To Love a Fighter

Chapter 19

Hi guys!

First of all, I want to thank you for your comments and votes, it feels amazing to know that you like my story. It really helps me writing :)

Second, 'To Love a Fighter' is coming to an end. There's a few more chapters but not that many, anyway, I hope you'll enjoy the last ones.

Sorry for any grammar or spelling mistakes, I'm portuguese so writing in english still is a bit of a challenge for me.

Enjoy :D

Chapter 19

Bewildered, I looked from him to the room we were in and took a few hesitant steps forward. Despite the poor look of the building, his apartment was neat and cozy.

The dark furniture and black sofas gave the room masculinity without making it too dark or too austere. There was not much decoration, only a few grey artistic pictures and a couple of vases with big leafy plants. I would bet that he did not buy those plants but, at least, took good care of them. It wasn’t too big or too small, it was spacious enough to accommodate comfortably a small group of people. I could see the kitchen from where I stood. Simple and neat just like the living room.

Without saying a word, Gabe showed me the whole apartment, assessing carefully my expression as he lead me to his bedroom, the office, the small balcony... Gabriel was glued to me the entire time, carefully pushing me forward, with his hand at the small of my back, and, despite the silence, I could sense he was nervous. He was afraid I was going to judge him for where he lived. Well, he should know me better because I would never do that to anyone and, specially, not to him.

When we returned to the living room, Gabe pulled me to his lap as he sat on the black couch and put his chin on the top of my head.

Rubbing my hand up and down his arm, I told him. "You have a nice house, I don't understand why you never brought me here..."

Kissing my head softly, he replied. "Don't you ask yourself where my parents are?"

Honestly, I only thought they weren't home but, as he asked me, I noticed that the apartment only had one room and there wasn't any stuff that belonged to anyone else than Gabriel. Then it hit me.

"You don't have parents, do you...?" I asked, hesitantly.

"No, I don't."

It made sense, I had met Ven's mother - his father had pass away a couple of years earlier from a heart failure - but not once Gabriel's parents were mentioned. I should have suspected when they mentioned Gabriel spending the holidays with Ven and Gabriel being like a second son to Miss Dawson but I continued oblivious to all that, not wanting to believe that Gabe had no one but himself to take care of him.

Tears started to blur my vision as that discovery sank in. He was an orphan and I didn't even knew it. I was an awful girlfriend...

"I'm so sorry... I should have known."

"You couldn't because I didn't want you to. You would look at me differently, like some charity case and I would hate that. I would hate you."

The fierceness of his words caught me off guard but I understood that reaction because he was right, I would pity him without even notice. It wouldn't be with evil intent but just the thought of him all alone would break my heart and would be instintual to have the urge to hug him.