ABSOLUTION

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 5

Gabriella sat there speechless. Marc just gave her the okay to leave... Okay, this was good... Yeah, this was good. It sounded like he was going to stop interfering in her life... This was great...

She chanced a look over at Cole and bit her lip. He didn't care. He just wanted her out of his face. "Do you think he's serious?" She asked. She was not sure what to make of it.

"Have you known him to be anything but serious?" Cole replied. Gabriella shook her head. She needed to think.

"Do you mind if I leave tomorrow? It's late and..."

"Fine." He said as he unbuttoned the rest of his shirt. He was a sight that was for sure.

"Thank you." She didn't know what else to say. "Um if you're hungry I've made some stir fry..."

"I've eaten." Was his cold reply. Gabriella nodded.

"I want to pay you for the time I've been here. The food and all that stuff." She was over talking... She hated the silence.

"It's all good."

"No I insist... I'm not a charity case... Don't want to owe anybody anything." She felt hurt at how cold he really was.

"Gabriella, does it look like I need the money? It's fine... Consider it a wedding gift." And if that didn't hurt like a bitch. Gabriella looked into Cole's dark hard eyes.

"You wouldn't care... If I got married tomorrow, it wouldn't faze you in the least?"

"How would you like me to answer that Gabriella? Is there an answer you want to hear?"

"I know how you'll answer it... Don't care, don't waste my time... And all that..."

"Okay, so why ask? What exactly are you fishing for?"

"Something to let me know that you once cared for me." She said without thinking about it. "A sign that it wasn't all made up... That I didn't dream of us together..."

Cole pinched the bridge of his nose. He shook his head before he replied. "You over think it. You're getting married, you should be looking ahead." With that he stood up and headed to the stairs.

"Yeah, you do that a lot Cole... Run away..." Cole turned back and eyed her out.

"Sometimes it's better to leave things unsaid."

"Why? What difference is it going to make if you say it? It's over between us anyway I get that, I do... I'm not a moron, I know you will never get over it... Or as you so nicely like to remind me, it's not that you're not over it, it's that you don't care enough to address it..."

Gabriella stood up and faced him. She was going to do this now, if she married Leo that would be it. She would never get this chance again. At least she could get some closure... Something... Anything... At this point anything was better than nothing.

"I'm not doing this." He said shaking his head.

"Why not? I'm outta here tomorrow, why not? Say something!" Gabriella was becoming frustrated.

"Enough!" Cole's voice startled her. She wasn't expecting him to yell. "Enough..." He said in a much lighter tone. "What's done is done."

"I love you! How can you say that? I can't stop loving you Cole..."

"Loving me? Come on Gabriella... Loving me... With love like yours..." He shook his head.

"I fucked up. I know I did... I hate myself for it. I wish I could turn back time, I wish I could take it all back... Hurting you, hurting Arianna... Hurting myself... Hating myself..." She felt her tears fall. How pathetic.