Page 182 of Claim Me
"Wow, it’s not common for employers to care about what happens to their employees after they leave."
Blue doesn’t respond, but something subtle flickers across his face.
"You’re kinda amazing."
Blue slowly turns, and heads for the door, but before he opens it, he tosses this over his shoulder,
"If you like that about me, that’s already enough of a reward."
His answer surprises me. Does my opinion really mean that much to him? On one hand, he maintains his reserved demeanor, but on the other, brief but intense responses slip through the cracks in his walls. No matter how hard I try, even with the Bond between us, I can’t seem to touch what’s hidden inside the fortress Blue has built inside himself.
Then Blue leaves, and I stay alone in the bathroom, wondering about the puzzle he is.
And this thing with Marcel… I close my eyes for a second. I hope this storm will pass without thunders.
BLUE
I can see that Marcel’s call really shook Gabriel.
That evening, when I come back from the shower, I find him standing by the window in his room, staring out at the darkened city, his thoughts clearly far away from here.
He looks good, wearing only black sweatpants, his bare torso exposed. The defined lines of his muscles shifting beneath his skin draw my gaze.
But his somber mood stops me from acting on it.
"The day after tomorrow I have to fly to Japan for a meeting. I already postponed it once, and I can’t delay it any longer. The contract has to be finalized," I inform him.
"Of course."
We stand there for a moment, now both looking out the window, Gabriel glancing at me briefly, almost out of the corner of his eye, before speaking carefully.
"The holidays are coming to an end. Would it be alright if we visited my parents? It's just that… I always spent the holidays at home, and I don’t feel entirely right not seeing them at all."
I blink; his words slightly surprise me.
"Of course, Gabriel. I was planning to visit my own parents as well. As you know, your ankle monitor is connected to the sensor in my glasses, so you can take them with you and go see them. I have a spare pair."
Gabriel turns to me abruptly. "But why would I go there alone? First of all, I don’t want to leave you without protection, and second, I… I…" He trails off, his cheeks reddening. "I’d like you to come with me."
I fall silent for a moment, an uneasy feeling settling in my chest. Deep inside me, a strange kind of stress begins to build at the thought of being judged by people who are so close to Gabriel. They don’t know we’re True Mates yet. They may see me as a man who keeps their son in servitude, or worse, as someone carrying out a punishment that will last an entire decade.
This subtle unease is quite unfamiliar. Me, caring what others think? But for some reason, the idea that the parents of my fated mate might hate me bothers me. Still, once they learn we’re fated, all of that should disappear… Though it may not work quite that magically.
"You want to introduce me to your parents as your mate?" I ask tentatively.
Gabriel immediately looks flustered, biting his lip.
"I mean, I’d like to. But I remember our agreement about discretion, so I can leave it for later if you’d prefer."
He must notice how long I remained silent, because it seems to make him even more nervous, and he quickly adds,
"Maybe it really would be better if, for now, you showed up there just as… my boss, who’s doing me a favor and visiting my family during the holidays so I don’t have trouble with the ankle monitor."
I could object now and say we could handle it differently, but something in me decides to accept that version, for peace of mind.
"Alright. Maybe it will be better if they get to know me first without the weight of the TM situation."
Gabriel nods slowly, and I immediately know this isn’t what he actually wants. But for now, the decision is made.
