Page 66 of The Replay
“Anytime,” she says, her lips quirking up into a smirk. “Now, seriously, go home and call your man back before he blows up your phone again. You know he’s not gonna let it go.”
I pick up my phone, glancing at Gabriel’s missed call with a new sense of clarity. She’s right. He won’t let it go—because he cares. Because he loves me. And I need to show him I feel the same, that I trust him with all of me, the good and the broken.
cecilia
. . .
I pullup to Gabriel's house, a knot tightening in my chest. This conversation can’t wait, but my hands still shake as I knock on the door. The seconds drag, my stomach churning as I try to figure out how to fix this mess. When the door finally swings open, it's not Gabriel standing there.
It’s Felix, his broad grin quickly shifting into a frown when he sees my face. “Hey, what's up?” he greets, leaning casually against the doorframe. “Gabe’s not here.”
My heart sinks. “Do you know where he went?” I ask, my voice tight.
“No clue. I thought he was with you.” Felix offers me a sympathetic shrug. “Wanna come in and wait? I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”
I hesitate, but the last thing I want to do right now is sit in Gabriel’s house, drowning in my own thoughts. “That’s okay. I’ll just head home and give him a call later.”
Felix watches me for a moment, concern flashing in his dark eyes, but he nods and steps back. “Alright. I’ll let him know you stopped by, yeah?”
I give him a weak smile, turning back toward my Jeep. My head’s spinning. My thoughts are all over the place and my gut is screaming at me to call Gabriel. But I don’t. Some things ... they just need to be said face-to-face.
The drive back home feels longer than it should. My mind replays the argument we had last night, over and over. Each time, my chest tightens a little more. What if he’s done with me? What if I pushed him too far this time?
I pull into the driveway, and my heart skips a beat. Gabriel’s here, sitting on my porch steps, his elbows on his knees, his head hanging low like the weight of the world rests on his shoulders.
I freeze for a second before quickly turning off the ignition. He looks ... wrecked. Haggard, like he hasn’t slept.
This isn’t how I pictured our conversation starting. I had this whole plan. I’d apologize. I’d tell him I was wrong and that I want him to come to the sentencing with me. But now, seeing him like this, so worn down ... I don’t know where to begin.
Gabriel lifts his head as I step out of the Jeep, his red, bloodshot eyes locking onto mine. My heart stutters, guilt twisting inside me like a knife.
“Hey,” I give him a small wave, approaching him with slow and measured steps.
Gabriel’s jaw is tight when he looks at me. Slowly, he pushes to his feet. “I can’t do this shit anymore.” His voice is rough, and his words slice through me like a blade. My breath catches in my throat.He’s breaking up with me.The thought is like a punch to the gut. My eyes sting with unshed tears, but I force them back.
Now isn’t the time to fall apart.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, my voice barely audible.
He shakes his head, frustration tightening his features. “I called you six times, Cecilia. Six.”
I flinch. The guilt digs in deeper, hollowing me out. “I?—”
He cuts me off, his voice rising with every word. “I knew you needed space last night, so I gave it to you. But today? I called you, and you didn’t answer. I show up here, and your parents say you’re not home. That you left early and didn’t tell them where you were going.” His voice cracks, pain etched across his face. Frustration bleeds through his every word.
The anguish in his eyes makes my chest tighten. I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. There’s nothing I can say to make this right.
“Do you remember what happened the last time I couldn’t get a hold of you?” Gabriel’s tone hardens, his jaw clenching. “Do you remember how sick with worry I was when you went missing?”
Tears prick the back of my eyes, my chest squeezing tighter, but I swallow them down. My feet shuffle back, a small retreat.
Gabriel’s frustration snaps, “Do you have any idea what’s been running through my head all day? Every fucked-up possibility. Every goddamn nightmare I’ve tried to push away. You could’ve been hurt, taken again by Holt’s fucked up family … or worse.”
His words cut deep, and I start to shrink into myself, folding in like I can somehow hide from the weight of his anger, the intensity of his pain.
But my reaction only makes things worse.
“Don’t do that,” he snaps, stepping forward, his voice raw. “Don’t act like you’re afraid of me when you know ... you fuckingknowI would never hurt you.”
