22. Carly
CHAPTER 22
CARLY
D espite all of Gabe’s reassurances, I’m still nervous. I’m usually great at acting like I know what I’m doing at parties. I usually thrive off the challenge of being whoever I need to be to fit in.
But this is a challenge unlike any I’ve ever faced before.
At least normally, when I come to things like this, I know what I’m getting myself into. Millionaires are easy to please with the same old tired jokes. It’s easy to be there in conversation without even listening to a single word they’re saying. It’s all the same: showboating, big talk.
Here, though, I know I’m being judged for absolutely everything I do.
It’s why I’m standing in the corner sipping on a drink with a low alcohol content. I definitely need to be in my right mind if I’m going to navigate this one without embarrassing myself.
It helps that Gabe doesn’t seem entirely at ease either. I get the feeling that these are people he hasn’t seen in years, and he’s remembering now why he hasn’t seen them in years and that he doesn’t actually want to see them now. But it’s too late and we agreed to come, so he’s doing his best to be sociable.
He’s also drunk at least three beers, which is another reason why I’m taking it easy. At least one of us needs the ability to drive home tonight, and I’m quickly getting the feeling that it’s not going to be him.
Something I am good at, though, is standing and observing. So that’s what I’m going to do, keep out of the way and watch. If I didn’t know him, I’d think that Gabe was exactly like all the rest of these guys, small-town and simple.
Not only is that an unfair thought, but it’s also completely wrong. These are clearly the guys who think they’re better than everyone else, the ones who must have fallen into some sort of elite social category at school and decided that meant they were destined to be the best forever.
The discomfort is radiating off Gabe too as he stands and chats with them, flinching every time they try to draw him into their jokes and some comments when he clearly doesn’t want to be led.
Gabe heads to the bar for another drink, then slides his way over to me. “You okay?” he asks, sipping his beer.
“I’m a bit overwhelmed,” I admit.
“Like I said, you have nothing to be worried about. These are guys I knew at school, who never grew out of the popular-footballer mentality. I don’t even know why I agreed to this.”
“Because you don’t want to be a recluse your whole life,” I remind him.
He nods with a frown. “Because you don’t want me to be a recluse my whole life.”
“Hey, this has nothing to do with me.”
He raises both eyebrows as if to say this has everything to do with you . “I’ve changed since I met you,” he says suddenly.
“You have?”
He nods and swallows like he’s got something stuck in his throat. “Don’t be smug about this, but you reminded me what the point of being alive is. That there is a purpose to having friends, to having other people in your life. I think I needed that.”
If we weren’t in public, I would have kissed him. Instead, I tighten my grip on my cup and smile. “Gabe, that was all you. All I did was show up.”
“I’m glad you did,” he says quietly.
“Flattery will get you everywhere.” We share a smile, and I add, “I like this side of you. Makes a nice change from grumpy.”
With that, he lets his face drop into an exaggerated frown, which is good because less than a heartbeat later, his so-called friend Jensen is standing behind us. “Well, if it isn’t the lovebirds.”
“You could not have a more wrong idea about what is going on here if you tried,” says Gabe.
I don’t let my smile waver, but a small part of my heart aches with how strongly Gabe is denying any relationship we might have.
Jensen looks me up and down. “You’re what? Designer? Flower girl?”
“Wedding planner,” I say. It’s clear enough that he already knew that, and he was trying to provoke me. But unluckily for him, I’ve dealt with many people a lot more annoying than him, so I know how not to rise to the bait. “And you’re what? A barista?”
“Gabe’s friend,” he bristles. “I’ve known Gabe since we were thirteen years old and he was skinny and pathetic. It was me who made him try out for the football team, and, well. Look how well that ended for both of us. I’ve been making a name for myself out there.”
I notice Gabe rolling his shoulders back and standing up straighter, clearly unhappy with the implication that Jensen has achieved more than him. In truth, I doubt it. Jensen just knows how to brag in the right ways. I’ve met hundreds of men like this, and they’re all equally as irritating.
“We were wondering,” says Jensen to me with a smile that gives away his trap. “How long it would take for him to find a girl who could put up with him. Most of us gave up on him long ago.”
He and the gaggle of men who have come to surround us laugh at that, and I noticed Gabe clench his fists, trying not to react. No wonder he’s not spoken to these people in years if this is how they treat him.
“He’s been nothing but a gentleman to me,” I say, jutting out my chin. “He’s been kinder than anyone else in this town.”
Jensen raises both eyebrows. “Fighting talk. You might think you like him now, but you watch. I can guarantee he’ll let you down. He’s never managed to keep a woman for longer than a year because they all realize, in the end, he’s not capable of a real relationship.”
Gabe takes a deep breath, and I step in front of him, mostly to stop him from lashing out and punching Jensen.
“We’re not in a relationship,” he growls from behind me.
“And even if we were, would it matter?” I add. “He’s allowed to make choices about his own life. No wonder he stopped hanging out with you guys if you’re all this cruel and obsessed with yourselves.”
The group lets out a collective ohh at the comeback, and Jensen mutters something I don’t quite hear as he backs away, slinking off to the bar.
“Ignore him,” says Gabe roughly. “He’s had too much to drink.”
“So have you,” I say. I’m not upset, but the confrontation has left my heart pounding. “Promise me you won’t hit him.”
“He’s not worth it,” mutters Gabe, downing the last of his beer. “We shouldn’t have come out tonight. I’m sorry for subjecting you to these dumbasses.”
“You didn’t know this would happen. You thought maybe they changed. Just because they proved you wrong doesn’t mean you were wrong to try.”
He says nothing, slamming his glass down onto the nearest table, glaring after Jensen.
“Don’t let them bother you,” he says like he hasn’t heard me. “They’re just trying to wind me up because they think we’re together, and they think it’s funny to try and annoy me about it.”
“I see,” I say softly. I want to ask him what that means we really are, but hearing him say so out loud might break my heart.
Maybe some other time I’ll be brave enough to confirm what we are, but not here, not now. The last thing I want is for Jensen to see me cry and be proven right.
I don’t ever want him to think that Gabe has let me down.