* WARNING: Sexual Content Ahead

*Reader Discretion is Advised

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I was meeting up with Anushka at Angel's Pizzeria.

After she walked in on me and Gabriel, I contacted her, and she was surprisingly very receptive. We'd agreed to meet up in the parking lot of the pizzeria, and my heart was hammering in my chest. My palms were sweating, and I felt like I was going to be sick. I hadn't felt anxiety like this in a while.

Then again, my future wife did walk in on me getting my dick sucked by a man.

I couldn't believe we were so reckless. I couldn't blame Gabriel for not closing the door. I was the one who grabbed him to kiss him.

Someone knocked on the passenger window of my car, and I glanced over to see Anushka. I quickly opened the door for her, and she sat down. She stared ahead while my eyes stayed on her.

We were silent.

"Are we going to talk about the elephant in the room?" I finally spoke up. "About what you saw?"

"There are three options." She began to check off on her fingers. "You're either straight up gay, bisexual or bi-curious. Which one is it? And don't bullshit me."

I didn't speak for a couple seconds. "I'm gay."

She nodded with her lips curled into her mouth. "Good to know. What am I? Your beard?" I stayed quiet. "I guess I am." She sighed with her gaze still forward. "It's okay. We're both using each other, anyway."

"Please, don't tell anyone," I begged. "If my family finds out, it'll destroy my life."

Anushka looked my way. "Some people will think you're being dramatic, but I get what you mean. Your father also seems like a handful."

I turned my body to face her. "No one can know. Okay?"

She waved me off. "Relax, I'm not going to tell anyone." I grinned. "I have better things to do than exposing your secret. But I will tell you this." She wagged her finger. "I'm not calling off the wedding though. If you don't want to marry me anymore, you have to call it off. Me calling off the wedding will be a disgrace to my family."

"It'll be a disgrace to mine, too," I reminded her. "I'm not going to call it off."

"Then you better not fall in love with that guy."

"His name is Gabriel," I said.

He wasn't just "that guy."

"Gabriel," Anushka said. Then she smirked. "The person you loved. They're a guy." Then she grinned. "Is it this Gabriel guy?" I frowned, not having the voice to rebut her. "It is! Shit, you're already in love."

I rolled my eyes. "Shut up, Anushka."

"You're going to call off the wedding."

"Why do you say that?" I asked.

"Because of this Gabriel guy," she said. "You loved him. He's back in your life, and you're obviously hooking up. You're not going to go through with this."

"Are you challenging me?"

"I'm being honest," she said. "The only way this marriage will work is if we both have little to no feelings—for anyone. That ship has obviously sailed for you."

She was making it seem like I was still in love with Gabriel. I was before, but now, five years had passed, and a lot happened during those five years. I couldn't feel the way I felt before. My emotions had been numbed.

"We're getting married in a couple months," I reiterated. "Nothing's going to stop that."

"If you say so," she said. "But like I said, when it comes to us getting married, the ball is in your court."

"I know," I said. "I'm glad we've come to an agreement."

"It's really sad actually."

"What is?"

"You have the potential to be with someone you love and who loves you back," she said, "but you're choosing to marry me instead. With this arrangement, I have nothing to lose. You do."

"I'll be fine," I said. "I'm a big boy."

Anushka smirked. "I guess no more fucking."

"We will," I said. "You're going to be my wife. Of course, we're going to fuck."

"It's not going to be the same," she said. "I know you're gay." She shrugged. "I'll just get my needs met somewhere else."

"That works, too."

Anushka was cool. If there was a girl made for me, it was Anushka. If I was straight, and she had the ability to love someone romantically, we would have been a great couple. But that wasn't the case.

"I guess I don't have to feel bad anymore." She looked me in the eye. "I've been fucking other people, too."

Like I said, we would have been made for each other.

"Then it's settled," I said. "We're each going to do our thing, but we're still getting married."

"Whatever you say, Gyan Gupta." She opened the door and stepped out. "I guess you do like anal, after all."

And she was gone. I shook my head. Anushka Kumar was a mess.

Before I could reverse out of the parking lot, I spotted a familiar face sitting at one of the tables outside of the pizzeria.

Ishaan, Nila's husband.

And he was with another woman.

She was Indian, with darker skin and curly hair. They smiled, and he held her hand in his. There was no way she was just a friend or even a relative. He was rubbing her hand as they shared a pizza.

What the hell?

With that, I took a picture of the two and sent it to my sister. Once it was delivered, I called her. It took a couple rings for her to pick up.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Nila, check out the picture I sent you." She was quiet for a while. "You see it?" She didn't say anything. "That's Ishaan with another woman. Do you know about this?"

Nila sighed. "Is this why you're calling me?"

"What do you mean?" I didn't expect this reaction. "It looks like he's cheating on you."

"Just let it go," she said.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes," she said. "It's my business. Not yours."

Then it sunk in. "You know," I said. "How long have you known that he was cheating?"

"It doesn't concern you, Gyan."

"You're my sister," I said. "I'm not going to stand by and let this punk disrespect you and your marriage."

I'd never liked Ishaan Sharma. He was a smug son of a bitch. He was never good enough for my sister.

"I need to go, Gyan."

"Nila."

"I have things to do," she said. "Please. Just forget about this."

"Nila!" She hung up. "Fuck."

I threw my phone onto the passenger seat, with my gazing returning to the unlikely pair. The woman looked Tamil. She was beautiful, which pissed me off. What were all these gorgeous women doing with a guy like Ishaan?

A part of me wanted to march over to the two and embarrass Ishaan, but I knew Nila would be pissed. I still couldn't believe she was acting like this was okay. Nila was a lot of things, but she was not weak. She never allowed anyone to take advantage of her, so why was she still with this asshole if he was cheating?

With that thought in mind, I stayed in my car and drove off, not wanting to see the two any longer. When I made it to the apartment, Gabriel was in the kitchen drinking orange juice. He was in a bath robe.

He brought his glass down when he spotted me. "Hey."

I closed the door before making my way over to him. "Hey."

"How'd it go?" he asked while leaning on the island.

I smiled. "It went well. Anushka didn't make a big deal out of it, and the wedding is still on."

Gabriel frowned. "What? The wedding is still on?" I nodded. "She walked in on you getting a blowjob from a man. What do you have to do for her to call off this wedding?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "You sound disappointed."

"This really is a loveless marriage, isn't it?"

We stared at each other. "I don't have time to argue with you, Gabriel. It's been a long day."

"It's afternoon."

"Lately, every day feels like a long day," I said in a voice louder than I intended. "I can't argue with you right now." I moved closer, and I wrapped my arms around him. "Me marrying Anushka doesn't mean we can't continue what we're doing. Anushka has her side pieces, too."

His eyes formed into slits. "That's what I am to you? A side piece?"

He removed himself from my hold. "Gabriel."

I didn't mean it like that. Gabriel would never be just some casual hookup.

He turned around to face me. "You're not the only one stressed, Gyan, so stop acting like it."

Before he could walk away, I grabbed him. "Where're you going?"

"To take a bath," he replied.

I grabbed my shirt and removed it. "Let me take it with you."

I didn't miss his eyes lingering on my chest. "That's not—"

I placed a finger on his lips. "I'm coming with you. I need this. That's the thing, Gabriel." I cradled his cheek in my hand. "It doesn't matter how much we fight. No one makes me feel the way you do." His features relaxed. "You question me wanting you, but you're what I need."

Gabriel would always be important to me. First, I fought it, but I couldn't anymore. I had to face the truth that I couldn't let go of him, even if I wanted to.

He grabbed my wrist on the hand that cupped his face. "It's one step forward," he said, "and multiple steps back."

I cupped both his cheeks this time. "Then let's stop taking steps back." My thumbs caressed his cheek. "Let me take a bath with you."

"I'm not taking it to get clean," he said. "I'm taking it to relax."

I released him. "Even better."

Before I could work on my jeans, Gabriel beat me to it. He removed my jeans and boxers to join my shirt. "Do you like that?" I asked. "Leaving clothes all over the place."

He ignored me. "Come on." He grabbed my hand and led me to the bathroom. Gabriel had cleaned it recently, so it was in pristine shape.

I turned on the fan and left the door open. When we reached the tub, I turned Gabriel around. "I want to see you." I freed him of his bath robe and allowed it to fall around his legs. His eyes were on me as I took him in. I extended his arm and kissed along his skin. "I love your skin. It's not pale but creamy."

I kissed up his arm and stopped at his neck. I planted a hand on his ass to pull him close, and Gabriel grabbed my shoulders, not pushing me away but holding me close.

"I like men with darker skin," he said, and I smirked against his skin.

I pulled back. "That's refreshing. My father once said that I'm lucky I'm not a girl because that means I can get away with having darker skin."

Gabriel's eyes went round. "That's so messed up."

I was the darkest one in my family, and my father didn't mind rubbing it in my face. It wasn't just India. Every culture was fucked up when it came to colorism.

Gabriel kissed my shoulder. "I like you the way you are."

We smiled at each other. Then Gabriel turned around to turn on the water. I licked my lips as his ass was right in my face. Gabriel had a nice ass, and I moved close and smacked it.

He yelped before standing upright. "What was that for?"

I chuckled. "I couldn't resist."

He sent me a playful glare before continuing to make the water. When it was ready, he turned to me. "Should I go first or..."

"I'll go." I stepped into the tub and allowed the water to engulf me. I kept my legs parted as I focused on Gabriel. "Coming?"

He stepped in and sat between my legs. "Are you okay?" he asked. "I don't want to crush you."

"I'm fine." I pulled him back. "Relax."

"I don't mean you," he said. "I mean your..."

I perked a brow. "My dick?" He bit his lip, and I laughed. "It'll be fine."

He relaxed into me, and I wrapped my arms around him. "I can feel it," he said.

I could feel his back, too. "Does it bother you?"

He shook his head. "No. I like feeling you." He looked back at me. "Every part of you."

I brushed his nose with my index finger. "You're right. I'm not the only one with stressful days. How are things with you and your dad?"

Gabriel told me that his father contacted him and wanted to be back in his life. I was surprised because Gabriel's father was never there before. He had been gone for twenty-four years.

"He's kept his word, and he's been texting and calling," Gabriel said. "I'm still on edge though."

"I would be, too."

"But at the same time, I want this," he said. "This may be my only chance to get to know my dad, and I don't want to not take it. I'm pissed, but the need to know him is stronger than my anger."

"Just remember this," I said. "You giving your father a second chance isn't a sign of weakness. It's a sign of strength."

He grabbed the side of my head to rub it. "Thanks." Then his attention moved forward. "Things were so simple before. Things between us."

I ran my fingers through the warm water. "In college?"

He nodded. "It was conventional, too. We met. Went on a couple dates. Started dating and stayed together for almost four years."

Gabriel was right. Things weren't complicated then. It wasn't always smooth sailing, with all the fights and disagreements that crept up every now and then, but it was simple.

Gabriel rested his head on my shoulder. "There was no Anushka. Things were better between us."

"We're better now," I pointed out. "Better than we were when you first came back."

"That's true," he said. "I wish we could have more moments like this."

"Then let's enjoy this moment," I told him. "No thinking about anything else."

"You keep saying that whenever we're together," he said. "We can't have all of our moments in fantasy land. The real world exists, and we're going to have to face that."

I rubbed his shoulders, not wanting to think about this any further. "Stop worrying," I said. "Only focus on this moment."

"Gyan?"

I kissed his neck. "Hmm?"

"Are you still mad at me?" he asked.

"No." My kisses traveled down to his shoulder. "Why would you ask that?"

I was pissed when he first came, but I was past that. I was just glad he was here, and I was glad he was living with me.

He peeked back at me. "Because I don't know if you've truly forgiven me." Our eyes locked on each other. "I feel like a part of you is still pissed at me. I feel like it's holding you back."

"Don't worry about that." My hand moved down his chest, but he stopped me before I could reach his crotch.

"No," he said. "You always do that. I try to have a serious conversation, and you turn to sex."

"Sex is simple," I said. "There's not a lot of overthinking, and we get to be together. It's one of the few simple moments we have. Everything else is so...overwhelming."

The way Gabriel made me feel was intense. I didn't know how to comprehend it, and a part of me didn't want to decipher it. I knew I wanted him, but I didn't know the extent of which I wanted him.

I didn't want to know.

He held my gaze. "You don't have to be scared when it comes to me. Before it wasn't just sex with us. We were more, and we can still be more."

"Before, things were different," I said.

I didn't have to come to terms with my future. There wasn't the marriage or Anushka. I didn't have to think about my dad's expectations. The circumstances had changed. Gabriel and I had changed, too.

Gabriel sighed. "I know. I just wish things were the way they were before."

"Things are different," I said, "but we can make it work."

He slanted his body to rest his head on my shoulder with a hand on my neck. "Do you know the moment I realized I was in love with you?"

I peered down at him. "In college?"

He sent me a look. "Yes, in college. I was having a bad day. The newspaper had me stressed. I failed one of my exams. I wasn't ready for all the things that were due that week. I was not in a good place. We met up, and we were walking on campus. Then it started raining, out of no where, and neither one of us had an umbrella. I started freaking out because that rain was the last thing I needed to snap. I was ranting and on the verge of tears while we walked back to your dorm. Then you did it." He smiled. "You removed your jacket, and you put it over my head. You got soaked, but it didn't matter."

"All that mattered was you," I finished.

Gabriel looked up at me. "That was when I realized I was in love with you. It was such a simple act, but it said so much."

I squeezed him to me. I wondered if he still loved me. There was a huge difference between love and want. That was the thing. With Gabriel, I didn't know what to expect. He made me feel things I didn't want to. Things I hadn't felt in five years.

Gabriel turned back around to press his back to my front, and he allowed me to place my hand on his stomach. "The only reason I let you do this is because I can't get enough of you." My hand crept down to grab a hold of his shaft, and he relaxed against me. "I want you to do this to me."

"This?" I worked his còck in my hand, flicking my wrist as my palms massaged his length. "This, Gabriel?" He nodded. "You should know by now that I like you to use words." I placed my chin on his shoulder to watch my hand jerk him off under the water. "Is this what you like, Gabriel?"

"Yes," he said with a groan. "I love your hands." I twisted my hand back and forth below the ridge of his tip, occasionally swiping the head of his cóck. He made me look at him before kissing me. It was chaste. Long enough for me to feel the softness and warmth of his lips, but short enough to leave me wanting more. "I love your lips." I reached down for his balls, fondling them, and he moaned. His back pressed into my growing erection. "I love your còck," he said. "I love all of you."

I didn't know if it was a heat of the moment declaration or if he was being serious. Either way, what he said sounded too close to the real thing. He didn't love me. That ship had sailed.

I rubbed his pre-cùm along his shaft, focusing on the head of his cóck. The water made my travel easier. Gabriel's sounds and the water splashing filled the bathroom. I continued to fist his cóck, planting various kisses along his moist skin. His back rubbed along me, stirring up excitement in my groin.

"No one else?" he asked. "Just us."

I kissed his cheek. "No one else. Just focus on how I make you feel." My hand moved faster, keeping up the same pressure and hold. "Does this feel good?"

He panted. "Yes."

"Tell me what you like?"

"Harder," he said, and I gripped him tighter. "I'm not fragile. You can manhandle me." My hand didn't stop, relentlessly stroking him.

My free hand ran along his thighs. I lightly bit his neck. "You like being manhandled?"

"By you," he said. "You can do anything you want to me. As long as it's you."

Fuck.

The things he said. The things he did. How could he not have this hold on me? I shouldn't have been with him at all because Anushka was right. The only way this marriage was going to work was if the both of us didn't have feelings—for anyone. Being with Gabriel was risky, but I couldn't help it.

I focused my hand along the head of his còck, moving up and down with a smaller travel, keeping the friction concentrated on his tip. "Gyan!" Gabriel moaned as he squirmed against me.

I breathed against his jaw."Want me to stop?"

"No," he said, grunting when I brushed my thumb along the slit of his tip. "Keep going. Please, don't stop."

I took his earlobe into my mouth. He pushed his hips towards my hand as he gripped onto the tub. I took my other hand and clasped it around the base of his shaft, while my second hand continued to tease the top half of his cóck. I turned my two fists in opposite directions, and Gabriel groaned. I watched my actions. I watched my hands twisting around his length with the head of his còck poking out, spitting pre-cum. His cóck was hard enough for the top to peek out of the water.

I took some of his pre-cúm onto my thumb, and I brought it to Gabriel's lips. He took my thumb into his mouth and sucked. "Do you like how you taste?"

I rubbed my palm along the underside of his shaft, stopping to rub the area connecting his shaft to the head of his cóck. He threw his head back with a moan. "I prefer the way you taste," he said, continuing to make sounds from my ministrations.

I was focusing on rubbing along his member now. Palming and brushing my fingers along certain parts of his cóck. When he cried out at a part or shuddered against me, that was when I applied even more pressure, finding all the spots that made him weak.

"I have to re-familiarize myself with your body." I moved my hand between his legs, past his balls and to his ass. One hand continued to find all his pleasure spots while the other circled his entrance. He jerked against me as I teased the little area. "I have to remind myself of what you like. What gets you over the edge and what drives you wild."

When we were together, I knew Gabriel's body almost as well as I knew my own. I knew what he liked and what worked. With all those years passing, I had to re-learn everything because it all seemed so new. It was both thrilling and frightening.

He whimpered when I continued to run my fingers along his rosebud without doing anything. "Gyan, please."

"Please, what?" I leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Do you want my finger?" I smirked. "Do you want my cōck?"

He released a shaky breath. "All of it."

I removed my finger from his opening and returned to his balls. "Well, not today." He groaned as I focused on his member. "Later. When that is? We'll see." I tugged on his earlobe with my teeth.

I resumed my fast, hard strokes. I treated his dick like I treated mine every time I would beat off.  Like he said, he wasn't fragile. He could handle it, and he seemed to agree with his groans and the way he moved against me, almost following my hand. He placed one of his legs on the edge of the tub, giving me more room to work. I added both hands to work both his balls and his dìck at the same time.

"Wanna come?" I asked, and he nodded.

"Yes," he said before I could protest. He was getting a hang of what I liked. "I want you to get me off. After that, I want you in my mouth. I want you to come down my throat."

        Shit.

My own cóck was coming to life with everything he was saying and doing. "Let's get you off then." My voice came out low as my hands moved with new vigor. He groaned in approval as I jerked him off with one hand and played with his balls with the other. The back of my palms faced the water, rubbing my palms against the underside of him while my fingers focused on the topside of his còck. He gripped the tub tighter, seeming to like this.

"Gyan, I'm going to—"

"Come," I said in a demanding voice. "I want to see you come."

With that, I moved my fingers lower, and I pushed one finger into his entrance with three short strokes back to back on his cóck, and he cried out. "Fuck!" Gabriel exploded on my hand and on his chest, but my fist didn't stop moving. He arched his back as I milked him dry. He shuddered and moaned against me with each wave. His ass clamped down onto my finger, pulsing with each spurt of his release. 

I didn't stop my strokes until I was positive nothing else would come out. Gabriel slumped against me with his breaths coming out in pants. I held him, content with myself, despite the raging hard-on between my legs. Gabriel sat up straight, seeming to notice. He stood up and pulled me up with him.

I rinsed my hand out while he drained the tub. When all the water was gone, Gabriel got down on his knees and patted my leg. I took that as my cue to place one of my feet on the edge of the tub while Gabriel grabbed a hold of my cóck.

"I want to make you come as hard as you made me come." That was all the warning I got before he took me in. I groaned with my hand moving into his hair. He bobbed slowly, seeming to coat me in his saliva first, then he picked up the pace. He pulled back to pump my cóck in his hand. "If there's anything you want me to do, tell me."

He licked up my shaft to flick his tongue along the slit at the top of my tip. I hissed as he took me whole again, relaxing his throat so he could take me in as far as possible. He gagged, but he kept going, continuing to deep-throat me with each bob down. My díck was as hard as it could get, and the only thing that could soothe it was his mouth. He kissed along my member, and he sucked on certain areas like my tip, the underside and my balls. His actions made me weak, but I knew I had to keep myself up.

He ran his tongue along the ridge of my cock and every other crevice of me, flicking his tongue places that weren't used to attention. Every time Gabriel gave me head, it was never just bobbing. He added everything to it. His mouth, his hands, his tongue and even his throat. He used all of it to drive me crazy.

I kept his hair out of his face as perspiration collected on his forehead. He glanced up at me with my cóck in his mouth, and I wiped the sweat from his forehead. He wasn't bobbing. He just kept me in his mouth, staring up at me with doe eyes.

I continued to brush his hair back. "You're so sexy." He resumed what he was doing, bobbing slowly with his tongue and throat doing most of the work. "I wanna fùck your mouth."

He placed both hands on my thigh and my propped-up leg, with the balls of his feet holding him up. His gaze stayed on mine with me in his mouth, and that was all the encouragement I needed. My grip tightened in his hair, and I started my thrusts. I would push into his mouth, being swallowed into wet heat before pulling out, the cool air leaving a tingle on my dick. Gabriel's fingers dug into my flesh as he gagged with each forward snap of my hips. I pulled at his hair, and he moaned, sending the vibrations straight to my balls.

I grunted. "That's it, Gabriel." I continued to ram my cóck into his mouth, and as time passed, he adjusted, relaxing his throat and taking more of me in. "Oh God."

How wet and warm his mouth was as it clasped around me was one of the best feelings ever. He swirled his tongue around me as I continued to fuck his mouth, using it for my pleasure. Then I pushed his head onto my cóck while I pushed my hips forward, making him take almost all of me in. His eyes watered as they looked up at me, and I kept him there, wanting to see how much he could take. He never broke our stare as his throat relaxed and constricted around me repeatedly. His nails dug into my flesh, making the area paler.

When I pulled him back, he took a huge breath of air. Then I slammed my cóck back into his mouth, going at my previous speed and intensity. Gabriel adapted quickly, his mouth keeping up with me. When I pulled him off me again, his lips and my còck were coated in wetness.

"Do whatever you want with it," I told him, and he was quick to pull me into his mouth.

The hand that was on my leg that was propped up moved to my ass, and he held onto it, pushing me closer. He stroked me while his mouth focused on the head. He sucked the tip, moving his tongue around and kissing the area when he pulled away. But he always came back for more. His tongue and mouth always came back to my throbbing còck. The tightness in my balls signaled my release.

"Where do you want it?" He never stopped what he was doing. Bobbing at the same pace as his hand. I pulled him off me with a tight hold on his hair. "Where?"

His hand never stopped stroking up and down my shaft. He met my gaze. "My face."

Then I was back in his mouth, and I threw my head back with a grunt. "What happened to me coming down your throat?"

He pulled away to say, "Next time."

When he would put me in his mouth, he would keep me there, sucking on me, massaging my shaft and the head of my còck with his tongue and mouth. "Gabriel," I said with a pant. "Keep doing that." His hand moved fast, fisting me as his mouth and tongue worked the top of my cōck. "Shit." I closed my eyes tightly, allowing my body to take in the sensations. The slight heat lingering in the bathroom. Gabriel's hand against my skin, and his other working the base of my cóck while the head was surrounded by his warm mouth. My còck poked into his cheek as he bobbed, swallowing around me repeatedly with fast strokes along the part of me that couldn't fit in. I pushed his head further down, pulling on his hair, and he moaned, loudly. That was the last straw. "Fùck!"

I groaned, and Gabriel pulled back, allowing the first stream to hit his nose. He grabbed me, stroking the come out of me as it landed on his face and chest. The pleasure flowed through me and out my cóck before landing on Gabriel's face, and all I could do was grunt as every muscle in my body relaxed, sending ecstasy through me.

        When I was emptied out, Gabriel put the tip into his mouth, sucking the very last drop before pulling back.

As I caught my breath, Gabriel stood up, and my leg that was propped up came down. He wiped some of my come off his face and put the same finger into his mouth. He grinned before moving to rinse his face. All I could do was watch him, mesmerized by how amazing he was.

Sex was simple.

Sex was over, so I shouldn't have continued to feel this way. This feeling that swelled in my chest.

When his face was clean, he moved over to stand in front of me. We watched each other for a few seconds before Gabriel moved in, grabbing the back of my head and bringing his face close.

He searched my eyes. "Is this okay?"

I could feel his breath on my lips. I didn't answer. I grabbed a fistful of his hair instead, and I brought our lips together. He grabbed onto me with both arms, and I leaned back, slamming my back against the tile, taking him with me. I parted his lips to meet his tongue, and he was responsive to my actions, moving with my tongue and lips. I grabbed a hold of one of his legs, bringing it up to wrap around me. My other hand landed on his ass, massaging the skin, and he moaned into my mouth. Our cócks brushed against each other. They were soft, but it was arousing to feel him against me.

When we pulled away, we panted. "No more," he said. "No more using sex to pull away from me." I moved in for a kiss, but he pulled back. "Promise me."

I looked into his eyes, and there was no sign of joviality within them. "I promise," I said, knowing I shouldn't have.

I was already too close. I couldn't imagine getting closer, but I couldn't not give him what he wanted. A part of me was excited, too. Excited to get to know Gabriel again—really know him. How much did he change? Was he still that boy I fell in love with?

If he was, I was screwed.

Then again, with everything happening, I was screwed regardless.

I let go of him to grab his face into my hands. "I promise, Gabriel." I gave him a peck on his lips.

He rested his forehead against mine, and he closed his eyes. "I'll make it up to you." He grabbed me into a hug. "I won't hurt you."

I held him back as he buried his face into my neck, and I did the same. "I forgive you." I rubbed circles on his back. "I forgive you, Gabriel."

He held me tighter. "Gyan."

I didn't know how long we stayed like that, but when I pulled back, his attention was on me. "Now, how about we take an actual shower."

He grinned, and he was quick to turn on the shower. As the water beat down on us, we enjoyed the spray. When I faced the shower head, Gabriel wrapped his arms around me from behind, and he rested his head on my back.

I froze. "Gabriel."

His hands ran along my abdomen and chest. "Gyan."

I smiled before turning around to grab him into a bear hug. We held each other, with Gabriel's head on my chest and my head on his head. We let the water spray around us as we clung onto each other. That was when I knew that with Gabriel, it couldn't be simple.

It was all-consuming, and I couldn't walk away now.

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* What do you guys think? On what's going to happen next? The progression of Gyan and Gabriel's relationship?

* What do you guys think is better for a ship name? #Gybriel? #Gayan? Something else? It's really bothering me that Gyan and Gabriel don't have a ship name. Lol. Hope you enjoyed this long chapter.