of connection don’t say
hey, let’s just be friends and see where it goes
.” 

“
Well, I’m not most people for starters.”  She walked around the bar to where she was beside him.  “
I’m really not in the market to get hurt again.”

“Me neither, but you can’t stop feeling or pretend that the feelings aren’t there to avoid it.”  He handed her the p
late he’d just washed.  “Y
ou clearly are head over heels for him.”

She looked up to him with big hazel eyes.  Her brows furrowed.  She put the plate down and backed up to the ba
r putting her head in her hands.
“I know, but there’s more than just my hurt over Ian and Lindsey.”

“So.”

“So, don’t you think I should sort that out before I jump into
this
.
”

“Honestly, no. 
I think you’re using that as an excuse.”

“We’ll see
.  I’m going to start seeing a
therapist in a couple of weeks.”

He finished the dishes and turned to her. 
“Well, I
gotta
go.  The guys wanted to go out tonight before things get crazy this semester.” He pulled Gabby into a
big brother style
hug. 
“I think that if you meet him Wednesday, you should greet him with a great big kiss.”

She jabbed her fist into his chest and growled, “
Grrr
.  You are such a…”

He grabbed he
r wrist.
“A good friend who is telling y
ou that you deserve to be happy?
” S
miling as he raised his eyebrow. “Anyway
, you’re wound so tight from having not gotten any
lovin
’ since Ian that you are like a spin
ning top waiting to be released?
”

She shook her head
as she narrowed her eyes.
“Ugh, your head is always in the gutter. 
Just
skadoodle
.”

“Hey, you
asked for my advice and here it
is.”  He winked.  “
Careful what you ask for
baby girl
.”

“Seriously, I do appreciate it.  You always speak
your
, hmmm
…
” She looked at his head a
nd then down and back up again. 
“Your
mind.”
She busted out laughing. 
“I just haven’t figured out which is which yet.”

“
What can I say?” He laughed.
“Do tell him that if he hurts you, I’ll only be so happy to kick his ass.”

Gabby looked up to him with a
proud smile.
“Hey, Bradley!
  My faux big bro is
gonna
kick your ass if you hurt her.”  She giggled.  “
Yep, perfect way to start a relationship.”

“I’m serious.  You can tell him or I’ll tell him when I meet him.”  He leaned over and kissed her on the head.  “
I’m outta here.”

“Thanks for the pizza.
”

He winked as he walked out the door. 
“Anytime.”

Chapter 9

January
14, 2011 ~ 6:45pm

The Present

“Hey, who were you talking to?” Gabby asked Ian as she walked back into the living room after going to the bathroom.

“Oh, it was just one of my roommates.”

“So, d
id you end up going to Georgia Tech?”

“Yep.
  I got a soccer scholarship.”

“I heard that.  Are you playing well?”
Gabby sat back down on the couch, making sure to put more space between them than she had earlier.

“I am.  It’s been an awesome experience.
  Have you decided on a major?”

“No, I’m hoping I’ll figure that out this semester.  I’m leaning towards social work, though.”

“Seriously, Gabby.
  The pay for social workers is so skimpy.”

She tilted her head as she narrowed her eyes at him. 
“When have I ever been worried about money?”

“Never, it’s one of the things that
makes
you so attractive.”

Gabby blushed.  “Just because I finally got to a place where I have been able to move on and forgive you
doesn’t
mean that you get to waltz back in here and act like things are perfect.”

“
Whoa, where did that come from?”  He threw his hands palm up to her.  “
I’m not trying to make like things are perfect.  I just missed being with you, Gabby.  I can just be me.  I’ve grown up in the last six months.”

“Have you?”

“Yeah
, I have
.
  Have you eaten anything?”

“I grabbed something on my way home, but it was a couple of hours ago. 
You?”

“No, I’m starved.  Do you want to go grab something?”

“I don’t know that I’m up for that tonight.”

“C’mon Gabs, I haven’t had Lizards Thicket in so long.  It’s a Columbia treat.  Even if you don’t eat, just come along so I don’t have to eat alone.”

“Fine, fine.”

When they arrived at Lizards Thicket, Gabby couldn’t help but think of Bradley.  Ian had once been quite the gentleman, but he seemed to have forgotten all of his manners since they had last been together.  Bradley would
have
never let her open her own doors, and he always pulled her chair out for her before she sat down.  He usually used the opportunity to plant a sweet kiss either on her cheek or her forehead.  The thoughts of him were so painful.  Although, the wine had made the
thoughts of him more bearable, she still could feel the tears pricking the back of her eyes.  She quickly took a deep breath and tried to dismiss him.  She knew if Ian saw her distressed he would pry and want to know more of what was going on with her.  She was in no condition to share with him what had occurred earlier in Atlanta, nor did she want to for that matter.

“Gabs, you alright?”

Op
ening her eyes wide hoping that
would stop the waterworks she cheerfully replied, “Yep, I’m fine.”

“You sure, you look pale.”

She quickly replied a half lie,
“Yeah, just thinking about the time Sam and I used to come here last year.  I miss her, that’s
all.”  It was true s
he had come here a lot with Sam
the year before when they were both living in Columbia, but she
was definitely not t
hi
nking about Sam at that moment.  She shrugged.
It seemed
like a believable excuse
.

“You two still pretty close?”

“Yes, she’s pretty much the only family I have.  She’s going to med school so she moved back to Charleston.”

“So, I didn’t see any roommates in your apartment, do you live by yourself?”

Gabby had her hands in her lap fidgeting. 
“Yes.”

The waitress came to take their drink o
rder.  Ian looked over to Gabby.
“We’ll have two sweet teas and give us a minute.  We’ve not had a chance to look at the menu.”

Gabby inwardly cringed at drinking sweet tea.  She had stopped drinking that senior year. 
It
was nothing but empty calories
.  A
ll she could think of every time she took a drink was how many miles she would hav
e to run to lose the pounds it
would inevitably put
on her.   She put the menu back on the side of the table
.
“I’m not eating, remember.  I just came alone for the ride so to speak.”

He put the menu
back
in front of
her.
“You really should eat with how much wine you just drank at your house.”

She pushed it back, narrowing her eyes. 
“Again, you don’t get to tell me what I need to do.  Okay?”

He raised his eyebrows obv
iously amused at her feistiness.
“Okay, Gabs.
” He shrugged. 
“
Whatever you say.”

When the waitress returned with their drinks Gabby
looked up to her apologetically.
“I’m sorry to ask this, but could you bring me
a water
, too?”

The wait
ress was at least in her forties
.  She had her scraggly long salt and pepper colored hair pulled back into a ponytail.  She was probably not so unattractive twenty-five or thirty years ago, but it was obvious she had experienced a rough life.  She smacked her gum, which helped mask the faint smell of cigarettes
on her breath.  “Sure,
darlin
’. 
What can I get you to eat?”