“I’m not talking about Sloane,” Ben replied, lowering his voice. “But Gabriel? I’m not so sure.”
I glanced around the room, and then I saw her.
Our eyes met. She looked surprised to see me, then leaned in to whisper something to Gabriel. He turned his attention toward us.
And he smiled.
I was too stunned to react. I just stared at him.
“Oh, shit,” Dean muttered as we watched Gabriel start walking toward us. “He’s coming here.”
Sloane hesitated for a moment before following. One look at her face told me she didn’t think this was a good idea.
“Like I said, I don’t like the guy,” Ben muttered to Dean, scowling.
“Hey, guys,” Gabriel chirped as he reached us.
Sloane gave Dean a slight nod and offered Ben a polite smile. Then she looked at me and shook her head slightly. I knew what she meant—this wasn’t her idea, and she didn’t like it.
I gave her a small nod in return, letting her know I understood.
Gabriel, either unaware or deliberately ignoring the tension, turned to me with a grin.
“Nice to see you all here,” he said. “We just had dinner nearby, and I asked Sloane if she wanted to grab a drink. This place is within walking distance from the restaurant.”
Neither of us responded.
I was too busy watching Sloane, who was watching me back.
And in that moment, it felt like we were the only two people in the room.
Silently, I asked her:
Did you have a nice time?
Was he good to you?
Did he make you smile?
And could you please stop looking at me, because it was stirring up all kinds of feelings I wasn’t ready to deal with.
She probably had silent questions too... or maybe I just wanted to believe that.
Why was I here?
Had I had too much to drink?
Was I okay?
Then I noticed Ben watching our silent exchange, his expression softening. He blinked too quickly, like he was holding back tears.
That was enough to make Sloane and me look away from each other.
Dean finally spoke. “Yeah, but maybe you should grab a table because the place is starting to get crowded.”
“Ah, yes. You’re right,” Gabriel said as he looked around. Then he smiled at us again. “Okay, see you guys. Have a good night.”
Sloane still didn’t say anything. She just gave us a small smile, then reached out and tapped Ben’s arm lightly before following Gabriel.
