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Chapter Forty-Nine

Gabriel

One month later…

I tug my coat tighter around me, standing beneath the small awning of the restaurant with Storm.

“Maybe we should wait inside?” he suggests.

“Probably a good idea,” I say, looking out at the rain falling from the sky.

Storm pulls the door open and I step inside, blowing out a sharp breath.

It’s cold tonight, much more than usual for this time of year.

“You good?” Storm asks, running his hands up and down my arms.

“Yeah, just freezing,” I say with a small laugh.

He kisses my cheek. “I’ll let the host know we’re here. I’ll be right back.”

I wait by the doors for Marta and Luiz. It’s the first night they’re meeting Storm, and I’m nervous as hell. I have no idea why. Maybe because I’ve never had someone I care about meet a boyfriend before? And not because he’s a guy, but just because he’s important to me. Sure, Marta has been here from the beginning and saw each part of our relationship, but still… This is nerve wracking.

“Do you want to call them?” Storm asks when he comes back over. I glance at my watch.

“No, it’s still early. Just worried about the roads getting icy.”

He nods.

“Oh, there they are,” I say with a smile, pointing out the window at them hurrying down the sidewalk. I push the door open when they get closer so they can come inside easily. The rain has picked up, and a gust of wind blows as they come in.

“Goodness, it’s awful out there,” Marta says, running her hand over her hair.

“If we had taken a car, they could have dropped us off out front,” Luiz says, and Marta rolls her eyes.

She sighs, looking between me and Storm. She smiles brightly. “It is so nice to finally meet you, Storm.” She pulls him in for a hug, and he laughs.

“It’s nice to finally meet you too.”

She pulls back, looking at him the way a mother would look at her child’s first boyfriend. Though we’re friends and she’s only a few years older than me, Marta can’t help but be motherly.

“And you, Gabriel. How are you?” She hugs me next.

“Just fine. How was your drive?” I ask.

“Awful,” Luiz answers. “The roads are slippery as hell.

“It’s going to be a busy night in the hospital,” she says, reaching for her husband’s arm. “Luiz, honey, you know Gabriel of course. This is Storm.”

They shake hands, and I appreciate her introducing them. I’m so nervous I hadn’t even thought about it.

“Mr. Andrews? Your table is ready.”

“Oh, great.”

We follow the host to our table toward the back, get out of our wet jackets and hang them on the back of the chairs. It’s warm in here, and they should dry off before we have to leave.

Once we’re all settled, our waiter comes over and takes our drink orders. Luiz orders a beer, saying he’s only going to have one since he’s driving. I get a vodka and cranberry, Storm gets a whiskey sour, and Marta gets a glass of wine.

We make small talk as we look over the menu, trying to decide what we want to eat.

“Oh, Marta,” I say, causing her to look up at me. “Before I forget, I have to say thank you.” She frowns, looking at Storm then back to me.

“For what?”

I take Storm’s hand, bringing it to my mouth to kiss. “You told me I’d be thanking you for this one day, and that’s what I’m doing.”

Her smile is slow, but it’s bright. Her eyes get all watery, and I groan.

“Please, don’t cry.”

“I’m not going to cry,” she says, reaching for her napkin to pat beneath her eyes. I laugh, and Luiz rolls his eyes.

“What am I missing?” Storm asks.

“Gabriel, you didn’t tell him?” Marta scolds.

I shrug. “Guess not.”

“Well, now it’s too late. I’ll tell the story.” She grins wickedly, and I can’t help but laugh.

“Fine, but just know whatever she says is probably an exaggeration,” I tell Storm.

“No it is not!” she says, while Luiz is nodding beside her. I laugh again, reaching for my water.

Marta gets into the story, of course making it way more dramatic than it actually was. She tells him all about my complaints and how scared I was over Storm’s application, and that the only reason he moved in was because of her emailing him.

“So you really didn’t want me there, huh?” Storm says, smiling brightly.

“Guilty,” I say sheepishly.

Storm gets up and goes around to the table, holding his arms out to Marta. “I owe you a huge thank you and another hug.”

“Oh my…” she says, putting her hand on her chest before getting up to hug him.

“You’re so welcome, Thunder Storm.”

He barks out a laugh. “I’m guessing that’s not the first time you’ve said that.”

“Of course not,” she says with a laugh as Storm comes back to his seat. He takes my hand, squeezing it tightly. “I’m so happy things worked out for you both. You look lovely together. And so happy.”

“We are happy,” we say together, then laugh.

Our drinks are brought to the table, and we put in our food orders.

“So, there is something else I need to talk to you about,” I say, reaching for my drink.

Marta looks up at me with a raised brow. “Well, you can’t tell me you’re pregnant, so what is it.”

Me, Storm, and Luiz all laugh at that.

With a reassuring squeeze from Storm, I tell her. “I’m going to be quitting my job at the hospital.”

“What? Why?” she whines. “Gabriel, I’m going to miss our lunches.”

“I know, me too. But we’ve talked about it, and I think it’s what’s best for us right now. Plus, we’re thinking of doing some traveling.”

“I love that for you both,” she says with a loving smile. “Truly, I am so happy for you both. Gabriel, you deserve happiness and I’m so glad you finally found it.”

“Thanks to you,” I say with a small laugh.

“Maybe I gave you the push, but this is all you, honey. You did this.”

I smile at her, unable to stop it. I am going to miss spending time with her at work. She’s my only friend outside of Storm, and even though we won’t work together anymore, I won’t forget that. We will stay in touch. I’ll make sure of it.

“How have things been with your family?” she asks.

"I've decided not to speak to them."

Marta's brows shoot up. “How are you doing with that?”

“Better than I thought I would. It helps that I have Storm and you. Each day that passes, I realize they're toxic and not the kind of people I want in my life. If one day, they choose to accept me for who I am, maybe I'll give them a chance. Until then…” I shrug, giving her a smile and she returns it, reaching across the table to take my hand.

“You will always have me as a friend, Gabriel. My family is your family. It always has been.”

Dinner is wonderful, and the rain has turned to sleet once it’s time to leave. We hug them goodbye and promise to text each other once we make it home. Marta prays she doesn’t get called into the hospital tonight. She isn’t on call, but when the weather is bad enough, everyone gets called in because there’s usually an increase in accidents.

Storm and I get a ride share home, and we make it there safely. I text Marta that we’re home, and she tells me her and Luiz just pulled into their driveway. We say good night, and then Storm and I head inside the house.

“So, what do you think?” I ask as I lock the door.

“She’s great,” Storm says with a grin.

“She can be a lot.”

Storm rolls his eyes. “You say that about everyone.”

I chuckle. He’s right. I do. Walking to him, I pull him into a hug.

“You make me so happy, you know that?” I ask softly.

He nods against my shoulder before pulling back to look at me. “You make me happy too, Gabriel. I love you.”

I lean in to kiss him, resting my forehead against his. “I love you too. Now, can you please make me come before we go to bed?”

“I thought you’d never ask,” he says, grinding against me.

We head up to my room, the room we now share, and he does exactly as I ask. Who knew having a roommate could turn out so good?