Until Her...

Chapter Seventy-Nine

I stare up at Gabriel as we stand outside of Avery's bedroom, "You ready?"
"No" My friends have got a lot of opinions about Gabriel and I, and we won't have a start fresh if we can't put it all behind us.
"It will be fine" I give him a reassuring kiss and I knock on Avery's door, but I let myself in. And before we can do any kind of greeting Avery and Eli go straight to angry defensive mode.
"What is he doing here?" She barks at me.
"I came to talk to Eli" Gabriel tells her.
"I've got nothing to say to him" Eli says ignoring Gabriel.
He grabs my hand for support, "Look man I'm sorry for last night okay"
"You think I give a shit about that? It's Norah I care about. All you've done is treat her like shit and I won't have it" He stands up from the bed, squaring his shoulders at Gabriel.
"Eli please, just hear him out" I beg.
"Are you two back together?" Avery asks clearly not happy about it.
"Yes" Gabriel
"After everything he's said, all he's done?" Eli asks equally as annoyed with me.
"We've both made mistakes. But we talked everything through, and we're giving this another chance" I tell them, hoping they'll accept it and move on.
"Everything?" Avery directs specifically to Gabriel. He doesn't reply but gives her this look instead. I've never seen it before. Maybe its a look they've gotten used to over the years?
"Why?" Elijah asks directing my attention away from them.
"Because I love him. And he loves me"
"I get it, I'd hate me to if I were you guys. I said and did shit to Norah that I regret, but she's forgiven me. And I've forgiven her for everything she's done to me" Gabriel explains.
"If you hurt her I swear to god I will fucking kill you. I don't care if you're my friend, I'll do it" Avery says trying to be all hard and tough, but she's too adorable to take it seriously.
"I believe you" Gabriel laughs lightly at her, and I can tell Avery's okay with us.
"Eli?"
"Come on man, I really am sorry" Gabriel tells him.
"You're sure this is what you want" Eli asks me avoiding Gabriel.
I look up at my boyfriend giving him a big smile, "He's worth it" And he smiles back.
"Fine" Elijah sighs. I know he wants what's best for me, and he's making sure it's what I really want. He told me to fight for Gabriel if I wanted him, so I did. And I'm glad that there both going to be supportive of it, butt the atmosphere in the room is still weird as Avery keeps staring at Gabriel.
"What?" He finally snaps at her.
"You really did a number on his face" Avery gives Elijah a fist pump, and playfully laughs at Gabriel, "Your face is really fucked"
"It was a lucky shot" Gabriel defends himself. To be honest neither of them look particularly great, both black and bruised.
"You wish, you're just too slow" Elijah digs in a joking manner
"Do wanna guys wanna catch a movie or something?" I suggest.
"We could go bowling?" Avery says. She loves bowling more than anyone I've ever met.
"No, were not doing that" Gabriel says looking at me, remembering.
"Because you lost last time?" I remind him.
"I let you win, how else was I supposed to get you to like me" he says and plants a quick kiss on my lips.
"Bowling sounds great" Eli says uncomfortably. I think Gabriel and I being this way in front of him and Avery might make things awkward for them. So we'll keep the PDA to a minimum.
"Great let's go" I snap up to break the vibe in the room.

...

GABRIEL AND ELIJAH go to the bar to get some food and drink while Avery and I sit in front of our lane. Taking off our bowling shoes.
"How are you doing" I ask her, wanting to catch up on everything that's been going on in her life.
"I'm doing great" she says her pitch getting really high, telling me that she's lying.
"Avery" I grab her hand to stop her, and she looks blue.
"I'm not going to lie and pretend that it's easy cause it's not" she says downcast.
"I know that, I'm sorry"
"You shouldn't be, I'm happy things worked out with you guy. Gabriel and I never would have worked, seeing you together proves that" she squeezes my hand.
"Still it can't be easy. But I'm grateful that your trying" I tell her, grateful for doing all of this for me.
"You fell in love with him, you couldn't help it. It just happened" She says shifting her gaze towards Elijah whose laughing at the bar.
"I know about what happened between you and Eli" I tell her not wanting to keep secrets from her anymore.
"You do?" Her eyes light up with alarm.
"Yes, Elijah told me about what he said to you. But I kind of knew before then. The way he was around you" I confess to her.
"I wish he'd never said anything" she starts running her hand over her forehead, infuriated by the situation.
"Do you really?" I ask her and she gets more animated with her gestures.
"It's made things so awkward between us. I mean he keeps picking fights with me, and we never fight"
"He's just hurt give him time" I explain to her. It's hard to be rejected, and Elijah feels things so deeply.
"I didn't mean to lead him on"
"You didn't"
"I must have done something to make him like me that way" She feels bad, thinking she's deliberately made him like her.
"He told me it's because you weren't trying to be anybody but yourself. That you're beautiful, refreshingly honest and fun to be around. And I agree with him... that's why I love you"
"Why did he go off on me at the party them" she asks.
"Cause he was angry with the way you were treating me. He felt like you were starting to act like Emilia and those other girls"
She looks at me with guilty and regretful expression, "I'm really sorry for all the things I've said and done to you. The way Emilia spoke to you at the party, I felt so culpable about that. I never should have told her those things your family, I only said it cause I was angry and hurt"
"It was a pretty shitty thing to do, but I get why you did it. It's not like I didn't deserve it"
"You didn't, but I said it all anyway. I should've stopped them or said something"
"I forgive you Avery, how could I not you've forgiven me for worse" I explain to her and she gives me a hug as we're both starting to get overly emotional.
"Does it bother you? Gabriel and I?" she asks me out of the blue.
I answer candidly, "A little, I know it's stupid cause it was a long time ago. But it's hard you know"
"I've never seen him this way not even with ..." she stops herself, "...well with anyone"
"I don't know why it bothers me so much, but it does. He's the only person I've been with. Yet we can't go to the supermarket without running into someone he's slept with"
"You had sex with him? When?" she asks completely shocked. I forgot that she didn't know this information.
"Right before Christmas" I thought she'd be more excited for me than this, as she's usually my personal champion when it comes to sex. Just as I have things I can discuss with her, she's acting weird about it. Is it because of my virginity? Because it's Gabriel?
"Norah, I need to tell you something" she says looking down, picking at her nails.
"I mean who puts peanut butter on a burger, that's just weird" Gabriel says, coming over with our drinks.
"Don't knock it till you try it. It's seriously good, with the bacon jam as well. Life changer" Elijah laughs and the boys continue talking but I don't really listen.
"Avery..." I whisper.
"We can talk about it later" she smiles at me, but I can't help but feel like it's forced.
"Everything okay?" Gabriel whispers to me.
"Not sure"
"Here you go Avery" Eli says passing her drink, but avoiding her gaze.
"Thanks" So this is the awkwardness she was talking about.