Chapter 24

GABRIEL

It’s three in the morning. I haven’t been home for very long, but my doorbell is going off and there’s someone knocking on my door.

~Who the hell is here at this hour?~

“Open the damn door, Gabriel!”

Kendrick. I run to the door thinking something may have happened to Whit. As soon as I fling it open, he flies in and slams it shut.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” he shouts.

I arch an eyebrow.

“Excuse me?”

“I’m not the only one who’s noticed the fact that you’ve been missing over the past month.”

I let out a heavy sigh.

“I wanted to give her time.”

“Give her time, or run the hell away?”

“You know it’s not like that! I’m hurting over here! Every time I see her, all I want to do is take her in my arms. How the hell will she react to that, huh?”

“She found out about the attack,” Kendrick says.

My eyes pop up to his green ones. The same color eyes his sister has.

“How?”

“Seems like New York wanted to keep her updated. Sent her all the records about the attack and everything.”

“And?”

“Let’s just say, you’re not the only one hiding.”

“That bad?”

“She doesn’t remember, but realizes she had to have known Aubrey before she met her at the hospital since she was there at the attack.”

“Shit.” I look down.

“She’s upset to say the least. Plus, she knows something happened this summer. She says she feels it in her gut that something important happened. She also feels that it has to do with you.”

My head snaps to Kendrick.

“What?” I ask.

“Yeah, she said you just quit coming around, quit coming near her. Something important had to happened, and nobody is saying anything about it.”

“Fuck.”

“Oh, and she remembered telling the coach that she got a better job offer to stay.”

I just nod.

“At least that’s something,” I say.

***

I been trying to go around Kendrick’s a little bit more. Though every time I do, it’s like my soul is ripped right out my body. But I keep doing it for her.

Kendrick will grill sometimes, and I’ll come over. She seems happy, but the light in her eyes just isn’t there. Her laughter isn’t like it used to be. It’s been going on three months now, and I’m about at my wit’s end. How do you keep loving someone from afar that you already had? It’s not like I screwed up or anything. She just doesn’t remember any of it.

I have personally redecorated my whole house. I needed something to do on all those late nights alone. Plus, all of Whit’s stuff was delivered here.

Whit hasn’t been to a game yet. The noise is too much for her head. Our next game is the game that determines who goes to the Super Bowl. Coach has been riding our asses hard.

I voiced my concerns to Kendrick about the Maxx-U campaign. What will happen when she sees it? Because, ready or not, come the Super Bowl, it will air. We don’t really know what to do about it, other than to just let life take its course.

I head over to Kendrick’s for dinner before the big game. As I get there, Whit lets me in. The itch to pull her into my arms gets worse by the minute.

“Hey, Gabriel.”

“Hey, Whit,” I say, walking past her and heading toward the kitchen. I’m stopped by her voice.

“Did I do anything?”

“What?”

“Me. Did I do something to upset you? Because if I did, I’m sorry.”

I take her in my arms and hug her tight.

“You did nothing wrong. Don’t ever let me hear you speak like that again.”

“I was just wondering. You’re not the same Gabriel I remember.”

“Even I have to grow up, Whit.”

She smiles.

“You sure about that?”

I chuckle.

“Yeah. I’m pretty sure.”

My heart feels a little lighter having her in my arms for that little bit of time. The night goes better than it usually does, and it looks like Whit is a little happier as well. Maybe this has been bothering her more than I realized.

As I’m getting ready to leave, I push my luck. I hug her and then kiss her quickly on the cheek.

“Bye, Whit. See you next time.”

I look over and see Kendrick nod.

***

The next afternoon in the locker room, Kendrick informs me that Aubrey and Whitley will be attending the game.

“Is it safe for her head? I thought the noise was too much for her?” I ask.

“Aubrey is bringing along noise-canceling headphones just in case.”

I nod.

“It will be nice to know she’s in the stands.”

“Yeah, it will.”

As we head out of the locker room to warm up, I see Kendrick run over to Aubrey and Whit who have come to visit before the game starts.

I start walking down the tunnel when I hear my name being called. Kendrick hollers for me again. I look back to see him crouched beside Whitley. She’s slid down the wall of the tunnel, sitting with her elbows on her knees and her face in her hands. She’s rocking back and forth and shaking her head. Kendrick is saying something to her, but whatever it is isn’t working.

Kendrick waves me over. I throw my helmet to the ground, and I make my way over to her side. I kneel in front of her. I carefully take her hands and pull them away from her face.

“Whitley, it’s me, Gabriel.”

She looks at me with tears streaming down her face.

“Oh my god, Gabriel! Tell me it’s not too late!”

“Too late for what, Whit?”

She looks at me hard and places both her hands on my face.

“Gabriel, I remember.”