Project: Nighthall

17

I laid on my back and groaned quietly to myself. When Gabriel asked to spare, I went in a little cocky. And it was easy to forget that Gabriel could beat me more times than Dimitri could. I guess, working out with Gabriel gave me the upper hand, but I continuously forgot that he was that much stronger than me.

"You sound like you're going to die in there!" Bryce laughed.

"I feel like I'm going to die," I moaned, rolling onto my stomach and resting my head against the cold tile. I was supposed to have a hot bath, but I hadn't made it that far. I sat down to pick up my ChapStick that fell under the counter and hadn't gotten back up. It had been long enough that the steam had fogged up the mirror.

I fumbled with the cupboard door and blindly moved my hand around, looking for the square container I knew very well. It was a miracle soak. I thought everyone who told me to use Epsom salts in the tub was crazy, but it did help.

Once I found it, I took it out and awkwardly put it on the tub. Now I needed the motivation to get off the floor.

"Rose? Are you in the bath?" Gabriel asked.

I moaned. "No. Haven't made it there yet," I complained.

"Are you decent?"

"Not really, but you can come in if you need something," I mumbled against the floor. I could hear his laughter behind the door and then the quiet creak. I was still in my bra and underwear, so I wasn't completely undressed.

"Oh boy," Gabriel teased and I flipped him off.

"Don't say a word."

Gabriel snorted and I felt his hands gripped my armpits. He lifted me off the floor in a way you would expect someone to do with a toddler. He set on the edge of the tub with a smirk, waiting a moment before letting go to make sure I wouldn't topple off.

"You act like I weigh ten pounds."

"Because to me you do. The only person I've spared with that actually had weight to them was Dimitri," Gabriel teased as he searched through the cupboard, finding a hair tie and fastening it in his hair. It was starting to get long. It wasn't as long as Dimitri's but it was long. And the longer it got, the curlier it got. If you hadn't seen his mother, you would think that he was blessed with a beautiful tan all the time. But Savanah-Mae's skin was like the colour of burnt caramel.

"You need a haircut.

"I know, just haven't gotten around to it," Gabriel said with a sniff, wiping his hand against his nose. I rolled my eyes but furrowed my brows.

"Your nose is bleeding."

Gabriel looked at the side of his hand and frowned. He turned and looked at himself in the mirror as he grabbed a tissue, wiping his nose again.

"Weird. Maybe I got some sand in my nose earlier," he mused before tossing the tissue in the trash, "You should get in that while it's still hot, or it defeats the purpose."

I sighed and gave him a look. He winked and slipped out of the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. I reached for the Epson salts and poured some into the tub before undressing and climbing in.

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RPOV

I knew that Sheila had no issue with me borrowing her car, but I felt terrible about it. Lissa's estate was being handled surprisingly quickly, but I guess not going through public courts had an edge.

I was given an advance on my inheritance, and I purchased myself a car. It wasn't anything crazy, and when Abe saw it, he was a little insulted that I wouldn't let him buy me my first car, but I liked it. It was a good vehicle, and it suited me. But that was beside the point. It meant that I could do what I needed to.