Page 37 of Gator: One Love


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“I didn’t hear that,” Bruno said.

“Why?” Gator asked.

Bruno tilted his head slightly. “Why what?”

“Why would you protect us? And you don’t even know Sylvie.”

“It’s not just about her, Gator. But I did know of her back home when we were kids. It’s because you’re involved in this now, too, and I can see the way you look at her. It’s something I’ve never had.”

“So you’re saying you’re risking all of this because...”

Bruno laughed, cutting him off. “It’s because you saved my life...not just when the gator came for me, but by changing the path I was on. I owe this to you, my friend. I owe you so much.”

Gator put his hand on Bruno’s shoulder and said, “I appreciate it.”

Bruno’s cellphone chimed. “I gotta go,” he said. Then he got up and walked out the door, picking up the paper from the table as he left.

17

Gator hesitatedfor a moment before dialing Sylvie’s number, his finger hovering over the screen. He needed to convince her that staying at his place was the safest option, without giving away too much information. The phone rang, each tone echoing in Gator’s ears as he waited for Sylvie to pick up.

After a few rings, her voice, still quivering from the emotional turmoil of recent events, came through the line. “Hey, Gator,” she said, the tremble in her voice belying her attempt at a casual tone. Gator detected a hint of relief when she heard his familiar voice, providing a small measure of comfort amidst the chaos. “What’s up?”

“Hey, Sylvie, I was thinking...with everything that’s happened, maybe it would be best if you come and stay at my place for a while. Just until things settle down,” Gator said, trying to sound casual yet firm.

Sylvie hesitated, sensing the tone in Gator’s voice. “I’m fine here at Chelsea’s, Gator.”

Gator sighed, knowing he had to tread carefully. “I just think you might still be in danger, Sylvie. And not just you, but Chelsea too. Please, just trust me on this.”

Sylvie paused, surprised that Chelsea could be in danger. “Chelsea…in danger? Why?” She was talking quietly so Chelsea couldn’t hear from the other room. Sylvie had been resting most of the time she’d been there…trying to come to terms with what had happened…and she hadn’t told her friend any of it.

The door to her room opened slowly, and Chelsea peeked around the corner. She mouthed, “Are you OK?” and Sylvie nodded. As Chelsea started to retreat from the room, pulling the door behind her, Sylvie called to her as she held the phone away from her face. “Hey, Chels…”

“Yeah.” Chelsea came back into the room and sat beside Sylvie on the bed.

Sylvie paused, considering Gator’s words. She looked at Chelsea and said in a hushed tone, “It’s Gator.”

“Hey, Gator,” Chelsea said, raising her voice towards the phone.

Sylvie smiled at that. “Gator wants me to go stay at his place,” she whispered.

Gator could hear the conversation clearly, and he smiled. He was nervous, though, that Sylvie might start telling Chelsea what had happened, and they needed to keep that to themselves because the first thing she would wonder was “Where’s the body?”

Chelsea was smiling and nodding.

“You think, Chels?” Sylvie asked.

“Yeah…yeah…you go. It will be a good distraction.”

“OK,” Sylvie told Gator. “Will you pick me up?”

“Yeah, I can be there whenever you like,” he said.

“OK,” she said. “I can be ready at any time.”

“See you soon,” he told her. He was excited to have her stay with him. After what had happened before the shooting, he was already anticipating what this could lead to, but he knew that he had to give her time to deal with everything. He was also aware that somebody who had been in an abusive relationship didn’t need pushing with anything, even if it was where he thought she would like to go. Everything would happen on her time. It’s the way it had to be.

* * *

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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