Gabriel

Twenty

"It went well," Ariel said smugly as Gabriel walked out of the dugout.

He had a pep in his step and a weird slight smile.

"Did she say yes?" Ariel asked walking beside him.

"It did. And yes to what?"

"Yes, to what? Don't play coy," Ariel rolled his eyes, bumping his shoulder. "You did ask her out, right?"

Gabriel shook his head. "No. I never said I was asking her out. We had an interview and it was nice. That's all," He didn't feel like getting into this with Ariel.

Ariel lifted his hands in surrender at the irritation he could hear creeping into Gabriel's tone. "I won't tell you what to do. You took the step," He said passively.

"Exactly,"

"But," Ariel said with a sigh. "If one interview with her makes you this happy, you shouldn't waste time," He wrapped his arm around Gabriel's shoulder. "You like her," He sang, making Gabriel shove his arm away.

"She's pleasant," Gabriel said, thinking of her beautiful smile.

She was so cute. Her giggles were adorable.

Ariel hummed wiggling his brows. "You're a goner, or simp, as my brother says," He grinned.

"Shut up," Gabriel said dryly.

"You didn't deny it,"

-

He couldn't deny it.

He couldn't.

Jaleesa had him wrapped around her finger in just an hour.

How was that possible?

What happened to reservations? Precautions?

Didn't he know better?

Why couldn't he stop himself?

A deep sigh left him as he rolled over in bed.

The sun was going down and Melody would be coming to find him soon.

He needed to get it together.

"Lord, I'm confused," He confessed humbly. "Nothing makes sense about this. She hated me, and I thought she was a brat,"

A most beautiful brat.

"I showed her grace, a-and she still mistreated me. Am I insane?" He huffed. "We danced once, once, and I could've stayed like that with her. She was beautiful, and not just because of her pretty dress and hair, I,"

What was he saying?

Getting up, Gabriel walked out to his balcony and looked to the sky.

"Ariel came at me with some serious stuff. He called me a coward,"

"And he was right. He said I was afraid, and he was right,"

A weight lifted off his chest as he spoke.

This was right.

"I saw her that night, and I think I saw her heart, You know? She was crying, I don't like seeing her cry," He wanted to stop now. If he kept speaking, he knew something would come out that he wasn't ready to admit.

But he couldn't stop.

"You remember the day at the field?" He chuckled at his words. "Of course, You remember. But I remember seeing her and I knew she was an angel. I mean, from head to toe, she was stunning. Just outrageously beautiful. I wanted to grovel," He wasn't ashamed, though he'd never tell anyone.