Kiss me if you dare [ENGLISH]

Chapter 10

Fleur

For once, it wasn't the alarm that woke Fleur up but the sunlight streaming in through the enormous window. She momentarily forgot where she was and started to panic, but then she calmed down as the memory of last night came back to her. Had she slept here all night?

Fleur looked out of the window and observed the beautiful weather. The thunder was gone, and not a cloud could be seen in the clear blue sky. It could easily have been any summer day if it weren't for the golden hues of the leaves suggesting otherwise.

The soft surface of the couch was almost better than her bed at home, and she realized that she hadn't slept this well in weeks. It was strange given the circumstances, but her back didn't ache as it usually did when she stretched in the morning. Carefully, she folded the blanket and placed it in its proper place. A brown ceramic cup sat steaming on the glass tabletop, and the delightful scent of coffee wafted through the living room. Fleur sat up and grabbed the handle of the mug, noticing a note underneath it that was intended for her.

Didn't want to wake you, but I had to go to work to register some data. The key is on top of the dresser in the hallway. Leave it under the mat by the door when you leave :)

Fleur couldn't help but smile as she read the note. Mella had been incredibly kind to her since James passed away. It was appreciated, of course, but she still didn't understand why Mella showed such care. So far, it hadn't caused any problems, but maybe she just wanted to make sure Fleur was okay. Perhaps she had experienced something similar herself.

She finished her coffee within minutes, retrieved her phone, and silently cursed when she saw 25 missed calls from Gabriel and a string of unread messages. Her conversation with Mella had kept her away from social media all evening. Gabriel must be worried by now.

Her heart started to race in her chest, and she paced restlessly in front of the fireplace as she waited for him to answer the phone. He probably thought she had disappeared somewhere, or worse, decided to take her own life now that both her parents were gone in one way or another.

"Gabriel here."

She breathed a sigh of relief and touched her forehead. At least he didn't sound upset. "Hey, I'm sorry I haven't contacted you in the past day. I've been occupied with other things. Can we meet downtown in half an hour?"

***

The warm breath formed a cloud of steam in the air as she walked down the street. Gabriel leaned against a lamppost in the square and let a cigarette fall onto the brick ground, which quickly lost its glow. It was very unusual for him to smoke. The two times she had seen him do it before, he had been extremely stressed.

"Hi," she greeted him as she approached, examining his determined expression.

He looked at her inquisitively and then put his hands in his pockets. "I was at your place yesterday, knocking. Several times."

Fleur sighed heavily. "Okay, calm down, I can explain."

Gabriel nodded and then gestured with his gloved hand for them to move. Fleur didn't know where to start. She had no plans to reveal the secret operation regarding Urban, but she knew Gabriel wouldn't give up until he had at least some idea of where she had been hiding.

"You remember the evening at the police station, the reception." Fleur struggled to remember without thinking about the tragedy, but she couldn't break down. "I had trouble finding the room, but another officer who was going there helped me. I think I mentioned it when we met."

Gabriel furrowed his brow and didn't seem to understand at all.

"Forget it. She was close to Dad, anyway." Fleur was finding it hard to breathe. "After the incident, she contacted me and has been there for me ever since."