Chapter 13: Guilt
1113 Words
“I didn’t agree to this.”
My voice was a lot softer than I had intended, but fortunately it didn't break.
Gabriel stood across from me. He didn't move at all, but something seemed to shift in his expression— it was restrained, almost unnoticeable, but I saw it, the regret.
“I know,” he replied. “I’m the one who asked Kyle to bring you here. I apologize for the inconvenience.”
His response made Kyle let out a short huff as he stood near the desk. “You’re welcome, by the way. She wasn’t exactly cooperative.”
His words made my shoulders stiffen instantly.
What is his problem?
“What was I supposed to do when you didn't wanna explain anything to me?” I muttered, but he didn't seem the least remorseful, he just looked annoyed with my response.
“It was you who left without any explanation,” Kyle said evenly. “So, I'm pretty sure he had every right to take some precautions.”
My grip tightened around the strap of my bag.
“So that gives you the right to threaten me?” I asked, which, for the first time since I’d walked into the office, made Gabriel react.
Like usual, it wasn't dramatic, but his brows pulled together and turned his expression into something that looked like genuine surprise as his eyes snapped toward Kyle.
“You what?”
The room was silent, but Kyle barely blinked. “Oh, come on.”
Gabriel stared at him for another second before his expression smoothed itself back into something unreadable, making me feel slightly disappointed that he let it go that easily. I knew I shouldn't be, but I guess I had just hoped he would be on my side.
“It's quite a strong word, don't you think?” Kyle asked lightly, making me clinch my fist, but just as I was about to counter it,
Gabriel’s voice cut in, low and controlled.
“Kyle,” he spoke, clearly as a warning, making Kyle lift his hands slightly, but he didn’t look, sorry. If anything, he looked irritated that he was being corrected.
“What?” he asked. “I handled the situation, didn't I?”
I glanced at Kyle briefly, but I quickly looked away again. Something about the way he watched me made a lump appear in my throat. His gaze was sharp, like he was measuring a risk instead of looking at a person, and Gabriel seemed to notice it too.
“Just stop interfering, and sit down.”
Kyle’s jaw tightened. For a second, I thought he was going to argue with Gabriel, but then he reluctantly pushed himself away from the desk and sat in one of the chairs near the wall instead.
His arms crossed over his chest as he leaned back, clearly unhappy with the entire conversation already.
But despite that, he still stayed, and that only felt worse.
For a moment, silence stretched awkwardly around us.
I could still feel Kyle’s attention from across the room, even when I refused to look at him directly.
Then Gabriel exhaled before looking back at me.
“I’m sorry,” he said again, but this time I looked at him.
He didn’t seem angry, or cold, just controlled in a way that somehow made me more aware of myself.
“You didn’t have to send him after me,” I replied softly.
“Yes,” Gabriel replied simply. “I did.”
The certainty in his voice made me hesitate for a moment.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Kyle shift slightly in his chair, like he approved of that answer far more than anything else said so far.
Gabriel then stepped closer to me. He did it slowly, like he was giving me room to move away if I wanted to, but I didn’t.
I didn't really understand why, but something in me trusted him more than I probably should.
“It shouldn’t have happened like this,” he continued quietly. “If there had been another way to handle it—”
“You could’ve just asked me,” I interrupted him.
My words came out too quickly and defensively, but he didn't seem offended by it. Instead, he just held my gaze.
“And you would’ve said yes?”
I opened my mouth, ready to answer, but then I closed it again.
Because I honestly didn’t know.
I had left that morning without even really understanding why.
Maybe it was because staying hadn't felt like a real option and something far more dangerous than leaving did.
“I…” My voice softened. “I don’t know.”
“That’s what I thought.”
His words didn't sound cruel or judging, just honest.
A quiet breath left Kyle somewhere behind him, sounding almost like agreement, making heat crawl uncomfortably up my neck, while Gabriel just ignored him.
“Something changed last night,” he said instead.
My brows pulled together slightly. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, things have changed, and become more uncertain.”
The answer caught me off guard.
“Uncertain?” I asked, as I stared at him confused.
“In my world,” he replied carefully, “uncertainty becomes a problem very quickly.”
Kyle stayed silent, but I could practically feel his agreement hanging in the room.
I frowned slightly. “You’re talking like I’m some kind of threat.”
Gabriel’s expression shifted immediately. “That’s not what I mean.”
“Then what do you mean?” I asked, as I couldn't help but feel hurt.
He exhaled slowly, like he was choosing every word before speaking it.
“You left without saying anything,” Gabriel started, as something in my chest tightened unexpectedly.
“I didn't know what to think.”
I looked down, as I felt guilt creep in on me.
“I just needed space.”
“And I understand that,” he answered. “But from where I stand, silence creates questions, and with questions comes uncertainty.”
Uncertainty, that was the word he decided to use. He wasn't throwing accusations or getting angry, and somehow that felt worse because I could hear the truth underneath it—the part he wasn’t saying directly.
He hadn’t known what I was thinking.
Whether I had regretted what happened or if I hated him.
Or even if I had decided to just disappear entirely, and for some reason, that uncertainty had rattled something inside of him, enough to make him send Kyle after me.
Just the thought made my fingers tighten against my sleeves.
- Writer
