After ✔

27

"Daddy!" Mason screams. He jumps off the chair and into Nate's arms, who looks just as excited.

"Hey, son." He says. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." Mason pouts as he snuggles into his dad's embrace.

Zach looks at the scene unfolding in front of him, a little awed. Meanwhile, Dani returns with a plate of food and a glass of juice in his hand from the breakfast buffet, and sets in on the table.

"But I think mommy missed you more." Mason continues.

Nate visibly stiffens. Dani comes and stands next to me, and I look up at him.

"Trust Mason to keep quiet." He mutters. 

"I think it's a good thing." I say.

Dani says something else, but I'm so concentrated on Mason and Nate, I don't hear him.

"Why's that?" Nate's asking Mason.

"Because she cried all night." Mason exasperates. "It was awful."

I bite my lip. Now even I feel bad. All this time, I wanted to be on Gabriella's side, just because she needed someone there for her, even if it was just a friend.

I can't imagine what Gabriella must be going through. To lose your boyfriend like that, twice, and then your parents because of him?

It was easy to tell her not to talk to him ever again, but not so easy to step in Gabriella's shoes. Anyone else would have run from it all.

Nate must feel like such a prick.

Which he is - no offense. But I guess the fact that he wants to propose to her and stay makes it better. A little.

He's willing to fix things. Again.

Dani sits down next to me and pushes his glass towards me. "Orange juice." He says. "You don't like coffee." 

"For me?" I ask, a little stunned thay he remembered. He nods.

"Gee, thanks." I say, picking up the glass.

When I'm done, I stand up, ready to leave.

"You're not having anything to eat?" Asks Dani.

"Nah, I'm not hungry. I'm going to go talk to Gabriella."

Hearing her name, Nate's head whips in my direction.

"What are you going to say to her?" He asks.

"I'm going to tell her to forget you and move on." I shrug. His face morphs into shock, and I can't help laughing and patting his shoulder. "Don't worry." I say.

I walk out into the lobby and take the lift to the top floor. Her door isn't locked, and I knock twice before entering.

"Gabriella?" I call.

"Hey, Val." Her voice is both quiet and rough. She's sitting on the carpet with her legs crossed, her hair a mess and bags under her eyes.

"Ready to leave?" I ask, walking up to her and joining her on the carpet. God knows why she was sitting there, but I wasn't about to ask.

"Yeah." She says, wiping her cheek with the back of her sleeve.

She wasn't making this any easier.

"You know..." I start. "Nate's heading back to Madrid."

"Let him."

There's that vague reply again. I let out a breath of air and start drawing incomprehensible patterns on the carpet. "Too bad." I shrug.