Behind Closed Doors

Delia sat at the front counter, helping a customer. She could not get the image of Gabe and Roxanna out of her mind. Every time she would close her eyes, all she could see was the two of them in Gabe’s bed. She finished helping the customer and watched as they walked out of the shop.

Two minutes later the door opened once again, and Delia looked up to find herself staring at Gabe.

“What are you doing here?” she asked him.

“I need to talk to you,” he told her.

“Gabe, I’m working now. We can’t talk.”

Gabe looked around the room. “There’s no one here, Delia. Please, just hear me out. Please,” Gabe pleaded.

“Hear you out?” Delia asked. “I don’t want to hear what you have to say. God, I saw enough last night.”

“I’m sorry, Delia. I was wasted. I didn’t know what I was doing,” Gabe told her.

“Now you sound like Roxanna,” Delia said.

“You talked to Roxanna?” Gabe asked.

“Yeah, she came in here earlier today to try to talk to me, too,” Delia said wiping down the counter in order to not look Gabe in the eyes. “And just so you know, you being wasted is not a good enough excuse to cheat on me.”

“Delia, I’m sorry,” he repeated.

“I don’t care if you’re sorry or not. It doesn’t change what happened.”

“If it means anything, I swear I thought Roxanna was you.”

“What?” Delia yelled, clearly outraged.

“I was drunk, and I thought Roxanna was you. In my mind, you were the one in my bed, not her,” Gabe told her.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me!” Delia exclaimed. “That is complete bullshit!”

“Delia, I swear…” Gabe began before he got cut off.

“Don’t you dare say that,” Delia warned. “You were the one that told me when we first met that Roxanna and I looked nothing alike. There is no way you could have mistaken Roxanna with me. And do not blame the alcohol. You were thinking with your dick, and all you wanted was to get laid. And since I wouldn’t have sex with you, you figured you’d sleep with my sister!”

“Delia, that’s not it at all. I was completely shit-faced,” Gabe said.

“Do you not listen to what I say? I’ve already told you that you cannot blame the alcohol. It was your own fault that you were that drunk. If you knew that you couldn’t control yourself, then why would you drink that much?” Delia asked.

“I don’t know,” Gabe admitted. “I was just sitting there with William, and he kept handing me drinks, and I drank them. I wasn’t paying attention to how much I was drinking. And before I knew it, I was completely drunk.”

“I don’t care, Gabe. You screwed up. You slept with my sister!”

“I’m sorry,” Gabe apologized once again.

“I don’t want to hear it, Gabe! I’m out of here,” she said throwing down the towel she currently had in her hand and walking out the door.

Madison came out of the back, and saw that Delia had left. “Where is she going?” she asked Gabe.

“I don’t know. I think I just pissed her off so much that she had to get out of here,” Gabe admitted.

“You fucked up so much, Gabe,” Madison told him. “What the hell were you thinking? You had this amazing girl, and you go and sleep with Roxanna?”

“I love her,” Gabe said quietly.

“Who?”

“Delia. I love her,” he said.

Madison looked at him for a few minutes trying to decide whether or not he was telling the truth. She could tell by the look in his eyes that he was, indeed, sorry for sleeping with Roxanna, and that he really did love Delia. “Oh my god! You love her!”

“That’s what I just said,” Gabe said with a small laugh.

“Why didn’t you tell her that?” Madison asked.

“She’s pissed at me. I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t have believed me even if I did. God, Madison, what do I do?” he asked.

“You wait. You let her cool off, and hopefully, she’ll get over it,” Madison said. “But don’t expect it to be anytime soon. I mean, Gabe, you slept with her sister!”

“I know. I fucked up, and if I could take it all back, I would. I would have never gone out last night at all.”

“Well, at least you know what you did wrong,” Madison said.

“I’m going to go,” Gabe said. “But thanks for listening to me.”

“No problem. And remember, just give her a little time to cool down,” she said with a smile as he walked out the front door.

A half an hour later, Delia still wasn’t back. Madison assumed she had just gone out to try to clear her head, and she didn’t think anything of it. That was, until Ilsa came walking through the front door. “Where is Delia?” she asked Madison.

“Umm…” Madison stalled, trying to figure out what to say to Ilsa. Just then, Delia came walking through the front door.

“Where were you?” Ilsa asked her.

“I had to go out for a little while,” Delia told her.

“Where did you go?”

“I just had to clear my head,” Delia admitted.

“So, you just decide to leave the bakery whenever you feel like it?” Ilsa asked. “And what would have happened if a customer came in during that time.”

“I was here,” Madison piped up.

“I was not talking to you,” Ilsa said before turning back around to Delia. “So, what was so important that you had to leave the bakery?”

“I got into a fight with Gabe,” she said honestly.

“And that gives you the right to just leave whenever you feel like it?” Ilsa questioned. “You know I do not like that boy around here.”

“I know, but...”

“No, I will not hear it. Delia, you are fired,” Ilsa stated.

“What?” Delia cried.

“You heard me. You are fired. You can get your things and go home.”

“You can’t fire her!” Madison yelled.

“Be quiet, or you will be gone next.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Madison told her with a smile. “I quit.”