Haunted

t h e m o t h e r

✫ ༒ Joey ༒ ✫

"Screaming but daddy I love him"

Gabriella was in a full blown panic. I'm talking tears, hyperventilating, and a whole lot of 'I'm sorry's'.

I wasn't exactly sure what to do. I'd never been the type of guy to wipe a girls tears and tell her it would all be okay—unless it was Shannon. But I'd walk through fire if it meant the brunette curled up in the passenger seat would be okay.

She'd practically thrown her keys at me and begged me to take her home. To my dismay she'd been given a brand new BMW for her birthday, and I was now in the drivers seat pulling up to her house.

The new car smell mixed with Gabby's perfume brought comfort to my roaring mind. I was clean, I had been since the day of our break up.

"I'm sorry," Gabby sniffled, her voice hoarse.

"Why are you apologizing to me?" I asked, trying to keep my eyes on the road.

"Because those pictures," she sobbed, "they make me look like someone I'm not."

Placing the car in park, I reached over and turned her face towards me. "Gabs, those pictures don't make me see you differently. I know who you are, and I happen to lo—" I swallowed down the word, "I like who you are."

Love. It was a word I'd only used with my siblings, or at least it was. The whole concept of love and being in love finally clicked in my brain the minute I met Gabriella. It finally made sense, the flutter in my chest, the buzz in my head, it was all love.

I'd told her I loved her. And I meant it more than anything, but right now wasn't the time for that. We were broken up, I broke up with her. As much as I wanted her back, I couldn't do that to her.

I wanted better for her.

"I never wanted you to see those," she hiccuped, hiding her face with her hands.

"I barely saw them," I lied. "It was just a glance, Gabs."

"Will you come inside with me?" She whispered, "just for a minute."

"Okay," the word flew out of my mouth with ease.

I watched as she opened her car door, doing the same with mine, before following her to the front door. She pushed it open, kicked off her shoes and headed upstairs to the room I knew like the back of my hand. I trailed after her, closing her bedroom door behind me.

She dropped onto her bed, wiping the tears from her cheeks in the process. A subtle tension filled the air, the realization of what happened last time I was in this room striking me in the chest.

"You fought for me," she whispered, her eyes meeting mine. "Why would you do that, Joey?"

I blew out a breath, taking a seat beside her. "I couldn't let them hurt you. I don't fucking stand for that."

"Why did you fight for me?" She asked again, her eyes roaming my face as if she were looking for the answer elsewhere.

"Because I love you," the truth fell from my lips.