friendship aesthetic: gabruce // @gabriella-marino
“Whatever you’re thinking, forget about it. I wouldn’t do that to you and I wouldn’t let anyone else do it either,” she signed. “I believe you and in you. Whatever you need, I’ll be right here.”
As secrets went, this one was just about as heavy as they got. And Gabriella didn’t even know about Bruce’s other secrets. But it surprised him, how much lighter he felt, knowing that someone else knew, and still believed in him, and wanted to help. He felt a twinge of guilt, too, still feeling like he had dragged Gabriella into this mess. But she was saying, loud and clear, that she wanted to be a part of this. And Bruce didn’t have the words to thank her.
So instead he just signed, “Thank you,” knowing it wasn’t enough. Something caught in Bruce’s throat. Deep water merpeople didn’t cry underwater. That was a special feature of the human form. But he had gotten quite accustomed to it over the past eighteen months. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes. “I… I think we ought to be closing up now. But thank you. You’re very brave, Gabriella. Maybe the bravest person I know.”