Just before he’s about to close the door to their room, his phone buzzes with an incoming call.Figures,Gabriel scoffs to himself, as he glances at the screen. Speak of the devil and she’ll come running, and all that. The illuminated ‘Mother’ taunting him in its timing. His heart hammers in his chest.
“Sorry,” he manages to mutter to James, vaguely gesturing toward the hallway. “I gotta take this.”
It’s not before he’s made sure that the door’s properly closed and he’s alone in the hallway that he swipes across his phone to accept the call. Dread’s already pooling at the base of his spine. “Good evening, mother.”
“Gabriel!” His mother’s shrill voice sends goosebumps across his forearms. “Why did I just get word that you declined our invitations?”
He sighs. “Because I’m on holiday. I put that on my RSVPs.”
“That silly road trip thing? Darling, that’s not an excusefor not being here.” It’s clear that she thinks the whole thing is nothing but a waste of time.
He clicks his tongue, already done with the conversation. “I joined a friend. He needed a companion for the trip.”
His mother sighs, the sound exaggerated and loud. “Well, come home. Your father and I need you here for the celebrations.”
“No, mother. I told you.” He bites his lip, preparing himself for the inevitable fight that’s to come. “I told you I’m done.”
The woman on the other side of the line makes a frustrated noise. “Is this still about-”
“Yes, it’s about that,” Gabriel snaps, glancing around the hallway. “You tried to marry me off.” Because he also likes boys. They tried to get him to sign an arranged marital contract, all in the name of reputation and doing what’s right.
“We’re sorry. We realize now that it wasn’t the right thing to do.”
“Oh, really? Well good for you,” comes his sarcastic reply. He’s sure that the accompanying eyeroll is audible. “I’m still not going to be at your parties. I’m enjoying my time away from the city.”
“But, see, we invited the Carlsons and their daughter-”
“I don’t know why I even try anymore. We’re done, mother. Please lose this number.” The righteous angerbrewing underneath his ribcage is on the verge of boiling over. “Goodbye.”
The creaking of the phone in his tight grip is almost enough to drown out the numbness that’s setting in. He thought, naively so, that if he gave it time things might work out. It’s not like he doesn’t love his parents.
It’s just that they couldn’t deal with an artistic, queer son. One who’d rather live in a dingy flat, from paycheck to paycheck, and not benefit from the trust fund set in place. Someone who wants to narrate his own life instead of following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather as the head of the family company.
He forces himself to breathe, to remember where he is and that he should go back to the cabin. He’s safe, no one can tell him what to do or who to be. The knowledge of James in the room, waiting for him, is what gets his legs moving from where they seem to be glued to the carpet.
What a fool he was, hoping for the fiftieth time that things could be different. One final heaving breath, a liberating exhale, and he slides open the door to the room.
He finds James in his armchair, a blanket across his shoulders, with his legs pulled up in the seat and his e-reader safely grasped between his fingers. His eyes stray from the screen to Gabriel, who kicks off his shoes next to the door and goes to gather up his sleep clothes, in desperate need ofa shower. James’ brown eyes are filled with worry when their gazes meet. “Everything okay?”
“Just Mrs. Gilbert, about the plants. She moved the pots from the balcony into the living room.” Technically he’s not lying. Because Helen had contacted him to tell him about the plants, but she texted earlier on in the day to warn him. With everything going on, the last thing he wants is to burden James with the messed-up dynamic of his family.
“Oh, good! I wanted to ask her about that, saw that there’s a cold front passing over and didn’t want them to freeze,” James admits, almost shy with it. It’s such a small thing to worry about Gabriel’s plants while they’re on this trip.
“She says they’re all good.”
James nods a little, clearly satisfied with the answer, and turns back to his book.
Gabriel takes that as his cue to head to the shower, to give himself the opportunity to settle his thoughts and lose a bit of the tension that’s coiled into his spine during the short conversation out in the hallway.
17 [James] Vienna, Austria
December 12th
It’s another early morning when they arrive in Vienna. Sometime after midnight James stirred, drowsily registering that the train had started to move. It didn’t keep him awake long, so it’s nice to wake up to another brand-new city. Twelve days into the trip and every day still feels like a brand-new adventure, a new start to explore and experience.
There’s also the added bonus of getting to know Gabriel even better. Who knew that they needed something like this to finally cross the invisible hurdle to friends? James knows Gabriel came just so that he wouldn’t have to go to his family over the holidays. Secretly he hopes that Gabriel’s also there because he likes spending time with him.
Today’s reserved for St. Stephen’s Cathedral. One of the bigger highlights of the trip and something that James made sure he would be able to do. It’s also another day on his own.But this time, it’s by choice and not out of necessity because of sickness. After breakfast on the train and confirming their plans for dinner and the concert later in the evening, James leaves Gabriel onThe Adventurerand makes his way into the city.
