Page 93 of The Beast

“Maybe a little.”

“How about if I tell you that sleeping with you really was good. I mean, you have mad skills, my friend.”

That gets a real laugh out of him.

When we both quit laughing, we’re holding hands, smiling at each other.

“For the record,” he says quietly, “I’m glad you found him again. I want you to be happy, even if it’s not with me. Even if your happy is currently complicated because your dad fucked with that boy’s head. You’ll get him back, Bella. And when you do, I’m going to be cheering the loudest for you two crazy kids.”

I laugh, and as I do, he puts an arm around my shoulder and leans in to kiss me, soft and gentle. A kiss that’s not about romance, but a toast to what we’ve shared and the friendship still to come.

His lips have barely grazed the corner of mine when he’s gone.

One second, David is there, leaning toward me. The next, he’s stumbling backward, Gabe’s fist twisted in the collar of his shirt, Gabe’s face a mask of cold fury.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

“Gabriel, dammit!” I’m on my feet, heart pounding. “It’s not what it looks like!”

“It looked like he kissed you.” Gabriel’s voice is ice. “In a gallery full of my work.

“We were talking.”

“I heard you talking.” His grip on David’s collar tightens. “I heard him tell you he’s glad you’re happy despite distance and worries. Sounds like a pretty intimate conversation to me.”

“Gabriel, please. ”

“Is this what you do when I’m not around? Run to him? Tell him all our problems so he can comfort you?”

“That’s not fair.”

“Life’s not fair. I learned that the hard way.”

He shoves David back, hard enough that David stumbles into the wall. For a terrible moment, I think Gabriel’s going to hit him—really hit him, with the full force of five years of rage.

But he doesn’t. He just stands there, chest heaving, hands clenched into fists.

“I think I should go,” David says quietly.

“Yes.” Gabriel’s voice is flat. “You should.”

“No.” I step between them, facing Gabriel. “He doesn’t have to leave because you can’t control your jealousy.”

“My jealousy?” Gabriel’s laugh is sharp. “I’m not jealous. I’m furious. There’s a difference.”

“Is there? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’re punishing me for something I didn’t do. Just like before.”

The words land hard. I see Gabriel flinch.

“This is different.”

“The hell it is.” I press my fingers to my temples. “Dammit, I thought we were past this. I thought you trusted me.”

“I do trust you.”

“Then act like it.”

The silence that follows is suffocating.