10. Perfect Pairing
perfect pairing
Gabriel
The tour was over.
The bus sat in the Tadoussac parking lot, empty of people but full of memories. Gabriel stood beside it, watching the team load their final bags, and felt the strange bittersweetness of endings.
Kayla was coordinating ride shares. Clara was editing one last TikTok. Darnell had already said his goodbyes, a firm handshake, a nod, and a quiet "Good luck, man" that somehow meant everything.
And Marnie.
Marnie was inside the venue, finishing a phone call with her boss. The call she'd been dreading all morning.
Gabriel checked his phone for the third time in five minutes.
Luc: So??? Did you kiss her???
Gabriel: Yes
Luc: FINALLY
Luc: When am I meeting her?
Gabriel: Soon
Luc: Tante élise is already planning the family dinner
Gabriel: Of course she is
Luc: She's making tourtière. This is serious.
Gabriel smiled and pocketed his phone just as Marnie emerged from the venue. She looked tired but lighter somehow, like she'd set down something heavy.
"How'd it go?" he asked.
She walked straight into his arms. "I still have a job."
"That's good."
"He wasn't happy about the relationship thing.
Said it 'complicated the professional narrative.
'" She pulled back to look at him. "But the campaign metrics are through the roof.
Social media engagement is up three hundred percent.
We've had inquiries from distributors, event planners, and tourism boards.
So he's willing to overlook the complication. "
"Very generous of him."
"I told him if he had a problem with it, he could find a new marketing manager."
Gabriel's eyebrows shot up. "You did not."
"I did. Very politely. Very professionally. But I did." She smiled, looking slightly stunned at herself. "And it felt amazing."
He kissed her forehead. "I'm proud of you."
"Don't be. I'm still terrified I just made a huge mistake."
"You didn't."
"How do you know?"
"Because you chose what you wanted instead of what was safe. That's never a mistake."
She rested her head against his chest. "When did you get so wise?"
"I had a good teacher. She's very organized. Makes excellent spreadsheets."
"She sounds intense."
"She's perfect."
Marnie huffed a laugh against his shirt.
Kayla approached, phone in hand as always. "Okay, final logistics! Gabriel, your ride to the Eastern Townships leaves in twenty minutes. Marnie, you're heading back to Niagara with the rental van, should be here in thirty."
Marnie tensed slightly in Gabriel's arms.
"Twenty minutes," she said quietly.
"We'll figure it out," Gabriel murmured. "I promise."
* * *
They spent the next fifteen minutes sitting on the bus steps, Maurice napping between them, trying to plan a future that neither of them had any experience planning.
"I could come to the Townships next weekend," Marnie said. "If you're free."
"I'm free. I'll show you the fromagerie. You can meet Tante élise."
"Is that terrifying? Meeting your aunt?"
"Extremely. She's going to interrogate you about your intentions."
Marnie smiled. "That'll go over well."
"She'll love you. She already does."
"She doesn't know me."
"She knows you make me happy. That's enough."
Marnie was quiet for a moment. "What if this doesn't work? What if the distance is too much or we realize we're better as friends or..."
"Marnie."
"What?"
"You're spiraling."
"I know. I can't help it."
Gabriel took her hand. "We're going to take it one day at a time. Some days will be hard. Some days we'll miss each other. But we'll figure it out as we go."
"That's not a plan."
"No. It's not."
"I hate it."
"I know."
"But I'm willing to try."
He kissed her knuckles. "That's all we need."
A car horn honked. Gabriel's ride.
"That's me," he said, not moving.
"You should go."
"In a minute."
They sat for another beat, neither wanting to be the first to stand.
Finally, Marnie said, "This is ridiculous. It's not like we're never going to see each other again."
"I know."
"It's just a week."
"Less than a week. I'll see you Friday."
"Friday," she repeated, like she was committing it to memory.
Gabriel stood, pulling her up with him. "Come here."
He kissed her, slow and thorough and full of promise. When they broke apart, Marnie was smiling.
"That's a good goodbye," she said.
"That's a 'see you soon.'"
"Even better."
He grabbed his duffel, scooped up Maurice, and started toward the car. Then stopped and turned back.
"Hey, Marnie?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For taking a chance. For being brave. For choosing me."
Her smile was soft, genuine. "Thank you for waiting."
"Always."