Chapter 20

Chapter 20
Gabriel found himself revisiting the scene in his mind as he roamed his apartment, unable to shake the vivid memory of what had happened earlier. After a long day at work with countless meetings running into one another, Gabriel had been about ready to go to bed when he'd heard the loud bang from outside.

Worried and cautious, he'd quickly stepped out of his apartment—only to be met with a sight that had caught him by surprise. There, seated before her door, was Joslyn, surrounded by her scattered belongings, resembling fallen leaves in disarray.

However, it hadn't quite been the disorderliness of her belongings that had captured Gabriel's attention initially. It’d been the tears streaming down her face, her shoulders shaking with each sob. The contrast between her usual composed demeanor and her current state of vulnerability had been so stark and had struck him deeply.

The image of Joslyn in such a state of distress had stirred within Gabriel an overwhelming yet inexplicable sense of protectiveness, prompting him to quickly comfort her.

It had been roughly ten minutes then since she stopped crying and was brought into Gabriel’s own apartment by him after he'd found out that she had lost her keys and was locked out of her apartment.

Assessing Joslyn, Gabriel noticed that she was a bit damp from the rain that had begun falling just earlier that night. "I'll get you something to change into," he said gently.

Hearing Gabriel's words, Joslyn glanced down at herself with a confused frown, realizing just then that she was indeed a bit wet. Looking out the window, she then noticed the downpour she hadn't even been aware of earlier, too caught up in her haze of numbness.

Joslyn nodded appreciatively at Gabriel, who returned the gesture with a small smile. He then disappeared into his bedroom and returned moments later with a clean t-shirt for her. "Here, you can change into this," he offered kindly. "I'll leave to give you some privacy."

With a grateful nod, Joslyn took the shirt from him as he left the living room to his bedroom, closing the door behind him to give her the space she needed. Standing just inside the door, Gabriel couldn't shake the feeling of curiosity, wondering what had caused her to break down like that.

However, his thoughts are interrupted when he heard Joslyn call out from the living room, her voice albeit weak and barely audible as it bore a hint of exhaustion. “I’m done,” she'd said.

Hearing that, Gabriel walked back to the living room again but on getting there, he was greeted by the sight of Joslyn shivering slightly with her teeth chattering in tandem. Now that she’d changed out of her wet clothes, she was feeling the difference in temperature.

The last thing Gabriel wanted was her catching a fever, so with concern etched on his features, he backtracked into his bedroom and began to rummage through the dressers in his closet, his hands moving purposefully as he searched for one of his spare blankets.

Finally, his hand closed around the soft fabric, and he yanked it out of the dresser. Exiting the room, Gabriel promptly approached Joslyn and wrapped the blanket around her quivering form in order to ward off the cold. The chill from the rain had seeped into her bones and he could see the goosebumps prickling her skin.

Without any hesitation, he turned up the heat a notch, the subsequent warmth slowly filling up the living room as Joslyn snuggled deeper into the blanket, letting out a quiet sigh in comfort. Gabriel watched her closely, his heart aching at the sight of her vulnerability. It was mildly odd seeing her act different from her usual way.

Gabriel was still busy watching her when a soft sound suddenly filled the living room, quiet yet audible over the pitter-patter of rain still falling outside. Gabriel's brows shot up his forehead in surprise as he took in the embarrassed look on Joslyn’s face from where she was sat, huddled on the couch. He finally recognized the sound; it was her stomach rumbling.

Quelling his amusement, Gabriel asked gently, his voice cutting through the silence settling in the room. “I assume you haven't had dinner yet then?” She stalled for a moment before shaking her head in reply, rousing Gabriel's suspicions.

Frowning, he scrutinized Joslyn for a couple of seconds before voicing his suspicion in form of a question. “Have you even had anything to eat today at all?”

Gabriel takes her slight grimace and expression of weariness as the answer; No, she hadn't.

Muttering a curse, he quickly set about heating up some of the leftover food his mother, Nora, had packed for him after their dinner together a few days ago. With a few swift movements, he transferred the food into a microwave-safe dish and set it to heat.

As the food warmed up, Gabriel returned to the living room, fully intending to scold Joslyn for the reckless action of neglecting her well-being all day but on getting there, the reprimand died on his tongue, replaced with concern as he took in the sight of Joslyn cradling her foot, her face contorted in a pained grimace as she carefully prodded the seemingly injured toe.

Gabriel was immediately reminded of how he'd had to carry her into his apartment because she had been unable to walk on her own due to the agony. Remembering that, he quickly returned to the kitchen to fetch her an ice pack from the refrigerator before settling on a seat beside her, coaxing her injured foot across his thighs so he could take a proper look at it.

Gabriel stifled a wince himself as he examined the bruised toe, noticing the angry purple color it'd gained, indicating that she hadn't bruised it just by kicking her front door.

“You really should get this checked out at the hospital, sweetheart.” Gabriel gently advised, his voice tinged with concern as he carefully brought the ice pack to her toe and started massaging it as tenderly as he could, his touch a soothing balm against the ache she'd been feeling. Joslyn gave a weak nod in reply, a small appreciative smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

The microwave chimed, signaling that the food was ready. Transferring the pack to her, Gabriel stood from his seat and returned to the kitchen, quickly dishing the warm meal onto a plate for Joslyn. With a gentle smile, he brought it over to her, placing it on the coffee table within her reach before taking a seat beside her again.

He pretended to occupy himself with his phone while stealing subtle glances from the corner of his eye at Joslyn as she absentmindedly picked at her food. Regardless of her obvious hunger, she only managed to take small bites here and there, barely making a dent in the meal he had served her. Not saying a word yet, Gabriel gave her a few moments of privacy, not wanting to press her for answers just yet.

However as he watched her, a sense of urgency welled up within him, prompting him to speak. "Jos," he started softly, his voice breaking the silence that hung between them. "You need to eat. It's not proper for you to go without food all day."

She glanced up at him, her eyes filled with exhaustion and reluctance. For a moment, she hesitated, but then she nodded, her movements slow as she took another small bite of food.

Gabriel waited patiently as Joslyn ate, the silence stretching between them like an invisible barrier. When she finally finished, he cleared the dishes away, his movements gentle and unhurried.

After he was done, he led her to the guest room he'd already prepared for her for the night but Joslyn stopped him before he could leave, her voice hesitant as she asked, "Aren't you going to ask me what happened?" Her gaze searched his face for answers but in the depths of them, Gabriel could see her reluctance in the midst of her fatigue. She was only willing to tell him for the sake of courtesy, not because she wanted to recount whatever had happened to her today.

Understandably so.

Realizing this, Gabriel allowed his curiosity to simmer down as he met her gaze with a steady look. "You need to rest first," he replied softly. "Then we can talk about it tomorrow, if you want to. But only if you're ready to speak about it, okay love?"

Joslyn nodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Thank you, Gabriel," she murmured, gratitude evident in her voice, not just for this but for everything he'd done for her tonight.

With a nod of understanding, Gabriel bid her goodnight and retreated to his own room.

As Gabriel lay in bed, the events of the evening replayed in his mind like an endless loop. The sight of Joslyn's tears, her vulnerability laid bare before him, had stirred something deep within him—a fierce protectiveness that he couldn't quite shake.

In the quiet of his room, he found himself wrestling with a barrage of questions. What had caused Joslyn to break down like that? Was she okay? The uncertainty gnawed at him, but he knew that pressing her for answers wouldn't help.

Joslyn needed time, space to process whatever she was going through. And as much as Gabriel wanted to help, he understood that sometimes the best support he could offer was simply being there for her.

With a sigh, he closed his eyes, willing himself to let go of his worries, at least for the night. Tomorrow was a new day, and he hoped that it would bring with it the opportunity for Joslyn to share whatever was bothering her.

❀ ❀ ❀