A Trip Down Memory Lane (Gabriel)

[Deleted]

Kiara witnessed the unfolding before her eyes. She could see how McKenna proudly took a seat next to her uncle while gazing up at him with admiration and expectation. The way her small fingers just barely floated over the keys, doing her best to not tap one, and the way an entertained chuckle did slip past her lips the second she accidentally did apply too much pressure, causing a piano note to fill the activities room. Detecting newer parents was easy, as well as spotting those who had heard the song before. The look on their faces gave away how fond and appreciative they were of this, merely making the blonde look over at Gabriel in an even more curious manner.

And then he began to sing.

While her gaze had initially started to scan from one parent to the other in order to take in their reactions, it soon enough locked upon Gabe. Subconsciously a tunnel vision got created as her focus narrowed itself down to the man. Standing in the doorway, Kiara lightly leaned against the frame. Those who were in the room with her were completely blocked out during that moment in time, only having eyes for how his lips moved and the unintentional faces he sometimes made while singing. The way he lost himself in the song, just as much as she was losing herself in him.

This time his remark of ‘her looking at him like he was the most beautiful thing in the word’ would be appropriate and accurate. Feelings stirred within (ones that were there before, yet clearly needed to be sparked more) and corner of her lips curled up into a loving smile. Arms folded against her chest, the blonde slightly dipped her head to the left as she let the song completely suck her in.

Or, well, let Gabriel suck her in. The lyrics did reach her ears, but they were faint in comparison to how well eyes took in every little movement. It was kind of like her vision was the only of her senses that wasn’t somewhat numbed at that point.

[Gabriel James]

When Gabriel had first written the song, he had not known the impact it would have on his life, or on the life of everyone around him. But the music, after some time, took on a life of its own. He didn't even need to think about the song to sing it. He lost himself in his own words and own music. And even though sometimes people made fun of the faces he made when he sang, others realized it was just a sign of passion. And honestly, Gabe never felt as passionate about his own song as he had about this one.

That being said, Gabe hadn't noticed the effect he had on Kiara, or the parents, or the nurses. He was singing for him. He was singing for McKenna. It wasn't until he he played the last few chords when the room came back into focus that he finally looked around and smiled sheepishly at the reactions of the room. A woman was crying silently as she rocked her son back and forth, and a a couple of nurses had gathered by the door to listen when they had realized what was going on. There was a small round of applause - mostly from the children... many of the adults didn't know how to react at first but Gabe was used to that.

He felt his niece clinging to his side, and he looked down to smile at the little girl, and lifted her up as he stood from the piano bench. He kissed her cheek, and ruffled the hair of a boy who had run up to say hi - one he'd seen nearly every time he visited. He looked up to see Kiara staring his way, which caused him to smile sheepishly once again.

He began to walk back toward the door, when he was stopped by a new mother who took a moment to thank him, and tell him how beautiful the song was. He humbly accepted the compliment and gave the woman a hug before heading back toward Kiara and Jen. "So... that's the song," Gabe said with a shrug when he finally reached Kiara. For some reason he really cared about what she thought about it. Maybe because she had heard the CD he'd sung on and loved it so much. Maybe because he wanted her to love something that was purely him as much as she seemed to love the pop-y A Capella they'd listened to earlier.

[Deleted]

A subconscious smile graced dreamy features when Gabriel looked over, yet at the same time it was her wakeup call. Kiara blinked and ended leaning against the doorframe. Blue eyes shifted from one side to the other, almost as if to make sure no one else had caught her moment of weakness. And while the brief knowing look on Jen’s face was brushed off as linked to the song, it was not that easy to ignore to ignore one of the nurses, around their ages, who took a step forward to stand next to the blonde. At first the young woman didn’t take notice though, too endeared by the interactions taking place between Gabe and those present in the activities room.

“You are so lucky,” the dark-haired woman began, no viciousness to her voice. It tugged Ki back to reality, making her head snap towards the nurse, but the words had only faintly reached her ears. “Um, sorry, what?” During that question, however, the statement slowly sank in and her gaze had already drifted back over to the man, a one-sided smile curling the left side of the blonde’s lips while observing him. “Oh… I know,” she practically whispered before the health care worker could repeat it. The nurse soon enough spoke again though. “I wouldn’t let this one go anymore if I were you. Makes me regret to not have made a move when I had the chance.” With a lighthearted chuckle, the brunette distanced herself again with a tiny step backward the second the man had managed to squeeze his way back over to his ‘fiancé’.

Kiara could still feel her and her colleagues’ prying and curious eyes, and surely Gabriel could see the wide expectant smiles on their faces. It caused an almost somewhat ‘obligatory’ feeling to let them witness some affection between the two of them; a feeling the college student ended giving in to.

“That was amazing,” the girl breathed while stepping forward, “I love it-“ limiting the distance between them as one arm loosely wrapped around his shoulders. The other tenderly cupped his jawbone. A quick hint of apology crossed her eyes, only for Gabriel to see, before she finished her sentence with a sweet, loving purr. “Almost as much as I love you.” The awing of the nurses went mostly ignored when Kiara briefly searched his eyes and then leaned in, planting the softest of kisses upon his lips.

The fact that McKenna skipped over at that moment went by unnoticed as well. At least until the five-year old stopped next to them, stopped and muffled a gasp by placing both hands upon her mouth. Soon one hand held onto the other though, and the child squeezed them together against her small torso while excitedly bouncing up and down. “MY UNCLE GABE IS GOING TO BE A PRINCE!” She ranted happy, practically singing it as the words repeatedly flowed from her lips

[Gabriel James]

To say Gabriel was caught off guard would be a bit of an understatement. He, of course, had not witnessed the interaction between Kiara and the nurse. And he was also oblivious to the curious eyes glancing in his and Kiara's direction....

When she called his song amazing, he had shrugged the compliment off. To him, at this point, it was just another song. It had become so important to so many people, and he was aware of that, but he didn't like flaunting it. He didn't want to seem like he got off on that thrill (though maybe to some extent he did). But as his shoulders fall from the shrug, Kiara's arm made its way around them. He gave her a questioning look, not understanding what was going on, which only became more confused when Kiara's eyes gave him an apologetic glance as she declared her "love".

Though at that point, Gabe did realize it was a bit of an act for the nurses who he finally noticed behind Kiara's back looking their way, he definitely wasn't prepared for what she did next. His face had softened in understanding for just a moment before the Blondes lips met his. His eyes widened in surprise at first, and his whole body tensed, though it probably went unnoticed by the hospital staff as Kiara's body was in front of his. The kiss couldn't have lasted more than two seconds. It was soft and sweet and as Kiara pulled away Gabe could feel himself following her slightly, leaning in just a little too late. For the few moments after she kissed him, Kiara was the only thing in the room Gabe could see. His expression was likely unreadable, because in those two seconds his mind was racing a thousand miles per minute, but he didn't want to slow down.

It was McKenna that finally brought him back to reality, and reminded him that all of that was a show. And he'd probably have to explain that too her at some point, but it wouldn't be right now. "Didn't I tell you to hush about that before!?" he mock scolded his niece as he chased her away from him in Kiara with wiggling fingers threatening to tickle. Ken ran sqealing behind her mother who was giving Gabe a questioning, but not accusatory look. He gave her a quick shrug - his way of saying he had no clue that was going to happen. "Alright alright.... no tickling. I have to leave now, anyway. That was the deal remember?"

"NO!" McKenna whined stomping her foot.

"Yes!" Gabe insisted as the girl ran back over to him, hugging his legs, as if that were to make him stay. "Lets go, babe. I'll tuck you in," he offered, knowing that pretty soon McKenna would be bed ridden for the night, hooked up to various IVs and other intravenous medications. He lifted the girl up in his arms again, and began walking back to her room, smiling at Kiara as he passed her to leave the play room, looking back just once to see she was following. "So you really like the song?" he asked.

"I LOVE the song," McKenna commented.

"Not you!" Gabe said with a laugh, before turning back to Ki.

[Deleted]

Two seconds was not a lot of time, yet it did feel as if they were being dragged out the second lips settled upon his. The saying was: time flies when you’re having fun… but it probably required input from both sides during a situation like this. During the kiss and after it came to an end, regret overshadowed the butterflies that had begun to flatter through her stomach. Gabriel had tensed up and, worst of all, no pressure against her lips had been felt in return. The hospital staff might not have been able to see it, but Kiara could rely on her other senses to tell whether or not the man enjoyed it – he didn’t. Of course it had just been part of the show being put up for the nurses… but at the same time she had wanted to. She had wanted to kiss him, and clearly that had been the selfish option, both towards the man and McKenna.

The blonde hadn’t taken notice of how he leaned forward near the end, despite the fact that her arm had snaked from around his shoulders in such motion that the hand ever so briefly smoothed over the man’s torso - her mind concerned, her heart hurt. Perhaps some sadness managed to seep through, but Kiara liked to believe the demure smile on her lips didn’t falter. Even if it did though, guys tended to be oblivious and by now she had turned her head towards McKenna. Gabriel had been looking at her strangely; eye contact was being avoided.

The child’s flailing made the young woman feel even worse; she had gotten her hopes up now. Kiara felt awful while blue optics followed the squealing Ken, even though it did get a tiny smile to curl her lips. At least it helped her not take notice of the quick interaction between Jen and Gabe. And when the music teacher picked the little girl up, Ki mirrored his smile as genuinely as possible. She couldn’t help the caution and hesitation though. While she would not acknowledge it out loud, Kiara slowly came to the realization that she liked him… kind of quite a bit, and that is was not mutual. That should have been expected though; she had no idea what she had been thinking to begin with.

When Gabriel initially asked the question, quietly tagging along behind him, Kiara assumed it had been aimed at McKenna as well. The second that didn’t appear to be the case, she blinked a couple of times to look at him a little dumbfound – dragged out of her own little world of low self-esteem. “Oh, um, yeah. I really like the song. It was great. Everyone seemed to like it as well.” Her reply more timid than usual, afraid to let anything shine through as a hand awkwardly rubbed her upper arm. Afraid to use the word ‘love’ like his niece did. By being so cautious, however, it might cause the same outcome.

At least when they reached the room, some of the tension had diminished. The girl moved to the other side of the bed when Gabriel placed McKenna down. “Hey Princess,” she softly smiled. “I’ll first say good night and then Uncle Gabe can do so while I go and sign us out, alrighty?” Kiara wasn’t sure if she would receive one, but arms were held out for a hug either way. Quite honestly, the blonde would definitely appreciate it at that point - small glimpse of affection.

Soon she was distancing herself from the bed again, giving McKenna a small wave. “Good night, your highness.” And a small dip through the knees while once more holding on the skirt of an invisible gown. After that, Ki focused on the child’s uncle again while moving towards the door. “I’ll go sign us out and wait there for you.” She had first intended to pose it as a question, but surely Gabriel would agree. Her hand had wanted to gently touch his arm during that, but Kiara caught herself in time when fingers had slightly reached forward. It would have been normal, right? But she was starting to overthink her actions.

At least Ki could less go of the façade the second she stepped out of the room, exhaling a deep sigh and rubbing at her face. An apology was going to be in place – already forming it in her head as she went over to where Gabe had noted down their presence.

[Gabriel James]

As oblivious as Gabe could be sometimes, he did notice something was off about Kiara. Something in the way her tone had fallen and the way her eyes weren't meeting his as they had been the entire day.... He smiled warmly when McKenna hugged Kiara, but his smile fell as Ki rushed out the door, barely stopping to look his way, reaching out briefly as if she wanted to touch him, but pulling away just as quickly. He sighed as she left, rubbing the back of his neck and wondering what, if anything, he did wrong.

He took a few moments to say goodbye to McKenna, but forced himself out of the room despite her begging. He made his way back to the elevator, and down the the first floor where Kiara was indeed waiting for him at the sign in desk. "All set?" he asked with a slightly concerned smile, still trying to understand what could have possibly happened in the seconds between the activities room and McKenna's room to upset Kiara.

Though Gabe nor Kiara could get another word in before a voice - only familiar to the man - hit his ears. "Gabriel..." it called dryly... a slight hint of confusion. Gabe knew who it was before he even turned. "I thought visiting hours were over 15 minutes ago," it continued, becoming a bit more confrontational than confused.

"Hello to you too, Noah," Gabe said with what little of a smile he could muster as he turned to face his older brother. The man looked very little like Gabe. He was much taller - standing 6'2" as opposed to Gabe's 5'8". His face and nose was much thinner, and his facial hair was well trimmed. His hair was slightly lighter, slicked back and neat. He dressed professionally, still in his clothes from the office that day. The only sign, really, that the two were possibly related was the big hazel eyes they both donned. "I was asked to stay a couple extra minutes to sing to the kids. That's all..." Gabe explained, a bit of defense in his voice.

"Still messing around with all that music business hmmm?" His brother eyed him momentarily, as if he didn't entirely trust him. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" he asked, looking over at Kiara, then back to Gabe expectantly.

Gabe rolled his eyes slightly and sighed inwardly. "Kiara... this is my brother Noah. Noah... Kiara," he said introducing the two. He was aware that his brother wasn't super happy about the prospect of a stranger coming to meet his daughter... but the older man hadn't said much since McKenna had been so excited about it. If there was one thing the brothers could ever agree on... it was doing whatever they could to make the little girl happy.

"Pleasure," Noah said with a small nod, and a hint of what could be smile on his thin lips. Gabriel knew he was just trying to be polite like their parents taught them. Gabe could see through his little gentlemanly comments and knew that Noah wasn't happy to see them there. "I'll be off now. Goodbye Kara... Gabriel," Noah said before turning and walking toward the elevator, making his way up to his daughter. Fury shot through Gabe as his brother walked away, clearly not even have taken the time to learn his friends name. Clearly having wished to have avoided Gabe all together - otherwise why would he care so much about visiting hours being over?

Gabriel immediately slumped as his brother left, realizing that when Noah was around he stood up striaghter and more 'proper' like he had something to prove. "Sorry 'bout that," Gabe mumbled as he dug his car keys from his coat pocket. "Let's get out of here."

[Deleted]

Nothing had happened in the seconds between the activities room and McKenna’s room; that was what led to the sudden shift in mood. Kiara used the minute or so away from him as a breather. The more she seemed to think it through, however, the more questions it brought along. The only constant detail in it all was that Gabriel hadn’t returned the kiss. Therefore the blonde told herself that it had been a moment of weakness, that the feelings were merely because it had been nearly a year since affection was expressed like that. Of course this was a lie to protect the self-esteem that Gabriel had help build up again. Friends who had skipped a lot of phases – that was all they were.

When the music teacher caught up with her, the girl gave a nod. She had been set on blurting out apologies as well, but an unfamiliar voice broke the silence instead. Gabe seemed to know the man, and soon enough Ki connected the dots, even before the introductions took place. Once they did, she was quick to take a step forward and to reach out her hand. While the man had not made a good impression, unaware he had poked the blonde’s protective streak over Gabriel by clearly disapproving of the music business, she maintained a smile on her lips, along with her general friendliness. “It’s a pleasure meeting you.”

Not really, but at least her words and reaction came across more genuine than Noah’s did. When he walked off, Ki intensified the smile for a second and gave a brief wave as well. That fakeness faded the second he was out of sight though and now her eyes were the ones filled with some concern as they gazed at Gabriel.

“Hey,” she whispered quietly while nudging her shoulder against his. “It’s not your fault that you inherited all the charm.” Pun intended. With a soft chuckle at her own joke, Kiara looked ahead as they stepped out of the hospital. Tina wasn’t parked that far away, so soon enough Ki was buckling up again. Once Gabe was seated as well, hands fumbled with one another one her lap. She could apologize now… but perhaps it would lead to a serious conversation, and driving a car might not be the best combination.

So the young woman kept quiet for now, except for telling him how awesome and cute his niece was. That easily and effortlessly filled up the time required to reach the hotel where they were going to spend the night. It only took a small ten minutes before Kiara was carrying her bag inside the building, letting Gabe take the lead given he had made the reservation. In other words, a room key was in his hand within the minute that followed, and not long after, they reached the right door.

Once Gabriel had it unlocked, she slipped inside behind him and made sure to close it. “I get first pick of the beds!” The bag was dropped against the wall before the girl emerged further, only to halt right next to the man, staring at the interior.

“I… get to pick sides?” Kiara tried to save the situation as blue eyes fell upon the one two-persons bed in the room.

[Gabriel James]

Gabe was glad that the blonde was there. Usually after such an interaction with his brother, Gabriel would be sour for quite some time. Kiara had gotten him to crack a smile almost immediately though. Sure, it didn't fix things and the relationship he had with his family was still severely fragmented, but it helped to know someone thought he was the good guy in the situation. He certainly didn't feel like it all the time.

They car ride to the hotel was short, normal, generally quiet. Gabe spent a lot of time mulling over the fact that his brother was a major ass and having flashbacks to the moment Kiara kissed him... he tried to ignore both and keep their idle chit chat alive. When they got to the little hotel just down the road from the hospital, Gabe checked in, and accepted the key card he was given, happy to be out of the car and aware from the weird smells of the hospital for awhile.

He unlocked the door, allowing Kiara inside first, chuckling as she claimed first dibs on beds in a childish manner. His face fell slightly when her next comment hit his ears though, and his eyes settled on the single bed in the room. "I told them two beds," he said, a little bit of an annoyed grumble to his voice as he rubbed his neck. If it were anyone else Gabe might have just suggested sharing the bed and not having to deal with the hotel staff. But given his and Kiara's history... and the fact that he promised Everett nothing weird was happening on this trip... Gabe felt this was wildly inappropriate. "I'm sorry," he said with a sigh. "We can go bug the front desk for a room with two beds," he offered.

[Deleted]

If it were anyone else, Kiara would have made the same suggestion she was about to make upon stepping over to the bed, taking a seat on the edge to check how soft the mattress was. Her hand caressed over the covers while blue eyes drifted back to Gabriel. “We can if you want,” a small pause followed. “Or we can just share it. I mean, it’s not like I take up a lot of space…” And what would happen anyway? There was no mutual attraction between them, so Ki judged them to be just friends. ‘Just friends’ should be able to share a bed without a problem, right?

Perhaps what had gone done earlier bugged him though. It could have made things weird, hence the reason the blonde briefly bit her bottom lip before speaking again. “I am sorry if my reaction from earlier makes things weird. I should have used some common sense and not have done that. You’ll eventually have to explain it to McKenna and…” She sighed, looking down at the hands on her lap now. “It wasn’t and isn’t my intention to complicate things.” As soon as her gaze settled on the man once more, only a second later, she offered him a weak smile. “I’m not going to cling to you at night if that’s your concern.” A sheepish chuckle broke free - an attempt to hopefully limit some of the tension. Her regrets were genuine, if only because she was convinced it was starting to influence their interactions. She wouldn’t have apologized if it weren’t for that.

Awkwardly rubbing her upper arm, the girl rose from the bed again. “We can go bug them if you want though. I mean, everything works for me… As long as I can take a refreshing shower and have a bed to sleep in, it doesn’t matter too much.” Heck, she would even be willing to place pillows and rolled up towels to divide her side from the mattress from his if that would make him any better. “I just… don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.” To which she, of course, was the cause.

[Gabriel James]

"While explaining to McKenna we're not getting married any time soon might be hard, I was kind of asking for it telling the entire hospital staff you're my fiance, huh?" Gabriel replied, a small smile forming on his lips. It was a kind of sly smile that Everett would probably punch him for because it definitely implied he maybe sort of kind of liked it. He'd never say it in those words, though. "I didn't think you were trying to do anything..." Gabe clarified, seeing that something about it was making Kiara feel guilty and uncomfortable. "It just... it caught me off guard," Gabe explained, tossing his bag on the floor while his mind mulled on what to do about the bed situation.

"And you clinging to me at night is the lest of my concerns," Gabe said with a chuckle, shaking his head and running his hands through his hair. As his curls were pulled away from his eyes you could better see the dark bags sitting under them, if only for a moment. "Actually the opposite really... I'm a cuddler... ask your brother," Gabe said completely seriously. He remembered doubling up in a bed with Ev for the Hammel retreat one year. There was a random full-sized bed in their cabin and the boys offered to share. Ev woke up with an arm around him nearly every morning.

Gabe stared at Kiara on the bed briefly and sighed. "I dunno.... if you're fine with it and if you think your brother wouldn't care then it's fine," Gabe offered with a shrug, secretly trying to come up with a reason to switch rooms without offending Kiara - thinking maybe bringing Everett into the equation would be that factor. It wasn't that Gabe minded. It more had to do with the fact that Kiara kissing him at the hospital was the most action he'd gotten in nearly a year. He wasn't entirely sure how well he'd handle sleeping in the same bed as her after that would go for him.

[Deleted]

No matter the words Gabriel spoke, Kiara kept feeling awful about it. Even the small smile didn’t limit the regrets. He managed to draw one on her lips as well, but that was as far as the effect went. “Sorry,” she exhaled under a weak chuckle. “I would turn back time if I could.” And just hug him instead. Or just keep her distance. Perhaps that latter option had been the safest of it all. Nevertheless, it did not keep the blonde from wondering what the outcome would have been had he been aware of what was to come, had he not been caught off guard. Probably the same… but it couldn’t harm to wonder, right?

What could harm, on the other hand, was her initial inward reaction that she wouldn’t mind being cuddled. It was, however, not something to state out loud. She softly laughed, and that was that. The topic actually seemed to be too serious and important to him for joking remarks to be given. And he clearly didn’t want to share a bed. Gabriel ended up mentioning her brother. As his best friend, he should be more than aware that Ev would care and disapprove. And he possibly knew it would influence the girl as well. His two requirements for this to be fine were the complete opposite of one another… and so he got his way.

“Alright…” She spun around and smoothed hands over the blanket to get rid of the folds she had caused by sitting down. Now she felt bad that they couldn’t even share a bed as friends. The same disappointment as before rushing through her veins and the same expression seemed to grace her features. “I’ll go bug them for another room.” Kiara spoke upon moving past him, having offered a tiny smile before picking her bag up again. She figured Gabe would follow and bring the keycard with him as she moved to the stairs. Going to lower floors didn’t require as much effort as ascending them, so.

Once in the lobby again, the blonde stepped over to the reception. Fingertips just barely resting on the flat surface as a friendly smile graced her lips once one of the staff moved over, asking if he could be of any help.

“Hi. I’m sorry, but I believe there might have been made a mistake with our reservation,” she mused, lacking an accusatory tone. Instead she almost gave the man an apologetic look, feeling a tad bit bad about bothering them so shortly after having received the key. “The room we were given only has one two-person bed, while we actually needed two of those…” Because, you know, it made Gabriel uncomfortable. Then again, if Ki were to be honest, she quite possibly wouldn’t be able to live up to the ‘not clinging to you at night’ statement. Perhaps this was for the better after all.

The man didn't appear to have expected that, glancing down at the keycard for a second when Gabriel placed it down. He first apologized, adding that he would fix that mistake. Upon checking the computer, however, the receptionist came to realize that... it couldn't be solved. It made him uncomfortably shuffle for a second, then he apologized himself again and ended up phoning the manager. Of course, upon arrival and after having checked the computer, the older man couldn't do more than apologize as well once he stood in front of the pair.

"It appears something must have gone wrong on our part of the reservation. Sadly enough, we don't seem to have a different room available at this moment..." The man waited for a second, glancing between them. "We are very sorry about the inconvenience, and are willing to offer a discount to make up for it." If they opted to go to another hotel, that would be understandable as well.

[Gabriel James]

Gabriel sighed quietly as Kiara left the room, still not sure how he felt about any of this - still pretty sure he wouldn't mind sharing a bed with her - but also still pretty sure changing rooms was the right thing to do. He picked his bag back up and followed a few strides behind Kiara back down to the lobby where she took matters into her own hands pretty quickly. He finally caught up with her and set the key card down so the man could get them a new room.

It took quite some time and shuffling around behind the desk until the pair finally got some sort of response. Gabe rocked back and forth on the ball of his foot, wishing he could think of something to say. For some reason he felt like Kiara was mad at him... If there was one thing about women Gabe understood it was when they were mad at him. What he wasn't so good at was figuring out why. Each time he tried to think of a way to ask her if she was upset, he chickened out - slightly afraid she might actually be mad and request she take her home immediately.

When the man told them that there was no room available, Gabe pursed his lips and nodded. Just his luck. "Well ok," he sighed, taking the card back. "Why don't we just go get dinner... and then decide if we want to stay or not," Gabe offered, trying not to make the situation any weirder than it had to be. "Can you hold onto our bags while we figure things out?" he asked the person behind the desk. "We're just going to the diner down the street."

[Deleted]

Well, this was inconvenient indeed. Kiara truly couldn’t have cared any less about sharing a bed with Gabriel, but eventually she gave in… and now they were told there was no other room available. Of course the blonde felt bad – for Gabe, that is. For a moment she had no idea how to react; it seemed to displease him. A nod ended up being the best bet though, so he received one of those, “I just quickly want to put on something else, okay?” before she quickly turned to the receptionist who had just confirmed that the hotel could storage their bags until they were to return. That was the least that could be done, right?

An outfit was taken from her bag, and then the luggage moved out of sight. Then Ki disappeared in the nearby bathroom, stepping out around five minutes later. The sweatpants and hoodie had been neatly folded before she apologetically handed them over to the guy behind the desk. It should not have taken as long. She just couldn’t help but to check a thousand times if her hair looked better draping over her shoulders or tied together in a ponytail. What would Gabriel like best? … What? That question still spun through her mind as Kiara sheepishly approached him though; hands continuously smoothing over the skirt of the dress. “Better?” Without a second thought, the young woman made a quick twirl. By the time she faced him again, cheeks had darkened some – that might have been ridiculous.

“We… should go get dinner.” Kiara pursed lips slightly before starting to walk out of the hotel. Now that the staff of the establishment were no longer within ear reach, her gaze drifted to the man. "I wouldn’t mind sleeping in Tina…” If any of them deserved a great night rest, it had to be Gabriel. He had driven here for hours, and he was in charge of the trip back home as well.

Darkness was starting to fall, and it was getting a tad bit colder outside. She wasn’t a fan of either, folding arms against her chest while following along to the dinner. It kind of felt special to be taken there, knowing Gabe used to visit it with his grandfather. To know he wanted to share this with her. And luckily it wasn’t too far of a walk either.

“I… am glad that I agreed to join you btw. McKenna and Jen are great,” Kiara paused, hesitating for a second. “But I am sorry for having complicated things that wouldn’t have been had I not been here.” Like the kiss, and the hotel. She chuckled weakly, looking ahead now. “I have not a single clue on how to make it up to you though.”

[Gabriel James]

Gabriel waited patiently in the lobby while Kiara changed. He didn't mind waiting if it made her feel more comfortably to finally get out of her travel clothes. When she came out in her floral dress, a smile tugged at his lips. The type of smile you wanted to hide, but couldn't. Of course, Gabe had thought Kiara looked fine in the sweats. She made a perfect princess no matter what she was wearing. But for some reason, the way that the blonde smiled, had a spring in her step, and twirled around made her look... brighter. It was more the way the outfit seemed to make Kiara feel than anything that made it more attractive to Gabe. "You look lovely," he said factually, taking the lead on their way out of the hotel. He tried to ignore the accusing looks given to them by the hotel staff...

When they got to the door and Kiara started cracking her jokes Gabe could do nothing but laugh. Even when it wasn't meant to be funny, Gabe could always find some humor in Kiara. It was refreshing, especially after what was in reality a slightly stressful day. Long car rides and hospitals weren't all that fun when you really thought about it.

"I'm... really really glad you came along," Gabe said, more like a promise, when Kiara started apologizing for what had happened at the hospital. He wasn't about to go as far as to say he didn't mind, though. That would probably be inappropriate. True... but inappropriate. "Seriously, Ki... This trip... it's not always fun for me. I mean... yeah I love seeing McKenna and Jen and I love making that kid happy. I love it more than anything," he explained. "But it's such a long drive and the cancer center can really take it out of you emotionally sometimes," he admitted with a small chuckle as they strolled down to the diner. "It's... much easier to deal with when you have someone along for the ride," he said looking over to Ki with a small smile. He meant the ride both figuratively and literally of course.

"If anything I have to make it up to you for dragging you 8 hours away from home just to sleep in a cheap hotel bed and eat $5 burgers at the nameless diner," Gabe said as they approached the doors to the restaurant - which indeed seemed to not have a name. The building itself looked like a plain concrete box with a ton of windows. You could see inside to the bar and booths offered to patrons. All of the leather on the seats were maroon, and the tiles on the ground were white and grey. The neon sign above the door read just 'DINER' in a cursive-like script that also graced all the menus.

When Gabe opened the door, he allowed Kiara in first, but the smell of french fries and burgers hit him immediately. It brought a small smile to his face. It wasn't busy... just a few older gentleman eating dinner at the counter and a middle aged couple with their two sons in a booth toward the back. Gabe smiled at the waitress behind the counter, whom he knew pretty well. She had worked at the diner since he was a kid. "Hi Rose," he said with a smile, glad to see his Grandfather's favorite waitress was working this shift. It brought back even more memories.

"Why if it isn't Gabriel James," the woman said. She appeared to be in her 40s, brown hairs starting to grey, but a youthfulness in her face that told you she wasn't ready to let that happen. "And with a date!?" the woman asked, a surpised and curious tone in her voice.

"Kiara, this is Rose... Rose... Kiara." Gabriel introduced the two, not even trying to convince Rose it wasn't a date. Attempts would be futile, and Gabe didn't really mind thinking of it as one... even though it wasn't. "Rose started working here when I was a kid and my grandad took me here... and she never left. I like to think she sticks around in hopes that I move back and have weekly Sunday brunch like the old days," Gabe joked, causing the woman to roll her eyes. "Kiara is Everett's sister. She came with me to visit McKenna," Gabe explained. "I'm going back to the usual booth ok?" Gabe asked, pointing over his shoulder as he started walking to a very specific table. Rose waved him on, a gesture meant to say it was ok.

Gabe slid into the booth, and picked up the menu that was placed neatly on the table. "Sorry about that," he said with a chuckle. "I'm pretty popular around here," he joked, though there was probably some truth to the statement

[Deleted]

Kiara had been serious… and felt incredibly grateful when Gabriel laughed away the suggestion. Of course that didn’t solve the problem at hand, but at least she wouldn’t end up sleeping on a cold and uncomfortable backseat of the car. While it did make her wonder how he wished to deal with the situation instead, she didn’t ask. For a second the girl felt better about herself – also aided by him reasoning why no apologies were in place. “Me tagging along kind of ruined your chances with one of the nurses though,” she chuckled some while awkwardly rubbing her upper arm. “The dark-haired one… She seemed to be really into you.” Perhaps the woman had been his type? Unless he liked blondes better? But it would be weird to ask it like that, right? Yeahhh… it would be.

The diner itself was a new experience to Kiara. It wasn’t like the places she tended to visit back at home or at Pilot Ridge. It was… different. A good different. Kind of like in those typical romantic comedies. Of course making that link didn’t help limit the butterflies that were reviving themselves within her stomach now that the tension from before was finally starting to fade. She warmed up to Gabriel again the second he opened the door, and even more when she witnessed the genuine smile offered to the waitress. The way those lips moved and… the way the woman’s voice luckily brought her back to reality.

A sheepish smile was given by Kiara, feeling a tad bit out of place because absolutely nothing (except for Gabriel) was familiar. A faint blush present as well when the waitress made a wrong assumption, making blue eyes briefly shoot up at Gabe. She felt kind of dumbfound when he didn’t object… There was no reason for them to pretend to be more than friends here, so why didn’t he? Her mind began to wreck itself again, yet she found a moment to let features genuinely light up. “It’s a pleasure meeting you, Rose.” No shaking hands though – the counter was in between. No other words spoken either; only another quick smile in Rose’s direction before the blonde flocked behind Gabriel.

Once seated, Kiara adjusted the dress some. “I loved the look on Rose’s face when she thought you had a date.” With a chuckle, hands stopped smoothing over the fabric and her gaze drifted over to Gabe. The blonde didn’t mind though, and she hoped adding the next part would give away she was rather okay with it. “I’m glad to have made her day.” Her eyes kind of searched his face after that while her expression had shifted into a somewhat sly smile. Perhaps he didn’t catch that, if only because she picked up the second menu that had been on the table.

Eyes merely scanned the options though. “Any chance you have some suggestions? Otherwise I’ll just go for whatever you’re taking. I trust your judgment.” Gabe quite probably had eaten most things on the menu by now, so surely he could offer some advice.

She placed the menu down, tapping fingers on it for a second before sitting back in the booth while blue eyes rested upon the man. “So, um, what are we going to do? About the room, I mean.” Kiara absentmindedly fumbled with one of the corners of the card after having pulled it closer to the edge of the table. “We can just roll up one of the spare blankets and put it in the middle of the mattress.” You know, just in case he wanted to hear something like that. “If you want.” Maybe, by adding that, he would realize that the ball was in his camp. That she had absolutely no objections to that, to sharing a bed with him. To have him cuddle up to her.