Chosen For Life

Chapter 22

Friday, May 19th, 12:43pm

Mitra

I knew Leila had no intention of leaving Makari the day she saw me at the restaurant. I didn't have the courage to tell Gabe and Ariel that I saw her there, not knowing what would've happened if I did.

That night we went back to Jaxon and Ariel's, while Gabe told Jaxon that he saw her. I stayed out of it as I didn't want to let anything slip. Though I had a pretty good idea of where they ran off to, I needed to get there by myself.

Jaxon hardly ever left his room, none of us really knowing what he was doing that would take up almost all of his time. Sometimes, Ariel would be in there too, but I kept my distance. I knew it had something to do with getting Leila back, and I wasn't interested. After all, Makari was still my brother, and if it ever came down to having to choose between him and the others, it was always going to be him.

"Are you hungry?" I almost jumped, being pulled out of my daydream. I looked up at Gabe holding a plate of food. "Yeah, sure." I replied. Jaxon and Ariel had a room upstairs that didn't really have any furniture, except a day bed next to the window. I sat here a lot, whether to think or to admire the view.

I held the plate in my hand as Gabe took a seat at my feet. He brought his hand to my leg, beginning to massage my calf. "Why have you been so distant?" He asked me, as I began to eat the food he brought me. I shrugged, "I don't know, I just don't really feel like contributing to this hunt for Leila thing." He nodded, as we sat in a silence for a while.

Ever since our last talk, Gabe and I have been in this weird in between of being friends or being more than friends stage. I never brought it up, as I didn't want to complicate it by putting labels on it. We hadn't really talked about the fact that I was pregnant, either. But there more and more time we spent together, I was less and less sure that I really wanted an abortion.

"I have to go for a while." I blurted out, without thinking. I watched as Gabe snapped his head in my direction, his eyebrows furrowing together. "What do you mean for a while?" He asked me, his hand no longer moving up and down my calf.

"I...just...Proserpina. They asked me to do something for them," I lied, "by myself." I added, watching Gabe's facial expression remain the same.

"Why can't I come with you?" He asked me, lifting his hand away from my leg as he placed it in his lap. "You just can't..." I replied. Great reasoning, Mitra, I thought to myself.

"Don't worry about it, I'll be back within a week or so." I said, placing my plate on the window sill next to me.

I watched him as his eyes didn't leave mine, the same frown staying on his face. I stared back at him, not letting any emotions take over my face. There was no way I was going to take him with me to see Leila and Makari, knowing that he would
one-hundred-percent tell Jaxon and Ariel the minute he saw them. It wasn't his fault, though, knowing that that is what he's here for anyway.

"Okay." He said plainly, before getting up from the day bed and making his way out of the room, slamming the door on the way out. I cringed at the slam, before letting out a sigh. I knew he would be upset, but there's no changing my mind. This is something I had to do without the guardians.

-

7:14pm

Gabe didn't talk to me for the rest of the night. I felt the tension between us each time we crossed paths, but there really wasn't anything more to talk about. I didn't have anymore excuses to make, either, and I was afraid the more I talked the more I would expose myself.

I had a duffel bag on my bed, packing a few different items of clothing and the basic necessities. I didn't know how long I would be gone for, and I wanted to be prepared.

I placed my toothbrush on top of the pile of clothes as I heard the door to the bedroom open. I watched Gabe make his way to the other side of the bed,  plopping himself onto the bed and laying down. He flipped over, turning his back to me as I watched him scroll through his phone. I let out a small chuckle, before continuing to pack my bag. He's more of a drama queen than I am.

I slid my sweatpants off my body before pulling on a pair of jeans. I pulled my shirt over my head and off my body, grabbing a plain white t-shirt and putting it on. I threw my old shirt at Gabe, and watched as he didn't even flinch as it landed on his shoulder. I shook my head as I zipped up my duffel bag, grabbing a black zip up hoodie and throwing it on. I sat down on the bed, sliding on my white slip-on sneakers. "Do I at least get a goodbye?" I asked Gabe, a smirk growing on my lips. I heard him scoff in response, before silence took over the room again. Standing back up, I threw my duffel bag over my shoulder, grabbing my phone and car keys.

"Well, I'm leaving. I will see you soon." I said, turning to leave.

I made my way out of the house as quietly as possible. I didn't need Ariel or Jaxon questioning me anymore than Gabe already had.

With nothing but the sound of crickets and the jingle of my keys as I walked to my car, I heard the front door of the house slam before hearing footsteps walking in my direction.

I turned around to see Gabe in front of me. Out of breath, he stood there, not saying a word. I looked up at him, waiting for him to say something. He had the same glare as the first time I told him I was leaving, so I waited. I knew he wouldn't run out here to just stare at me as I left.

Almost immediately as that thought left my head, I watched as his gaze softened, and he made his way over to stand right in front of me. Pulling me into his embrace, he wrapped his arms around me as I did the same. I pressed my cheek against his chest as he rested his head on mine.

"Be careful." He mumbled, placing his lips on the crown of my head. "I always am," I replied, looking up at him. I smiled as he rolled his eyes in response, "No, you're not." He answered, looking down at me. I looked up at his usual brown eyes, that looked closer to black as they reflected the dark setting surrounding us. Lifting myself up on the tip of my toes, I planted my lips on his, before pulling away.

"I'll be back before you know it," I said, pulling away from his arms. He nodded once, catching my hand before it fell at my sides. I turned to leave, my hand following after me as he let it go.

I started to feel guilty for keeping him in the dark about this whole seeing Leila and Makari thing, but it wasn't that big of a deal. I just wanted to see Makari and Leila before they left again, farther and farther away from the rest of us. Makari was smart, and I knew he planned on taking Leila as far as he could.

I opened my car door, placing my duffel bag in the passenger seat. Shutting the door as I sat down, I let out a sigh, dreading the long car ride ahead of me.

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:)