Kiss me if you dare [ENGLISH]

Chapter 18

Fleur

Fleur had already lost count of how many minutes she had spent searching the bathroom for various items that might come in handy. It didn't matter – she just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

She had barely gotten any sleep, yet she was on edge. Every little noise that seemed to rustle in the background made every hair on her arms stand on end, and she couldn't remember the last time she had checked her phone.

If Fleur had been wiser, she would have taken the time to plan her escape – call a moving company, as normal people would do. But there simply wasn't that option in this chaos that was expanding by the second. If she stayed in the apartment for one more day, she would go crazy. There was only one alternative.

Fleur had just folded a towel when the doorbell rang, and all thoughts left her mind instantly. She waited a few minutes before sneaking up to the doormat and peering through the keyhole.

Gabriel had freshened up considerably since yesterday, and she felt a pang of shame over the unwashed hoodie and sweatpants she had worn for almost a week.

Fleur unlocked the door but let him enter on his own. She was already on her way back to the bathroom to pack the last few things.

"Fleur?" The footsteps that followed indicated that he wasn't far behind her. "What are you doing?"

She reached for the electric toothbrush on the top shelf and silently cursed when she lost her grip, causing it to hit a pile of dust under the sink.

"Hello, Fleur?" he repeated and took hold of her arm as she bent down to pick it up.

"What?" she snapped, surprised by the underlying aggressiveness.

"Where are you going?"

"It doesn't matter," she muttered and turned back to her backpack, counting up all the items to make sure she hadn't forgotten the essentials.

Gabriel laughed tiredly, leaning against the porcelain sink. "Of course, it matters. You can't just run away without saying anything."

Fleur bit her lip and resisted the urge to physically push him out of the apartment. "You left last night. Without saying anything."

He sighed wearily, a worried furrow forming between his eyebrows. "I had to. Patricia was wondering if I'd be home before midnight, and you were asleep."

That was when something snapped inside Fleur. Didn't he understand anything?

She quickly rose from her crouched position, grabbing a makeup bag as she went. "You left me alone with her!" Now she felt tears welling up in her throat, and her tear ducts burned.

Gabriel blinked in confusion a couple of times. "Who are you talking about? Mella?"

Fleur fell silent and clenched her fists to contain her frustration.

"The door was locked. There's no way she could have gotten in. You must have..."

"Shh..."

"But, Fleur..."

"Shh!"

There was nothing more to say. Gabriel had been like a brother to her before, but there came a point where he had to realize that he had his life, and she had hers. Patricia would probably be overjoyed with the news.

Defiantly, she slung the bag over her shoulder and ushered him out. It was easier than she thought, and through the kitchen window, she saw Gabriel return to the parking lot and drive away.