Midnight River

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Gemma's pov
Song inspo willow by Taylor swift
(Even if you don't like tswift I highly recommend this song especially for these two. "Wreck my plans, that's my man." Ugh )

Soap continued to show up at my apartment unannounced the next few days, as if he knew I wouldn't be up to much. He was right, or at least in thinking I'd be home instead of out somewhere.

One day I had walked to the local market, picking up fresh veggies for dinner that night and when I came home he was waiting on the stoop to my apartment. He said he hadn't been waiting long but the coffee cup he had with him was empty so I wasn't sure if he was lying or not.

I cooked for him that night, since he was there but found out he was better at it than me so we ended up cooking together. We watched a movie after and while he could handle gore he was an absolute baby when it came to jump scares.

Multiple times I thought that this was enough, that I let him have his time and that I needed to reaffirm that we were getting to close, even as friends. He had been hard to deny the day we took the bike ride but I was planning on trying again. I never could, so we continued to spend time together.

I was pathetic honestly, letting those blue eyes and lazy smile melt me, but I'd be lying if it wasn't a nice change to not be alone, to have someone to talk to besides my cat. I was in trouble.

We went on walks and he forced me into playing my dusty keyboard for him, my place too small for a proper piano. I hadn't played in years but it came back easily and I was glad he talked me into it.

We spent a day lounging in the sun on the balcony, reading and sharing cigarettes. I found that he was a fan of mystery thrillers while I preferred fantasy. He hadn't seemed like the reading type, another assumption of him by me but multiple times I would look over at him, his feet propped up on the railing as he was entirely focused on whatever page he was on. Every now and then when I'd look over I'd find him looking at me too. John would smile and I would roll my eyes.

Even Beans had warmed up to him, too much so as he preferred Soap's lap to curl in instead of my own. A true betrayal. Even if he was reading, or focused on the movie he would continuously scratch behind Bean's orange tipped ears. I wondered how he never tired of it.

So, on the fifth day of my vacation, when he didn't show up even though the sun had started to set I got a little worried. I had no right to, we never really planned anything. In a few short days it had just become a habit, hanging out on the balcony longer than usual to wait for him to call up to me.

I was worried he had something at work come up and didn't say goodbye. We exchanged numbers but I had never been a texting person. He would send me random messages from time to time but he hadn't sent anything that day.

I chalked it up to him just being busy, telling myself he wouldn't leave without saying something. He wasn't that type of man. Still, it was hard to focus on anything as I waited for him to show up, call, text, anything. The clock in my living room was too loud and ominous so I moved to the kitchen to get a drink of water. I think Beans was expecting him to show up too because he was waiting by the door patiently for his new friend.

"I don't think he's coming tonight, buddy.' I said to him, hating the disappointment in my own voice. Isn't this what I wanted? Space between us so I could figure out some way to push him out of my life before it was too late? I already hated the idea of him leaving for a mission, putting himself in danger and the fear was only going to grow.

Something hit the glass door of the balcony then, and I stopped to listen, making sure I hadn't imagined it. It came again.

When I stepped outside on the balcony I found him standing in the front yard, looking up at me.