Miss, Do I Know You?

20 - Friday, December 25

"Now there's two of you?"

I stopped my dance, spun around, and pulled my earphones out. "What?"

Gabi yawned, landing on a grin right after. "I thought it was Lex and her habit of washing dishes at the first crack of light."

I gave her a smile and continued to distract myself by darting around the kitchen. "I hope you like French toast?"

"I like all things edible." She slipped onto the kitchen island stool. "If you need any help, put something in the sink. That woman will sense her one dirty spoon and come running."

"Oh, definitely. I think she was fully ready to have me sign an NDA when I saw the crumbs under the toaster." I chuckled, spinning around to put her plate down. "And what are you doing up? I've been told there's a reason you're unreachable until lunchtime most weekends."

Gabi laughed before yawning again, making me do the same. "Nope, barely got any sleep tonight."

"Tell me about it."

"Yeah, you might have kept us up for a little while with your laughing," she confessed. "So, what did you talk about? I did try to eavesdrop, but Tony called me a nosy bitch, so I cried myself to sleep."

A burst of laughter escaped. "What didn't we talk about? Benji, school, her work, my work, her dislike for Christmas."

Surprise flickered across her eyes before she asked with a mouthful of toast, "She told you?"

"What exactly?"

"Uhm, you tell me."

"About her being kicked out, all that," I said, a little confused, Gabi's demeanor indicating that she had meant something else. "And that her birthday was four days ago. Wish I'd known sooner."

"This is some good ass toast." She groaned. "But don't take it too personally. She's always been like that."

"Secretive?"

"More like cautious. But it may sometimes come off as secretive. I know what you mean."

I leaned on the counter and dropped my voice to a murmur. "She's the same way with you?"

"She's the same way with everyone." Gabi laughed it off. "I'm surprised she even told you about it. Usually I have to drag these things out of her. I don't know how she does it. I'm always spilling my business to everyone willing to listen."

At that, a tinge of concern seeped into my consciousness. I knew how isolating it could be, keeping secrets and even mere emotions. With Alex, it perpetually baffled me how she could act like different people depending on where she was, and it baffled me even more that not even those closest to her could get a clear picture.

"But again, don't take her to heart," Gabi continued. "She's the only person I know who can be so awfully serious and bitingly sarcastic all at the same time. It usually takes a lot to get past that stage of her where she couldn't give two damns about anyone else's opinion, that's why I'm so surprised."

"Stage?" I chuckled. "You're talking about her like she's some video game."

"It's the closest analogy I have. But hey, she has never taken any shit from anyone. Though she always went against the flow, she ended up doing exactly what she wanted, not what everyone else wanted for her," Gabi explained. When her brows creased, I thought she was going to add something else. But she simply asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah?"

"You seem kind of . . . antsy."

"I'm good. I think—"