“Where did you go?” Liam asks.
“I just...had a call,” I reply, my voice trailing off.
The game kicks off when we hit play, and I get lost in it. It’s been a while since I’ve played with the guys, and I kinda miss it. But I’ve missed Gabi even more. We’ve been catching up for the past week, and it feels like time has flown by in a blur.
“So, how’s life back in America?” Liam asks.
I chuckle, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders. “Better than London.”
“Fuck off,” he scoffs. “London will always be better.”
I shake my head, grinning. London is cool, but wherever Gabi is, is where I’d rather be.
“Seriously though,” he says. “How’s it been?”
“It’s been good,” I reply with a smile, thinking of Gabi. “Nice to catch up with everyone again.”
“You went to see her, didn’t you?” Liam’s voice is teasing.
“Dude,” I reply, rolling my eyes.
“What?” he says with a laugh. “Can’t blame me for asking about the girl you can’t stop talking about.”
Yeah, okay, maybe I’ve rambled on a bit too much about Gabi. It was really hard being away from her, especially for as long as I was. But...the longer I stayed away, the easier it was to keep my distance, even though every fiber of my being missed her like crazy. “Actually, we’re, uh… living together.”
“Fucking hell, you move fast.”
“It’s not like that,” I confirm, with a shake of my head. “Just shut up and play the damn game.”
He laughs. “Fine, I won’t pry. But you’re happy, yeah?”
The door swings open, and I glance over to see Gabi entering the apartment, her headphones in place as usual, and her gym bag slung over her shoulder.
“Yeah,” I reply to Liam, a smile spreading across my face at the sight of her. Living with my best friend again means I get to see her every day, and we can have gaming marathons until two in the morning, falling asleep together. Sure, I’m still hopelessly in love with her and can’t do anything about it, but other than that... “I couldn’t be happier.”
“Oh, hey,” she says, catching me staring at her. “You’re up.”
I chuckle. “Dance class went well?” I ask, sliding my headset around my neck.
“Yeah,” she replies, pulling her bag off her body with a sigh. “It was tiring, but I feel all bendy now.” Her smirk widens, and she wiggles her eyebrows.
Fuck, I love her. There’s no one else in the world that gets me like she does. No one else that can make me laugh, or smile like she does. No one else that has every inch of my heart and soul like she does. There’s only her, and I think it’s only ever going to be her.
Even if I can’t have her.
“We can play a game together if you want,” I offer with a shrug. “I was just finishing up with the guys.”
“Sure,” she says, leaning down to pull off her sneakers. “I’ll just get changed, and I’ll be right out.”
“I’ll wait,” I reply, watching as she disappears into her bedroom and closes the door behind her.
“Who was that?” Liam’s voice breaks through the headset, and I freeze, realizing I had forgotten the guys were listening in. Whenever Gabi walks into the room, the whole world stops for me. It’s been like that for as long as I can remember. Sliding the headset back on, I quickly adjust my mic and resume the game. “No one.”
“Oh shit,” Liam says with a laugh. “That was her, wasn’t it?”
“Who?” Tom asks. “Someone fill me in here.”
“The girl Chris never stops talking about. I swear the dickhead has her name tattooed somewhere on his body.”
