Chapter Thirty-Eight - She Needs Her Friends Around

Chapter Thirty-Eight - She Needs Her Friends Around
Gabe

We arrive back at my place, and Peyton heads straight to the spare bedroom, not saying a word as she goes. I sigh, following her with the rest of the bags. When I enter the room, she is sitting on the bed. 

“I am sorry that he showed up. Any idea on where he could be?” 

Peyton lifts her head to look at me. “I don’t know where he is now, but I saw him when we were in the car to come back. He was across the street. He didn’t see me.” 

“What? Why didn’t you tell me?” 

“Why do you think? You would have turned the car around and knocked him down or jumped out of the car and beat the shit out of him.” 

I could deny it, but there is no point because I would have done something, and he would have deserved it. “You should have told me, Peyton.

“I am tired. Can you leave now, please?” she whispers. 

I don’t believe she is tired; she wants to be alone. I would rather not leave her alone, but it is what she wants. Hesitantly, I nod and exit the room, leaving her to it. I leave the door open slightly in case she calls for me. I won’t allow her to stay locked away for the rest of the day because of him. I’ll give her a couple of hours. I am going to text Kaitlyn and see if she and Anthony want to come over. 

Heading to the kitchen, I put our food from the restaurant in the fridge. We can have it later if she is up for it. Max better hope that he doesn’t run into me in the street. It won’t end well for him. I take a beer from the fridge, pop it open, and take a sip before I sit at the table to text Kaitlyn. 
Hey, do you guys have plans later? If not, do you want to come over for dinner? Peyton needs her friends around her. 

There is a higher chance of Peyton talking to Kaitlyn than to me. 

Hey, yes, we’ll come over. We will bring take-out. We will be there about six. How is Peyton? 
Thank you. She is hiding in the spare room. She said she is tired, but I think she wants to be left alone. 
She will come out in her own time. We’ll see you in a few hours. 
See you then. 

I put my cell down and take another drink of my beer. Tonight, with our friends, will be a good distraction. I finish my beer and head through to check on Peyton. The second I arrive outside the door, I can hear Peyton cry. I hate that bastard for doing this to her. I stay put, unsure if I should go in to comfort her. Sometimes, when she used to get upset, she would either tell me to leave her alone or seek comfort. It depended on the day or what was wrong with her. 

I push the door open, deciding to comfort her. If she doesn’t want it, she will let me know. Peyton has her back to the door, facing the wall. I kick my shoes off and climb onto the bed without saying a word. Taking the spot behind her, I drape my arm over her. She freezes for a moment, but then turns to face me, buries her face in my chest and puts her arm around me. 

“Everything will be okay, beautiful. I promise.” I whisper and stroke her hair. 

Peyton doesn’t say anything. She doesn’t need to. I hold her because it is what she needs. I’ll lie here with her for as long as she needs me to


We must have fallen asleep because I open my eyes and notice it isn’t as light as it was. Hopefully, not too late since Kaitlyn and Anthony are coming over. It is only then that I notice that Peyton isn’t next to me. I sit up quickly and go to find her. The apartment is empty. Where the hell did she go? 

Searching for my cell, I notice it is five-thirty. I have been asleep for over two hours. Kaitlyn and Anthony will be here soon. I call Peyton, anxiously waiting for her to answer. It rings a few times. The longer it rings, the more anxious I become. What if Max ran into her? Just as I am about to hang up, Peyton answers. 

“Peyton, where are you?” I panic. 

“Gabe, relax, I am fine. I went out to get some Mochi. I’ll be back in five minutes.” 

I relax. “Okay, see you soon.” 

I worry too much, but I’ve always been that way with Peyton. We hang up. Five minutes later, she strolls in, two bags of groceries from the Asian store a few blocks away in her hands. 

“That is a lot of Mochi.” I chuckle. 

Peyton laughs. “I have other things.” 

She heads to the kitchen to put everything away. I follow her. 

“Don’t be filling up with snacks. Kaitlyn and Anthony will be here soon with dinner.” 

When she turns to me, she is already shoving some mochi into her mouth. I raise my brow at her. She finishes it off. 

“I am not eating anything.” She replies sweetly and bats her lashes at me. 

“Sure, you weren’t.” 

“When are Kaitlyn and Anthony coming?” she asks. 

“They will be here in about half an hour. Are you doing okay?” 

Peyton nods. “I am going to jump in a quick shower and change.” 

Peyton disappears to shower, not really answering the question. She seems in a better mood, but I’ll be keeping an eye on her. I clean up a little, there is much mess, but I like to keep the place tidy when I have guests. I hate cleaning because I am lazy and hate it. I could hire someone, but that would encourage my laziness. 

I head to the living room, sit on the sofa, and wait for Peyton to return or for the others to arrive, depending on who gets here first. It will be a good night either way.