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Chapter 2
Patterns and Scars
“Mom, I’m home!” I shouted as I walked into the house.
She popped out from the corner and grinned. “Alexis, come here.” She said in her adoring English accent. I love my mom. She’s a brunette with the same bright green eyes as me. She’s an awesome mom; she always helps me if I need it and yet she still gives me space like a normal mom should. My dad met her in London years before she had my brother. My brother and I were actually born in England but we moved here when I turned three.
She opened her arms and I walked into them. “How was your first day of senior year?”
I smiled. “It was great. I have my AP classes this year.”
“Good for you darling, your brother is here by the way. Your father will be home around seven.” She pulled back and smiled.
“What is Anthony doing here? Shouldn’t he be down in Florida?”
She nodded. “He’s taking a gap year.”
I groaned. “Does that mean he’s going to be home all the time?”
“He’s taken a job down at the Four Season’s Centre in town.”
“Where’s he working?”
She smirked. “Abercrombie and Fitch.”
Of course.
“Now off you go, he’s upstairs in your room waiting for you.”
I rolled my eyes and made my way to the main staircase. When I entered my room he was on my laptop on iTunes. He turned around a grinned.
My brother turned twenty last month. He looks almost like me except he has black hair. Awesome guy bit of a douche sometimes, studying medicine. The perfect role model older sibling wasn’t he?
“Hey, how’s it going?” I said as I dumped my school bag on the bed and walked up to him.
He stood up and gave me a quick hug. “Good, and how’s school?”
I smiled and went into my walk-in closet to change into sweats. “Great. How’s college going and how’s Eliza?”
When I walked out and he was sitting on the side of bed. “Uni’s fine and Eliza is still in Florida but she’s great.” Eliza was his lovely long term girlfriend.
“Good.”
He smirked at me. “How’s Gabriel?”
I smiled to myself. “He’s fine. Why?”
He shrugged. “Just wondering. Is he coming over tonight?”
I sat on the computer chair and swivelled around. “I’m not sure.”
“In other words yes.” He mumbled.
I rolled my eyes and watched him walk out with a grin. I grabbed my glasses and went onto Facebook and read everyone’s status’s about how school was crap or how they missed their friend and how Mr. Williams, the Gym teacher, was even hotter this year.
I’m so happy I don’t have gym this year. I always hated gym. Gym was never my specialty-
“I always thought your glasses were adorable.”
I jumped and spun round. “God! Gabriel, you scared me. I didn’t even hear you walk in.”
He tutted and shook his head from his spot on my bed. “Listen more carefully next time.”
I smiled. “Shut up.”
I continued looking through news feed but after a while I gave up and went onto iTunes to play some music. I pressed on Brothers On A Hotel Bed by Death Cab for Cutie and went to rest next to Gabriel.
He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me into his side.
“Gabe?”
“Hmm?”
I sighed. “If there was something wrong with you, would you tell me?”
He paused. “I tell you everything.”
He avoided the question.
“Gabriel,” I sat up and stared down at him. “I’m asking you if you would tell me if there was something wrong with you.”
He furrowed his eyebrows and looked down. “It depends.”
I raised a brow. “On what?”
He closed his eyes and sighed so I waited. I scowled after a few moments and put my hands on his shoulder. I was about to say something but he winced.
And that’s when I felt it.
On his right shoulder, there was a raised mark going all the way down his arm. It was in a sort of… interesting pattern.
He grabbed my hand and sat up. His suddenly always bright blue eyes turned cold and hard; I shuddered slightly at the glare.
“Gabriel, what is that?” I asked not turning away from him.
He didn’t say anything.
I shook my hand out of his death grip and put my hand over his muscular shoulder. I felt from his shoulder down to his elbow. It was covered in a weird patterned, raised mark. When I went back up I felt it spread out slightly on his chest.
I dropped my hand onto my lap and stared at him. Was this why he was wearing a long sleeve? But why not tell me? Why hide it? How bad could it honestly be?
“Does it hurt?” I asked him. It came out as a whisper.
He nodded slightly. I wasn’t entirely sure if it was a nod.
“What…” I cupped his face. “Gabriel, what is that?”
He held my hand to his face, closed his eyes and sighed.
He looked pained. I’ve never seen such an expression on his face before. He was always happy… most of the time. Sometimes he can be very protective or serious; he would sound and look like more of an adult than his seventeen years.
He leaned forward and rested his forehead on mine. My hand was still on his face but his had now dropped to my leg. He was staring into my eyes; it looked like he was trying to say something.
His head leaned in the slightest.
I had two choices here: Move away and scream bloody murder, or… let it happen. See whether or not you want it to happen…
Do you? I asked myself. Do want to kiss Gabriel, your best friend, your anchor, your guide?
I… Do.
As if he heard me, his lips lightly pressed to mine. I… felt something.
There was a knock on my door.
He jumped back clenching his jaw.
I shut my eyes and yelled. “Come in!”
“Gabriel! It’s been a while! How’ve you been?” My brother asked him.
I raked a hand through my hair and bit my lip. Is it right that my lips were still sort of tingling?
I looked up at him and saw him grinning at Anthony. They shook hands and Anthony left, leaving us in an awkward silence.
Was it right that I wanted to kiss Gabriel again?
No?
Yes?
Yeah, I love him but I’m not in love with him. Never have, never will… Nope.
Then I realised something. He completely ignored the question.
He looked at me and I narrowed my eyes. “Did you just kiss me so you didn’t have to answer my question?”
He looked shocked but then understanding. “No.”
I gave him a look. “Yeah, I think you did.”
“No, Lexie, I didn’t. I’ll tell you the truth… it was a… loss of control. It wasn’t supposed to happen.”
I stared at him. He was telling the truth. Loss of control? “What do you mean loss of control?”
He sighed. “It is very hard to explain.”
“So… the only reason you kissed me was because… you lost control?”
“No I kissed you because I… wanted to kiss you.” He said confusing me. “The loss of control made me do it though. I was holding myself back–”
I stood up. “I’m a little confused, Gabriel.”
He put his hands to his face and shook his head. He looked so frustrated. “Don’t worry about it, Lexie. I can’t explain it… it’s too hard.”
“Well, try. Please, I don’t get what’s wrong with you today.”
“I knew this would happen soon enough.” I heard in a whispered voice.
What did he mean by that? “What do you mean?” I asked him.
His head snapped up. “I didn’t say anything.”
I raised a brow. “But you just said—”
“Kids!” My mom shouted. “Dinner!”
He stood up. “Will you drop this?”
“Never,” I said.
He smiled. “Of course you won’t. Come down in a minute.”
My mouth gaped open as I watched him leave.
First, I feel his weird scar. Then I ask him what the hell it was, he kisses me and says that he wanted to kiss me but it was a loss of control. Lastly I hear a voice that sounded like his but didn’t actually come from him…
What the hell just happened?
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