Mending (This)

by J. B. McGee

  “I don’t have to try to be charming.” He raised an eyebrow. “I am charming.” He let out a small laugh, grinning, as he put his phone away.

  Gabby giggled and nudged him. “You’re something, alright.”

  “Oh you have no idea.” He pulled her into a hug. “So I’ll email you so you’ll have my info when I get back to the hotel. I’ll call tomorrow and arrange for the therapy to start.” He inhaled sharply and gently caressed her cheek.

  Gabby closed her eyes and savored his touch. “Thank you again for everything. Goodnight.”

  He moved his hand to behind her neck and leaned in and placed a long kiss on her forehead, “Goodnight.”

  He turned on his heel and walked towards his car. Gabby’s breathing was ragged as she watched him confidently turn back towards her to get in the car and wave. “See you next week.”

  She waved back with a huge grin. “Next week.”

  Chapter 5

  January 14, 2011 ~ 12:35pm

  The Present ~ Gabby

  Gabby sank back against the cold metal wall of the elevator as it quickly plunged down towards the ground floor of Bradley’s apartment building. She was unable to hold back her tears any longer. Sobbing, she ran out of the entrance to her car as quickly as she could. As she approached her car she grabbed her keys and unlocked the door. She fumbled to start the ignition as she was looking over her left shoulder to back out of the parking place. She pulled her seat belt and fastened it. Throwing the car into gear, she quickly jerked the car into the street.

  One thing Sam had always told her when teaching her to drive was to never drive while you were crying. Overcome with emotion, she decided to pull over to gain her composure. Gabby hated crying. She stopped at the nearest gas station to fill her tank. As soon as the car was stopped in front of the pump she leaned her head onto the tops of her knuckles because her hands were still gripping the steering wheel full force. She sobbed.

  She wasn’t sure how many minutes had passed when someone beeped their horn at her. She was taking up space at a valuable pump in downtown Atlanta. She looked into the rearview mirror and wiped the tears away from her reddened eyes with her palms, inhaling a deep breath. She cut the engine and grabbed her debit card, opening the door to begin pumping her gas.

  After filling her tank, she climbed back into her car and pulled back onto the highway. Before she knew it she was back on I-285 driving towards I-20. She was driving home. Her chest was tight and while she had been able to stop crying, she was still sighing and her breath was hitched. She hated the way she felt after she cried so hard. She was exhausted and her eyes hurt. Bradley had been right. Driving home tonight was not the smartest decision she had ever made, but there was no way that she could admit that to him. As much as the thought of things being over with them hurt, she knew being near him would hurt so much worse.

  She fumbled through the stations trying to find music to help keep her awake, but every song that seemed to come on was a song that reminded her of the past five months she’d spent with Bradley and they made her lips quiver, tears pricking the backs of her eyes. Finally, she decided to cut the radio off all together and roll the windows down slightly. The cold winter air felt good on her warm splotchy face.

  She was nearing Augusta, Georgia, when her phone rang Falling Slowly. She knew who it was. That was his ringtone. As she glanced down at the caller ID, it showed the picture she had taken of Bradley when they had been playing putt putt. It had been his turn and he was leaning forward slightly, knees bent when she had said his name. He maintained his position, turning just his head to look back at her. His blue eyes were playful. His lips were curved into a crooked adorable boyish grin. The sight of his face was more than she could handle. She pressed ignore, immediately pulling the car over to the shoulder and let the flood gates down again as her sobs returned. They caused her body to quake and tremble.

  Before she had pulled back onto the interstate, the phone rang for a second time. She knew it wasn’t him. The ringtone was different. It was “Old Time Rock and Roll”. That was Sam’s ringtone. It was from their favorite movie with their mom, Steele Magnolias. They would dance around the living room pretending bottles were microphones, singing and being silly. The memory made Gabby smile for the first time since she had left Bradley’s apartment. It became clear that no matter what she did, she couldn’t get him off her mind. She also knew by the timing of the call that more than likely Bradley had called Sam and informed her of what had happened.

  Gabby realized there was no way she could even begin to talk to another human being. Her goal was to put herself back together and get back on the road. It was getting late and it would be dark soon. She still had well over an hour’s drive to get back to Columbia. Like she had done when Bradley called, she swiped the ignore button.

  She sat up straight in her driver’s seat of her Honda and arched her back causing it to pop. She arched again and stretched to the right, making more popping and repeated again to the left. She cracked her neck from left to right and back again. Taking several cleansing breaths in and out, she wiped her burning eyes, and dried her chapped face.

  She looked back over her left shoulder again waiting for an opportunity to merge back into traffic on the interstate. When the time came, she pressed her foot firmly against the gas and accelerated with resolve. Her new goal for herself was to make it home without having to stop again for crying over Bradley Banks, to not think about him another minute. She decided the best way to do that was to cut her phone off and to play car games with herself. Her favorite was the alphabet game, where you have to find signs or license plates with a letter from the alphabet (in order). Yes, mindless games would help her forget her worries.

  The trip home had taken almost five hours after factoring in bathroom breaks, stopping to get herself something to eat, and the time she had pulled over to cry. Thankful she was finally at her apartment in Columbia, she dragged her suit case out of the trunk of the car, threw her purse on her shoulder and sulked into the building.

  When she walked into the apartment, she dropped her things and plopped down on the couch, completely and utterly spent. She decided she should probably turn her phone back on and let Sam know she had made it home safely. When it powered up, the voicemail symbol popped up. She swiped to open the visual voicemail. There were five messages from Bradley and there were ten from Sam.

  Gabby hung her head low and fought back tears once again. She felt so bad for having caused Sam to worry, but she still wasn’t confident in her ability to talk about the situation with anyone. Hell, she wasn’t sure of her ability to talk, period.

  She pressed play for the first of Bradley’s messages.

  Bradley: 2:34pm

  “Gabby, I know you’re upset with me. Will you please call me back. Let’s talk this out, please.”

  Bradley: 2:38pm

  “Gabby, even if you don’t want to talk, at least text me back and let me know you’re ok.”

  Gabby wasn’t sure she could continue to listen to his voice. She had not even been aware of the tears that had once again started streaming down her face as she listened to his messages. She had never heard him sound like that. His voice was always confident and strong. She could hear in his message that he now sounded weak and upset. She wasn’t sure, but she even thought by the way his voice had cracked that he had maybe even been crying.

  She didn’t want to hurt him by worrying him, because she loved him, too. But, there was no way she could talk to him. She had no idea how she could ever be with him again. He was about to have a child. Everything she believed about their relationship was now in question. Even though he had said he had not been with anyone else and continued to profess that as she was leaving, the trust was gone. He had managed to hurt her just when she had thought that she was safe with him, just when she had let her walls completely down. She opened her text messages and typed a quick message to let him know she was home.

  Gabby: 6:17pm

&nbs
p; *Got your messages, just got home.*

  Almost instantly, there was a response.

  Bradley: 6:18pm

  *What took you so long?*

  Gabby wasn’t sure if she wanted to continue the conversation. She worried she wouldn’t be strong enough to be able to end it. That would lead her right back into his arms, where she yearned to be despite the hurt she felt. Did she owe him an explanation of why it took so long, she thought? The more she pondered it, she thought, no.

  She then started to listen to Sam’s messages.

  Sam: 2:39pm

  “Gabby, I just talked to Bradley. He wouldn’t tell me what happened. He just said I needed to try to call and make sure you were okay. Please call me back ASAP.”

  Sam: 2:46pm

  “Gabby, I’m really worried about you. Please call or text me back.”

  Sam: 2:55pm

  “Gabriella. Nicole. Gerhart. Call. Me. Back.”

  Sam: 3:01pm

  “Gabby. Seriously, I’m worried.”

  Gabby couldn’t listen to anymore of Sam’s messages, either. They were making her feel so guilty and irresponsible for turning her phone off. Especially before at least texting Sam back to tell her she was ok.

  Before she was able to text Sam back, the doorbell rang.

  Gabby’s eyes bulged at the thought of Sam having driven all the way from Charleston to Columbia to see if she was okay. And all because Gabby had been selfish and not communicated with anyone about her whereabouts or whether she was okay or not. She grimaced at the thought of how much trouble she was probably in with Sam as she got up from the couch and headed to the door.

  She usually looked through the peep hole before she answered the door, but tonight she didn’t because she was so sure it was Sam. She was completely caught off guard when she opened the door to find Ian standing in front of her with his hands in his pockets. While he looked familiar, he had matured. As much as she hated him, he was just as attractive as he had always been. His timing was terrible, or maybe it wasn’t?

  Chapter 6

  August, 2010

  The Past ~ Gabby

  Gabby had come in from her date, which ended much earlier than their first date the night before. Sam was watching television on the couch waiting on her sister to return. She smiled and muted the sound. “Hey, how was it? You look like a happy girl.”

  “Can you pinch me so I can make sure I’m not dreaming. It just seems way too good to be true.”

  “You’re not dreaming silly girl. And no, I’m not going to pinch you!”

  “He’s just…I don’t know. He’s everything I could ever ask for in a guy. He can’t be that good.”

  “I’m sure he has his quirks, but he really does seem to be an incredible guy. If you’d just met him on the street, I’d be more skeptical.” Sam shrugged her shoulders. “But, he’s Cade’s cousin. I mean, he comes from a really nice, might I add, rich family.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “So when are you going to see him again?”

  “Next weekend.”

  Sam looked concerned. “Oh, what about therapy?”

  “He said he’d find someone and we could start the weekend after next.”

  “Well, that might not be a bad idea.” Sam scooted over on the couch and patted the seat next to her, signaling for Gabby to sit. “I’m sure we probably aren’t going to get in that quickly anyway. That will give me some time to get adjusted to my schedule, too.”

  Gabby shook her head no to sitting on the couch. “I’m gonna go pack up and hit the hay. Goodnight.”

  “Night, Gabby.”

  When she got to her room and logged onto her computer to check email and Facebook, she was surprised to see that Bradley had already emailed her.

  ***

  To: Gabby Gerhart

  From: Bradley Banks

  Subject: Contact Info

  Date: 08/08/2010 9:33pm

  I had a wonderful time this weekend with you. Thank you for trying. My cell is 555.224.5485.

  Sweet dreams,

  Bradley

  ***

  Gabby’s face gleamed. She quickly hit reply.

  ***

  To: Bradley Banks

  From: Gabby Gerhart

  Subject: Sweet Dreams

  Time: 08/08/2012 9:47pm

  thank you again. i had a wonderful time. sweet dreams to you mr. banks.

  -g

  ***

  The next morning, Gabby and Sam had breakfast and then Gabby headed back to Columbia to start her fall semester. She was about halfway back to school when her cell phone rang. She was pleasantly surprised to see the name pop up on the screen. She wished she had taken a picture of him to put with his contact because she was already missing the way his face had looked on Sunday. He had not shaved and he had been sporting dark stubble, which made his blue eyes pop even more than they normally did. She swiped to answer. “Hello.”

  “Good morning Sunshine.”

  Gabby giggled. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

  “Do I have to have a reason to call you?”

  “No. Don’t you have to work?”

  “I am at work.” There was a pause. “I do have a reason, though. I just wanted to let you know that I have a therapist for you. You’ll need to call and make the appointment, though. Okay?”

  “Wow, that was super fast.” She looked down for a pen, but realized there was no way she could multitask to write down the info. “I’m driving, though. Can you email me the details?”

  “Sure thing. You headed back to school?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Ugh, yes.”

  “Alright, well I have some meetings. I’ll send this stuff real quick and you be careful.”

  Her lips closed and her smile was warm as she savored his sentiment. “I will.”

  “I’ll talk to you later.”

  “I’ll be looking forward to it.”

  “Be safe, Gabby.”

  “Have a good day, Mr. Banks”

  Gabby was grinning from ear to ear as she hung up the phone. He had already emailed and called and it had not even been twenty-four hours. He had promised to find her a therapist and he had. She was elated. Part of her wanted to be able to tell Sam, but she knew that she was in class all day. The rest of the drive back to Columbia was spent thinking back to the past two days. As much as she had enjoyed Sunday with him, she was not able to escape the constant replay in her mind of the kiss they had shared downtown on Saturday.

  She rushed to her first class as soon as she arrived back to campus. She loved college, and she usually had no problems paying attention in class. But the first day was always so boring. Couple that with the excitement of the weekend she had just experienced, and the combination made it impossible for her to pay attention. She had a smile on her face the entire day. She doodled in her notebook through each class as she tried her best to listen to her instructors go through the syllabi. She hated how they would read every line as if they were in kindergarten instead of college. As if they couldn’t read it themselves.

  After her classes were finally finished, she decided to go to the library on campus. She was anxious to check her email and wanted to borrow a few books to read for pleasure. She knew the time was quickly coming when she would be so busy with writing papers and doing projects that there wouldn’t be much time for extra-curricular reading. On her walk over, her cell phone rang. It was him again.

  She briefly closed her eyes smiling. Her walking became a little more relaxed and there was a lightness in her step knowing she was about to hear his voice again. “Hello.”

  “Hey beautiful. How’s your day going so far?”

  “Boring. But, it just got a little better. How about you?”

  “Mine definitely just got better, too. Do you think Sam is going to be able to come with you this weekend?”

  “Shoot! I so forgot to ask her. I’m sorry.”

  “Well, it’s not too late. Do you want to ask her?”

&nbs
p; “Honestly Bradley, what’s the point? I don’t think she’s going to come. It’s her first week of med-school. There is no way she’s gonna have time to come on a road trip with me.”

  “You’re probably right. I’m not gonna complain about having to spend the weekend with it being just us.”

  Gabby’s face reddened. She was now standing in front of the library walking around aimlessly unaware of the hustle and bustle that was surrounding her. “I really can’t wait. Have you planned anything for us or are we just gonna chill out?”

  “Do you like to play putt putt?”

  Gabby busted out laughing, “Are you serious?”

  Chuckling, “Don’t I sound serious?” Bradley asked.

  “Um, you really want to take me to play putt putt?” She shook her head giggling.

  “I think it will be fun.”

  “I always have fun with you, so I’m sure it will be.” The words were out of her mouth before she could filter them. She spoke softly as she realized what she was saying.

  “Oh, and you’ve not seen fun yet. Gabby…”

  “Yeah?”

  The line was flat. She waited to see if she’d dropped the call and was about to say his name when he replied.

  “Nothing.”

  “Oh, now that’s not fair.”

  He laughed nervously. “I am sorry. I thought I could, but I can’t say it.”

  “Say what?” Gabby whispered. She feared what he was about to say. Part of her wanted to know and the other part of her hoped it wouldn’t be her worst fear.

  “Nothing. I need to go.”

  “Please.” She sweetly begged.

  “No, I am scared you’ll go running.”

  “I promise I won’t. I don’t have my running shoes on right now.” She smiled looking up to the sky while twirling one of her long curls.

  “Gabby, I don’t think I can make it ‘til Saturday.” He paused when he heard her inhale sharply. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you at all today. I have been caught daydreaming in meetings and I’m totally off of my game.”