Page 84 of A Lot Like Adiós
“And of course, Gabe’s dad told his mom, who toldmymom, who then told our entire family. And here we are.” Michelle raised her hands, then let them drop into her lap.
Jasmine was quiet for a moment, then she sent Michelle a side-eyed glance. “But youarehaving sex with him, right?”
“Oh yeah. All the time. It’s amazing.”
Jasmine raised an eyebrow. “Well, that’s something, at least.”
But Ava sighed. “I’m glad you’re having great sex, Mich. Truly, I am. But... you two have such a messy history.”
“And you’re technically working for him,” Jasmine added, grimacing a bit. “I know it’s freelance, and you’re revisiting old territory with the touch-and-tickle, but trust me, it’s not a great idea.”
“Worked out well enough for you.”
Jasmine smiled. “Only because I had two primas to talk some sense into me.”
“I know. You’re right. It wasn’t my intention when I brought him here.”
“So whatwasyour intention?” Ava asked.
Michelle sighed and leaned back, bracing her arms on the mattress. “I just wanted to see him again,” she said in a small voice. “And I wanted to know why.”
“Why what?” Ava asked in a gentle tone.
“Why he completely abandoned me.” Michelle shrugged and looked away. “Since then, I’ve never wanted to get close to anyone romantically. It’s like if I don’t let myself get fully invested, it won’t hurt when they inevitably leave.”
Jasmine let out a slow breath. “What are you going to do when Gabe goes back to California? I’m assuming that’s his plan.”
Michelle stared up at the ceiling. “We haven’t discussed anything that far ahead, but... I guess we’ll tell everyone we tried and it didn’t work. Gabe’s life is in Los Angeles. Mine is here.”
Ava leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. The look in her eyes was intense. “Michelle. How do you feel about Gabe? Really. No bullshit.”
“No bullshit?” Michelle sucked in a shaky breath and hated the way her throat grew tight. “You want the truth?”
When her primas nodded, Michelle pressed her fingers to her eyes to alleviate the building pressure. “I’m so happy when I’m with him. I want to figure out a way to keep it going, but I don’t know how. And on top of all that, I’m enjoying the work.”
She dropped her hands and looked at her cousins. The words spilled out of her in a rush, like the dam she’d placed around her feelings for all these years had finally cracked.
“The truth is... I’ve felt so stuck lately. I’ve been takingeasy design jobs because I was burned out, but they’re so fucking boring. Consulting on this campaign has made me feel alive again. And being with Gabe is... it’s just the best. I don’t know how else to explain it. It’s like he’s been holding a piece of me all this time and I just got it back.”
Her voice broke at the end and both of her cousins grabbed her in a hug.
Michelle laughed through the sob in her throat. “When was the last time we did a group hug?”
“I don’t know, but it’s been too long,” Ava murmured against the top of Michelle’s head.
After one last squeeze, they released her, and Jasmine sent her a sympathetic look. “You know you’re never going to hear the end of this from the family.”
“I know. I didn’t think it would be such a big deal, but with the way everyone reacted yesterday...”
“You’re not the only one who’ll have to deal with their family,” Ava added. “Gabe has a lot of work to do when it comes to his parents.”
Michelle sighed. “I hope he doesn’t shut them out again. They were so happy to see him. I don’t think he even realizes it.”
“Probably not,” Ava agreed. “But you can’t heal that rift for him.”
“Yeah, I know.” But she would if she could. “He’s at his sister’s today, but he’ll be back tonight.”
“When is he leaving?” Jasmine asked.
