Depend On Me

Home (3)

Chapter 11: Home (3)

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"I guess it is a bit complicated, but I mean you certainly have friends you no longer talk to as well, right?" Elizabeth asked as she stood up and carried her plate to the sink. She wasn't planning on washing them but she wanted to do something and move around a bit, cause she felt uncomfortable standing still and looking at the man speak.

"Yeah I do... I guess it's inevitable given how different people grow with time." Gabriel said as he put the topic aside, he didn't seem to care much about it anymore.

"Of course... though it shouldn't be a bad thing..." Elizabeth said in conclussion, she still had her back to the man speaking. 'Somehow I can't focus while looking at him...' She thought to herself.

"I guess it isn't... So what about the wedding? You invited?" Gabriel changed the topic as he also stood up and carried the rest of the plates, putting those that still had food on them in the refrigerator.

"I am but I don't plan on going anyway..." Elizabeth said as she moved away from the sink as if to increase the distance between them.

"Why not?" Gabriel asked as he turned to the woman. "It'd be rude not to go..." He said as he closed the refrigerator. 'Somehow... she seems to be standing a bit far away from me... isn’t she?' He thought to himself, at first he didn't find it too odd but now he was starting to take notice a lot more when the distance was so obvious...

"If I do decide to go, I'll be forced to listen to the same old 'Aren't you getting married' talk... It's annoying and I feel awful every time... I'd rather just send her some gift and be done with it." Elizabeth spoke in an exasperated voice. She was tired of having the exact same conversation each and every single time.

"Hm... that's not the Elizabeth I know..." Gabriel spoke in a kind of challenging tone as if he was purposefully trying to provoke the woman he spoke to.

"Haha, what is then?" Elizabeth laughed after hearing the other’s words. It was a laughter out of awkwardness at best. ‘He’s getting a bit too close...’ She thought to herself as she stood there unmoving while the other leaned into her.

"A person that faces their problems head on... that’s who you are... Running away from something as silly as a conversation certainly doesn’t suit you." Gabriel said with a rather serious voice. Maybe it was his ideals speaking for him but he really meant every world he said. Even if he knew it was wrong to idealize the other person, he still did... To him Elizabeth simply wasn’t the type of person that would act in such a cowardice manner.

"There are some things I'd just rather not do..." Elizabeth addmitted as she leaned against the wall. It was a small attempt to increase the distance between them, though feeling the wall behind her only made her feel more trapped, both in the space she was in and in the very conversation they were having....

"Why? Do you really not want to go? Is it because they'll talk about you getting a boyfriend... or is there more to it?" Gabriel asked but instead of leaning forward to the woman and pinning her to the wall, he stepped aside and leaned on the wall as well. Now they were standing next to one another as they spoke.

‘What... suddenly it feels easier to breathe...’ Elizabeth thought to herself as she opened her mouth. "Fine... the thing is that... they look down on me for not being in a relationship... The most awful thing I've heard them say to me was that... that... I'd be dying alone without anyone by my side and probably become an old cranky rich lady..."

"So that's it huh..." Gabriel said as he looked down at the ground. He looked to be deep in thought at that moment, maybe he was waiting for a confirmation from the woman or maybe he just didn’t have an instant answer to her words.

"Yeah..." Elizabeth muttered quietly as if she wasn’t completely ready to speak about anything yet.

“That settles it then... I’ll come with you to the wedding.” Gabriel said with as smile on his face as he turned to face the woman. “I’ll be your pretend boyfriend, unless you mind it being someone as plain as me?”

“Haha... that’s a wonderful idea but... I don’t want to lie to them. If they find out the truth I’d only look more pathedic than I already am...” Elizabeth said as she headed for her own room. “Thanks though... the fact you’re willing to go so far for me... makes me really happy...” She said as she turned her back to the man.

‘f**k me...’ Gabriel thought to himself as he held back the words from escaping his lips. ‘If only you knew how much I actually want to be your boyfriend...’ At that moment Gabriel felt pathetic, he made a ridiculous offer to the woman and even that was rejected. Well of course, it wasn’t like in movies when you pretend to date and in the end you actually do... it was... stranger... life was indeed stranger than fiction.

Behind Elizabeth’s closed door, her calm expression vanished and all that was left was a face of embarrassment... ‘I can’t believe he’d offer something like that! Even though I’m like this... he never complained or said anything...’ She thought to herself as she turned to look herself in the mirror. She didn’t bother to try and look pretty around the man, she didn’t even speak to him formally anymore, they were acting like friends but... there was something that made her feel unsettled...

‘The wedding huh... I wish I could introduce my boyfriend to them and prove them all wrong... no... that would only be me doing exactly what they want... do I want a boyfriend anyway? I mean what good is a man?’ Elizabeth wondered to herself as she locked her door, she headed to bed and laid down, then covered herself with the sheets...