fromabovethecloudsâ:
Man, she was really digging into him with this, wasnât she? Gabriel squirmed uncomfortably in his chairâsomething that couldâve easily been mistaken as embarassment upon being asked about a significant otherâat the question.
How was he supposed to explain to Lenora that he didnât do anything except for training? That he didnât go out except to the gym? That heâd been living at his apartment for five years now, and still slept on a mattress on the floor in a pretty much barren room?
So far, heâd managed to at least partly conceal how much of a mess he was. He wouldâve like to maintain the illusion for a bit longer.
âWell, most of the friends I have I met through the gym, so theyâre still training while Iâm resting up. Unfortunately, we havenât been able to see each other a lot lately.â That was stretching it: While Gabrielâs gym-mates were all nice and friendly to him, their relationship was more akin to coworkers or familiar acquaintances than friends, and that was with the ones that didnât hate his guts. âAs for a significant other, I donât⌠I havenât really thought about it yet. I guess Iâve just been too busy.â
Oops. Was she making him uncomfortable?
âHey, hey. No big deal. Iâm just being nosy,â Lenora assured him, reaching for her own plate of food. âI was totally like that, too. Threw myself into my studies and all that. And thereâs no rush in finding someone â if you even want someone! Youâve got plenty of time. Just donât forget to have fun sometimes, too.â
There was an immediate sense of relief as Lenora gave Gabriel an out from all the questions about his personal life. She must've realized she was making him nervousâshe was good at reading people like thatâbut he sensed she wasn't entirely correct about why exactly. That didn't matter. He was more than happy to play along, and let the subject lie for the time being.
"Haha, thank you. Yeah, I guess I'm a bit *too* focused on my career right now," he replied, a hand scratching at the back of his head, lips curling into a sheepish smile. "But don't worry. My coach and my teammates are there to look after me. I'll be okay."
He was surprised at how quickly he'd finished his burger. He supposed it had been a while since he'd had something truly tasty for lunch, and he had been pretty hungry. Speaking of, he still felt like he had room for more. "So, since I don't imagine I'm going to get another chance to pay for lunch anytime soon, how are you feeling about some desert?"
---
Given Lenora wasn't to keen on driving, Gabriel felt it was only courteous that he'd offer to cab along with her. After all, their homes were in the same general direction and neither of them was in great condition for long walks for the time being. He guided the driver to the entrance of his apartment building, giving Lenora a final hug before climbing out.
"I'm really glad we got to meet today," he said, earnestly. "And I'm really glad to hear you're okay. Please, don't hesitate to call me if you ever need help."
For the time being, that was as close as Gabriel was going to get to asking Lenora to hang out again soon. Even after everything that had happened, he was still afraid of coming off as too pushy. He climbed out of the car and walked into his apartment's lobby, not even realizing as his phone slipped out of his jacket's pocket and fell on the car seat.











