MARIEL

20~Over My Dead Body~

Four days passed, and Fr. Jerome had not awakened. Priests from nearby Orthodox churches had come to visit him, as well as the Bishop of the Archdiocese. It was a time that proved to Mariel how much the church and its members cared for his father, which assured and comforted him more than he could explain. But it was also a time of sorrow and decision-making, as the hospital staff had told Mariel they would need to have a discussion about the longevity of Fr. Jerome's situation.

In that timeframe, Mariel had alerted his school and his job to the situation as well. He went home once in those four days to ensure the house was as it had been left, and he discovered that his neighbor had shoveled the driveway and the sidewalk in front of the house. Randy, his neighbor, was not home and so Mariel had left a note thanking him profusely.

The days also consisted of Mariel praying at his father's bedside, sitting and staring in silence, as well as struggling to ignore the humanoid who appeared at least twice a day to mock him. Today, Wednesday, Mariel was ecstatic when Gabe texted and said he was in the hospital Starbucks to 'chill'. After kissing Fr. Jerome's forehead, he rushed downstairs to meet his friend.

He, however, was not expecting to see Gabe in deep conversation with Esther when he arrived. Both looked distressed. Cautiously, he approached, his hands buried deep in the pockets of his sweatpants. His taut muscles rippled in the white t-shirt he wore as he walked stiffly towards them. For a moment, he studied them both, his heart beating quickly. Gabe wore jeans and a plaid button down that highlighted his shoulder and biceps, something he always bragged about whenever he discussed the gym. Gabe's eyebrows were lifted as he stared intensely at Esther, whose expression looked tense with anger as she spoke quietly to him. Mariel's expression softened a little when he saw her, noticing that she still looked strikingly beautiful in the gray sweatpants she wore, and the long-sleeve black Under Armour that highlighted the curves on her body that made him blush every instant he saw her. Her hair was in a loose bun at the nape of her neck, and something caught in his throat as he stared at the soft, bare areas of her neck where he had desperately wanted to place his lips for years.

Esther noticed him first, her eyes meeting his with parted lips, and he noticed her face went white. Gabe stopped talking, his hands still raised from gesturing, and looked at Mariel as well.

"Hello," Mariel said roughly. "Am I interrupting something?" His dark stare pierced both of them.

Both shook their head. Gabe rose to his feet and opened his arms to embrace Mariel. "Hey man, great to see you. Sit down, I'm gonna grab you coffee. Anything you want in particular?"

"Sure. Black coffee, please. Thanks, Gabe."

The blonde man bounded off and Mariel took a seat across from Esther. "Hey," he said.

"Hi," she said softly.

"How are you?"

"Better now. Gabe was driving me nuts." She reached for a napkin and began twisting it.

"I meant, regarding your brother."

"Oh." She blushed and worked her fingers faster, twisting the napkin tighter. "We are surviving, I guess. My grandma is in town so that helps. I adore her."

Mariel glanced towards the register where Gabe was purchasing the coffee. He looked back at Esther and instantly became lost in her brown eyes, which always seemed to search his mind and see right through his demeanor. "You know, he likes you, right?" He murmured, suddenly unsure of the reason he was speaking the words.

Esther's face reddened more. "No... we're friends." She began tearing at the napkin.

Mariel watched her. She seemed nervous. "Why don't you go out with him? Give him a shot maybe?"