My wandering thoughts are interrupted when the last of our guests stand to leave. I hug Angelina and agree to have lunch with her the next day before sending her down in the elevator. Abel and Trevor both left earlier, and now Alanna is the only one that remains. She looks at Gabriel nervously as the three of us stand at his front door.
“What’s the matter?” I ask her.
She opens her mouth to speak, but Gabriel interjects. “Victoria,” he says softly. “Alanna was attacked in your apartment when Allan came for her. After she got out of the hospital, she couldn’t handle being there anymore.”
I give her a sympathetic glance, wondering where exactly they’re going with this.
“I’m sorry, Toto.” She nods. “But it’s true, it was too hard to stay there, so I had to move out.”
“Okay…” I nod. “But where are you living?”
“I moved in with Nathan,” she says. “He asked me to.”
“And we moved your stuff here,” Gabriel says. “I want you to stay with me.”
“Oh.” I take a quick glance around the apartment, feeling a little weird about the whole situation. “I don’t want to stay here because you feel obligated, Gabriel. I can find somewhere else.”
He furrows his brow and clutches my hand in his. “I don’t feel obligated. I love you, Victoria. I never want to let you go.”
Alanna grins stupidly at his sentiment, and I can’t help my own goofy smile. “We’ll figure this out later,” I say.
Alanna hugs me before making a quick exit, leaving me alone with Gabriel.
“Finally,” I murmur. “I have you all to myself.”
He smiles softly, but there is an unfamiliar emotion in his eyes. He doesn’t look happy, in fact, I would venture to guess that he looks a little sad. “I’m sorry baby,” he says. “I have to catch up on some work.”
“Oh.” I frown. “Okay.”
“It’s been a long day,” he says. “Why don’t you let me run you a bath and you can catch up on some sleep.”
“I’m not tired,” I protest. “All I did while I was away was sleep. I can wait up for you.”
Gabriel runs a weary hand through his hair and looks as though he’s in physical pain, but I can’t understand why. “I’m sorry Victoria, but I’m afraid I have a lot to do. I’ll be up very late. I’m meeting with some investors tomorrow for the new business, so I have to get this done.”
“Okay.” I smile, trying to hide my disappointment as I kiss him softly on the lips. “I guess I’ll see you in the morning.”
After my bath, I turn into bed and am surprised by how tired I actually am. Even though Gabriel is just down the hall, I feel an aching loneliness inside of me. He’s acting strange. I can’t remember him ever denying me before and find it especially odd considering how long we’ve been apart. As I consider all the possibilities, I drift off into a fitful sleep.
When I wake in the morning, I roll over to find the space beside me empty. Gabriel is either up early or never came to bed at all last night. There’s a gnawing feeling inside my stomach as I walk to the bathroom and wash up.
When I walk into the kitchen, I find him at the breakfast bar reading the newspaper, already dressed for work. “Good morning,” he says.
“Good morning,” I mumble. “I was wondering where you were.”
He looks away as he takes a sip from the orange juice in front of him. “I have to go in early today, you know to get all of this taken care of.” He waves his hand around at the imaginary burdens in the air around him.
“Okay, well what time will you be back tonight?” I try to contain the emotion in my voice. I’ve missed him, and I have no idea why it feels like there’s an ocean between us.
“I’m not sure,” he says, rising to his feet. “I’ll let you know, baby. I’ve got to go.” And with a quick peck on the cheek, he’s out the door.
The morning seems to drag on. I find that Gabriel has already put all of my clothes into one side of his walk-in closet, and the rest of my stuff is packed neatly in boxes. I sort through the boxes, pulling out my makeup and other necessities before I shower.