Mending (9 page)

“Pleas
e, Gabs,” h
e pleaded.

“No.  You are the absolute last person I want to see or talk to right now. Move your hand or I’ll scream.”

“Gabby.  It’s just me. 
I’m the same Ian.  I would never do anything to physically hurt yo
u.  There’s no need to scream.”  His brows furrowed.  “
What the hell is wrong with you?”

Her eyes narrowed, pushing the door a little more testing to see if he was going to let her close it. “I’ve had a really bad day and you
just made it the day from hell.  That’s what’s wrong,” she hissed.  “
Goodbye, Ian.”

“Wait, Gabs.  Please.  I am here to ask you to forgive me.”

“Forgive you for what, Ian? 
For sleeping with my very best friend?
 
For telling me that what we had was enough?
 
For telling me that you loved me?”
  She wasn’t sure where the energy had suddenly come from, but she was getting angrier with each word that came out of her mouth.  “Forgive you for ruining my friendship with Lindsey? 
Or, for shoving your cuddly relationship down my throat my entire
freakin
’ senior year?
 
The year that was supposed to be one of the happiest of my li
fe, but
instead was an absolutely blazing hell?”

Ian’s eyes widened at her bluntness.  He gulped and quietly replied, “All of it, Gabs.”

“All of it?” She hissed.

“Yes”

“Why?”

“Look, can I please come in?  I don’t particularly care to have this conversation outside in the cold.”

Gabby looked up and around, shaking her head while having an internal argument on all the reasons
why she shouldn’t let him in.  Taking a deep breath, s
he
realized she
was far too tired to deal with this. 

“Fine.
  C
ome in if you must.”

She extended her arm, opening the door the rest of the way for him.  After he was inside she closed the door and stood with her back against it.  The gesture made her think of
how she had spent her morning
dealing with Bradley’s baggage.  Her evening was turning out to be no better.  The difference was that she loved Bradley even though
she was hurt to the point she felt
raw.  Her mother had told her that you should never say you hated someone, but she was pretty sure if there was anyone on the planet worthy of the word in her mind, he was now standing in her apartment.

“So…
” She walked over to her refrigerator and grabbed the bottle of Yellow Tail Shiraz Bradley had bought her the weekend before.  She turned to grab a glass from the cabinet and looking back t
o Ian, held the bottle up.
“Can I get you a drink?”

“I’ll have whatever you’re having. I didn’t think you drank?”

She turned back to the cabinet to get two glasses.  She shrugged her shoulders and nonchalantly murmured, “Things change, Ian.”

“Not all things, Gabs.”

She quickly snapped her head around
.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know.”

“Um.
No, I don’t”

He stood with his hands in his pockets, legs slightly spread.  It was hard for Gabby to look at him because she still found him so attractive.  She could feel a pull towards him, although it was nowhere near as electric as the pull she had always felt towards Bradley.  When he had been good to her, boy was he good.  But, she couldn’t forget the hurt he had caused her.  The hurt
they
had
caused her.

He tilted his head to the side
. 
“Gabs, I still love you.  I don’t think I ever stopped.  I was a high school boy and all my friends were having sex.  What did you expect?”

She shook her head, never looking at him, while pulling the cork from the bottle.  “What did I expect?” After pouring the wine into their glasses, she began to walk towards him. “I expected my boyfriend to be loyal to me.  Tell me Ian, was that asking too much?”

“I know, Gabs.  I don’t mean to make excuses.  I just was stupid.  I didn’t know what I was doing.”

“So, what about Lindsey?
  Are you still with her?”

“No, why would I be here with you if I was still with her?”

“Oh I
dunno
.  Being with me in the same damn house didn’t stop you from being with her.”

“You cuss now, too, huh?”

“I know you’re not
seriously
here to judge me?”

His eyes narrowed a little bit and he smiled a half smile.  He put his hands up in a surrender gesture and swif
tly closed the gap between them.
“No, not at all.
  Just an observation, that’s all.”

She motioned for him to sit on the sofa.  When she did, she got a
glimpse at her cell phone.  “Shoo
t, I totally forgot I was supposed to call Sam.  I thought you were her, actually.”  She put the glass of wine down and grabbed her phone. “Do you mind if I call her real quick?  It’s pretty important.”

He sat and leaned back putting his arm across the back of the couch almost reaching her shoulder.  “No, take your time.  I’ll wait.”

Gabby froze a moment as his touch neared.  She wasn’t sure if she wanted him to touch her, or not.
She jumped up from the couch.
“Great, I’m
gonna
go to my room for a minute. I’l
l be right back.”  She shrugged.
“I guess make yourself at home.” As she walked away she frowned at the thought of Ian making himself at home in her apartment.  But it seemed the polite thing to say.

Gabby dreadfully dialed Sam’s number.  As much as she hated the situation that was in her living room, she realized now that she was alone, he was if for nothing else a good distraction from the heartache she was currently experiencing.  She was proud of herself for speaking her mind and standing up to him. 
Who did he think he was thinking he could just waltz back into her life and ask for forgiveness
? 
Furthermore, he had not even said he was sorry!  The thought infuriated her just as Sam picked up the phone. 

“Gabriella. Nicole.
Gerhart
!  Where the hell have you
– ”

Gabby interrupted her because being scolded by her sister like she was ten and Sam acting like her mother rather than her sister was the last thing, no wait the second to last thing aside from Ian that she needed.  “Sam, I’m so sorry.”

“You should be.  I was worried sick.  I was just about to leave to come looking for you.”

There was silence for a moment.  “Gabby. Are you there?”

“I’m here Sam.”

“So?”

Gabby’s
voice quivered.  “I’m not sure I can talk about it right now, Sam.”

“What did he do to you?”

“Nothing.”

“Gabby, do I need to come?”

“NO!” Gabby growled. 
Realizing
how harsh it had c
ome off, she took a deep breath before she quickly replied,
“Sorry.  No, really, I’m fine.”

“You are absolutely not fine.  Tell me what’s going on or I’m coming.”

Gabby rolled her eyes at the ultimatum.  “You know he said he’d not been with anyone else since the wedding?”

“Yes
.
”

“Well, his ex whatever the hell she was to him is pregnant with his baby. 
Due in March.”
  Gabby could hear Sam’s gasp on the other end and she had succeeded in making her sister momentarily speechless.  Although she had to admit to herself the thought of making Sam
speechless was slightly comical. “Sam?
”

“Yeah.
Gabby, I’m so sorry.  What is it with you attracting these…these
– ”

“These assholes?”
Gabby laughed as she finished her sister’s sentence.

“Well, I think I would have chosen dicks, but assholes works, too.” Sam giggled.

Gabby was thankful for the humor, even if it was at her expense.  “So, that’s it.  I’m home.  I’m fine.  I need to go, though.”

“Are you sure you’re ok?  I am
serious,
I’ll be there in an hour if you need me.”

“I’m positive.  Can you see about getting our therapist changed?  We can’t afford to continue with Dr. Harrison on our own.”  Gabby wanted to continue, but the finality of the day and the situation was still so new that she found it difficult to even breathe. 

“Gabs, you are not ok.”

“I will be.  I just can’t talk about it right now. 
I promise, I’ll be fine.”

What Gabby wanted to tell her sister is that even though it was someone she was pretty sure she hated, she wasn’t alone and there was no need for her sister to drive all this way or worry.  But, she knew if she told Sam that Ian was in the living room there would be absolutely no way to stop her from coming and kicking his ass all the way back to Charleston or wherever he was currently staying. 

“Sam, I’m really tired.  I’ve driven over eight hours today.  Maybe I’ll be able to talk about it better tomorrow.  Can we chat then?”

“Sure, I just wanted to make sure you were ok
ay
.  You scared the living shit out of me, Gabby. 
You’re all I’ve got, too. 
Don’t do that again, okay?”

“I’m really sorry.  I didn’t mean to
make you worry. 
I just knew that I couldn’t talk about it.”

“I understand.  Don’t hesitate to call if you need me, k?”

“I know, I know.  I love you, Sam.”

“I love you, too, Gabby.”

Gabby opened the door and came back in to find Ian playing with his smart phone.  “Sorry to make you wait like that.”

“No, no problem.  It’s not like I gave you any warning I’d be here or anything.”

Gabby chuckled.
“No, that you didn’t.”  Gabby made her way back to the couch and took a long swig of wine. 

Ian turned sideways on the couch to face her
.
“So, you said you had a bad day.  What happened?”

“Don’t
wanna
talk about it.” Gabby took another drink.

“You better slow down, Gabs.” He playfully warned her.

She raised one eyebrow at him. 
“You don’t get to tell me what I better do or
better
not do.”

Amused, he got up from the couch and headed towards the kitchen counter. 
“Fair enough.
”
He raised an eyebrow.  “
Would you like more, then?”

Gabby smiled.
“Now you’re
talkin
’.”

Ian walked back over and poured more wine in both of their glasses.  “So, do you have a fake ID or something?  How do you get
wine.
  You’re not even 21 yet?”