Mending (6 page)

“Well, I wouldn’t be so sure of
yourself
.  I can tell that it’s taking you as much self-control to not touch me as it is for me to not touch you.”

“
Oh
, I’ll be fine.” Gabby narrowed her eyes.

“Well, if I have anything to say about it, you won’t be.”

Gabby shook her he
ad as she let out a small laugh.
“Sounds like a challenge? 
Ya
know I told Sam earlier that I worried this was just about the challenge for you.  Is it?”

“And, I thought I told you yesterday that it wasn’t.”

“But, are you sure?”

“Gabby, I’m sure.  Let’s please quit wasting precious time on this topic.  I find you challenging, but that’s not why I want to be with you.  There’s more to it than that.”

“Okay. S
orry.” Gabby looked down at her fidgeting fingers.

B
radley pulled her
chin
up.
“Don’t be.  Let’s just let that go, please.”

Gabby smiled.  “Alright, so where were we?  Texts, emails, phone calls?”

“Yes, and every other weekend.”

“Are you going to come to me or am I supposed to go to you?  Obviously gas is an issue for me.”

“No, gas is a non-issue.  What do you say we take turns and alternate your place and mine?”

“That sounds fair.”

The waitress walked over and placed two plates with extra napkins down in the center of the
table.   Bradley paused, patiently waiting
for her to place the items down
,
and nodding politely sent her on her way.

He turned back to Gabby
and playfully tapped her nose. 
“So, when is the next time I’ll get to see you then?”

The gesture made Gabby smile
and tilt her head.  “So, does this new arrangement
start
this weekend or next weekend? 
T
he every other weekend thing?”

“I vote for us to see each other next weekend and then start it the week after.
” 
Bradley winked.
  “
I don’t think this weekend should count.”

Gabby giggled.  “Are you going to be making the rules up as you go along Mr. Banks?”

“I just might.  Will you complain, Miss
Gerhart
?”

“Hmm.
  If you make up the rules as you go, are you really playing fair?”

“I never said I play fair, Miss
Gerhart
.  I do get what I want, though.” He picked up his glass.  His lips curved in a smile around th
e rim.  He winked as he took a sip
.

Gabby was trying to stay focused on the conversation because all of his cute gestures were making her melt.  She was so confused about him.  Shaking her head she said,
“Alright, so since you came here this weekend, am I coming to Atlanta next weekend?”

“I would love for you to come to Atlanta next weekend.  Why don’t you see if you can bring Sam with you?  I want to introduce her to my
friend, Ryan
.”

Gabby pursed her lips before saying,
“You mean, as in you want to set them up?”

“Yes, I think they would be perfect together.  I think you’ll agree when y
ou meet him.  He’s a resident
.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for Sam to get involved with someone so far
away,
or
even
at all right now.”

“Why is that?”

“The obvious.
  She just started med school and that is so all-consuming.  Besides, she won’t have the time to go back and forth like me.”

He tilted his head. 
“Well, why don’t you let her decide that
for herself?
”

“Okay, I’ll ask her.  What about therapy?”

“I’ll arrange that first thing Monday morning.  You two will have to do that on weekends that we aren’t together
or arrange for therapy during the week
.”

“You mean you don’t want to tag along to therapy with two emotionally screwed up girls?” She chuckled.

“Don’t talk about yourself like that.  There are a lot of people far more screwed up than you.
”  He rubbed his knuckles down her cheek and inhaled sharply.  “Besides, I think you’ll find you’ll mend
just fine.”

She l
eaned into his touch, whispering.
“You really think that?”

He
broke the contact and she realized she had been holding her breath. 
Was she going to have any will power where he was concerned
?  He held an oyster up to her mouth. 
“Of course.
  Open up.”

She did as she was told, grinning
as it slid down her throat.

The conversation came easy for the rest of dinner.  Bradley would feed her bits and pieces from his steam pot
,
as he had promised her.  It was difficult for either of them to keep their hands
to themselves
.  They would occasionally brush fingertips or lean into one another and give a playful nudge.

When they finished, Bradley paid and offered his hand for her to crawl out of the booth.  Because Gabby had school the next day back in Columbia, Bradley took her home as soon as they were done. 

He
opened the door for Gabby after they arrived back at Sam’s house.  They slowly walked to the door much more comfortable with each other than they had been even the night before.  When they reached the front porch, Gabby turned with her head down.  Bradley gently lifted her chin.  “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing.”

“That’s not true.  You’re sad.”

Gabby glanced
up towards him. 
“Maybe.”

Bradley pushed her hair on both sides back behind her ears. “You have nice hair, but it’s always covering
up your beautiful face.  What
might
have you sad?”

Gabby blinked slowly drinking in his touch and his words.  “I really like being with you.
  The past two days have been…well...”  Gabby shook her head.  “T
hey’ve been too good to be true.”

Bradley cocked his head to the
side and furrowed his eye brows.
“But, they are true.  Nothing can change that.”

“I know, but I just worry that I’m going to be let down after you leave.”

“How many times do we have to discuss this
, Gabby?”  He sighed, “
I told you we’ll try and we’ll see how it goes.  If it’s not working, at least we’ll know we tried.  All I want is for us to try.”

Ga
bby smiled a shy smile and nodded
her head
. “I know, okay.  Try.  You haven’t
even
asked for
my email or phone number,
though.
”

Pulling his phone out, he swiped the screen and opened up the contact list.  She was surprised when he showed it to her.  “I got it from Sam the day I called h
er and asked when you were coming home
.”

Gabby’s
jaw dropped.  “You’ve had my number and my email all this time?” 

“Yes, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve opened it and almost pressed the button to call you
, but
chickened out.” He smiled a half smile while shrugging his shoulders.  “Sometimes I just look at your name and think about you
…about the
night at the wedding.”

Gabby glanced from the phon
e up into his tender blue eyes.  She couldn’t help but smile.  He was proving to be far more than she ever expected. 
“That is so sweet.  Are you just trying to be charming?”

“I don’t have to try to be charming.
” He raised an eyebrow.  “I am charming.”  He let out a small laugh, grinning, as he put
his phone away.

Ga
bby giggled
and nudged him
.
“You’re something, alright.”

“Oh you have no idea.” He pulled her into a hug.  “S
o I’ll email you so you’ll have my info when I get back to the hotel. I’ll call tomorrow and arrange for the therapy to start.” He inhaled sharply and gently caressed her cheek.

Gabby closed her eyes and savored his touch.
“Thank you again for everything.  Goodnight.”

He moved his hand to behind her neck and leaned in and placed a long kiss on her forehead, “Goodnight.”

He turned on his heel and walked towards his car. 
Gabby’s
breathing was ragged as she watched him confidently turn back towards her to get in the car and wave.  “See you next week.”

She waved b
ack with a huge grin.
“Next week.”

C
hapter 5

January 14, 2011 ~ 12:35pm

The
Present
  ~
  Gabby

Gabby sank back against the cold metal wall of the elevator as it quickly plunged down towards the ground floor of Bradley’s apartment building.  She was unable to hold back her tears any longer.  Sobbing, she ran out of the entrance to her car as quickly as she could.  As she approached her car she grabbed her keys and unlocked the door.  She fumbled to start the ignition as she was looking over her left shoulder to back out of the parking
place.  She pulled
her seat belt and fastened it.  Throwi
ng the car into gear, she quickly jerked the car i
nto the street. 

One thing Sam had always told her when teaching her to drive was to never drive while you were crying.  Overcome with emotion, she decided to pull over to gain her composure.  Gabby hated crying.  She stopped at the nearest gas station to fill her tank.  As soon as the car was stopped in front of the pump she leaned her
head onto the tops of her knuckles because her hands
were still gripping the steering wheel full force.  She sobbed. 

She wasn’t sure how many minutes had passed when someone beeped their horn at her.  She was taking up space at a valuable pump in downtown Atlanta.  She looked into the rearview mirror and wiped the tears away from her reddened eyes with her palms, inhaling
a
deep breath.  She cut the engine and grabbed her debit card, opening the door to begin pumping her gas.

After filling her
tank, she climbed back into her car and pulled back onto the highway.  Before she knew it she was back on I-285 driving towards I-20.  She was driving home.  Her chest was tight and while she had been able to stop crying, she was still sighing and her breath was hitched.  She hated the way she felt after she cried so hard.  She was exhausted
and her eyes hurt
.  Bradley had been right.  Driving home tonight was not the smartest decision she had ever made, but there was no way that she could admit that to him.  As much as the thought of things being over with them hurt, she knew being near him would hurt so much worse.