LOVE AND IT CIRCLE

Chapter twenty-three

Zach•

"Are you sorry because of pity or are you sorry that I can't believe it?"

I approached her, my footsteps echoing in the stillness of the night. As the cool breeze caressed my skin, I wondered if this vista had become her sanctuary, a place of solace amidst a storm of pain.

"It's not like that, I swear I didn't know she would do that and I'm sorry that happened Gabby."
I meant it when I said that.

Her tears, a glistening betrayal of her stoicism, traced glinting paths down her cheeks as she stared out into the expanse of the night. In the solemnity of her quiet grief, I took my place beside her, the bench beneath us a silent witness to our shared pain.

The touch of our skin, as my hand grasped hers, was a tentative union of solace, our bodies speaking a language that words could never capture.

"Gabby I know we have bad chemistry together already and I'm sorry for all that has happened between us, I'm getting married soon and I don't want to get married while you are still mad at me."

At that moment, the silence was a powerful melody of comfort, a tender balm for wounds that ran deep. The air hung heavy with unspoken truths, "Where is Stella?" the knowledge of Stella's fate was like a silent chasm between us. Gabriel’s searching gaze, a question begging to be answered, cut through the darkness like a blade. Yet, I hesitated, uncertain if my words would serve as a salve or a catalyst for further pain.

I was not ready to tell her where she was.
"She still works for me somewhere, I just thought it wouldn't be a good idea having you both working in the same place, it was a promotion. "

I don't know whether I was lying or telling the truth.
The seconds stretched out like eons, the steady rhythm of our breath the only sound in the cavernous silence. At last, Gabriel’s demeanor softened, the barest hint of gratitude lightening her features.

"Is she safe? Is she happy?"

I nodded to her, and yet I didn't know the right answer to her question.

"You are so heartless, you only think about your happiness and not for others."

Ouch! That was painful to hear.

"You only saying that because you are angry."

As our gazes remained locked, the tension between us, like a coiled spring, vibrated with an irresistible allure. In the stillness of the night, our proximity crackled with a primal, magnetic force, drawing us closer and closer.

What was I doing, my heart was trying something else, Kiss her, kiss her

No no no.

Don't be a dick just kiss her.

"Zach please stop this is not right?"

"I know."

The curve of Gabriel’s lips, a testament to her radiant beauty, seemed to pulse with an almost hypnotic pull, a siren’s song of desire. At that moment, I found myself teetering on the precipice of temptation, every fiber of my being crying out for a taste of her forbidden fruit. A battle raged within me, my heart and mind locked in an epic war of conflicting desires.

And finally, I kissed her.

And yet, as the seconds ticked by, the siren song of Gabriel’s kiss grew louder, a seductive tempest of passion crashing against the shoreline of my resolve. My resistance, like a crumbling fortress, gave way to a primal surge of need, and I found myself moving toward her, my lips brushing against hers in a fervent embrace. The moment of stolen intimacy between Gabriel and I, a blazing ember of desire, was extinguished as we were caught in a spotlight of shame, the sound of Josh’s footsteps a jarring reminder of the gravity of our transgression.