December 30 2020
Gabriel had only meant to grab a file. That was it. He was on his way to the residents' lounge, rehearsing how he'd keep his head down, stay professional, pretend like he hadn't set his entire life on fire two days ago.
But as he pushed the door open a crack, voices froze him in place.
AJ's voice. Low, tired.
Camilla's. Firm. Unyielding.
Camilla - ...you can feel sorry for him all you want, but don't you *dare* pity him.
Gabriel's breath caught. His grip on the file tightened until the edges bent under his fingers.
Pity.
The word landed like a blade. He barely heard the rest — AJ's faint laugh, Camilla's lighter tone — because his chest was already burning.
So that was it. That's what AJ thought of him. Not a doctor. Not a colleague. Not even someone with potential. Just a pathetic kid with a schoolboy crush, too weak to control himself. Someone she pitied.
He shut the door before either of them noticed, moving fast down the hall. His pulse roared in his ears.
Pathetic.
Every stutter. Every glance. Every moment he thought maybe she didn't hate him — it was pity. Nothing more.
By the time he reached the stairwell, his vision blurred with heat he refused to call tears. He pressed his back against the wall, chest heaving.
Gabriel - I'm not pathetic
he muttered under his breath, voice cracking.
Gabriel- I'm not.
But no matter how many times he repeated it, the echo of Camilla's words — and what he thought AJ felt — clung to him like a weight he couldn't shake.
