9
Gabriel didn’t kiss her when they came back to the Airbnb. Ava hadn’t really been expecting him to, and yet some part of her had secretly hoped that he might reach out once they’d gotten safely inside, might take her in his arms and press his mouth to hers.
Instead, he’d suggested that they watch some TV to relax. They’d walked through the French Quarter after dinner, enjoying the sunset and the slight cooling that the end of the day brought with it, but he hadn’t taken her hand, had seemed friendly but remote, as if he wasn’t quite sure whether he knew what to do now that things between them had changed, if only a little.
She’d agreed to watch television, since saying no would have just made her seem petty. Luckily, the Airbnb’s satellite service had some premium channels, so they wa
