We Gamble With Desire

I kissed Gabe one more time as I got out of bed. He smiled at me and sat up as I pulled one of his shirts over my head. It hung over my body and he laughed a little.

"Bill should be back by now, it's 2am." Gabe said, putting his arms behind his head.

"What do I tell him? He'll tell Andy if I told him the truth,"

"Then just tell him you borrowed one of my old shirts to sleep in, you heard everyone coming back but you waited until they all went to bed,"

"You are diabolical," I said to him as I walked to the door. He winked at me and smiled smugly.

I opened the door and walked quickly down the hallway. I knocked on William's door and waited for him to answer. Pulling the hem of the shirt down as I did so, in a vane attempt to cover myself. William answered the door, his hair dishevelled and his eyes a little blood shot. He opened the door wider and let me into the room.

I went over to my suitcase and opened it quietly, looking threw my clothes for pyjamas.

"So, you and Gabe huh?" William said from behind me, making me jump.

"No, I just fell asleep,"

"Bullshit." He said, I turned my head around and looked at him. "You slept with him,"
I turned back around and rummaged through my suitcase, pulling out a pair of pyjama shorts and a tank top.

"I won't tell Andy," he said, "Now, go back to Gabe before he gets paranoid," He smiled at me. I smiled back and left the room, and quickly went back to Gabe's room. I knocked on and he answered quickly, grinning when he saw it was me.

He opened the door wide and stepped aside letting me into the room. He clambered back into bed, while I quickly changed. I got in after him and rested my head on his bare chest. He put his arm around me and stroked my arm with his thumb.

"I'm going to miss you while you're in Europe you know," Gabe said.

"I'm going to miss you too,"

I lay there, listening to his heart beat. He kissed the top of my head and began to hum something to himself. I cuddled closer and his arm wrapped tighter around me. We lay there for a while until we both fell asleep.

***
We were woken up by someone knocking on the door. I sat up and ran my hands through my knotty hair. Gabe pulled a t-shirt over his boxer clad body and answered the door.

"Good morning," Patrick said as we walked into the room smiling. I smiled at him.

"What time is it?" Gabe asked, as he yawned. I looked over at the clock.

"11:43," I groaned.

"Yeah it is, and our plane leaves in about three hours, so get your shit ready," he said. He smiled at me and left the room.

"Fucking shitty wake up call," I grumbled. Gabe laughed a little and sat down on the bed.

"He's right though. You really do need to get ready,"

"I thought you didn't want me to go,"

"I just said I'll miss you. Not that I didn't want you to go."

"Fine," I said. "I'll go get ready," He kissed me on the cheek and I got out of bed and left the room. I knocked on William's room and waited for him to answer. He answered a couple of minutes later, a toothbrush in his mouth. I laughed a little and stepped inside the room closed the door behind me.

Will went back into the bathroom to finish off getting ready while I hunted through my suitcase for something to wear.

"Glad to see that you're planning on going with your brother and not staying with Gabe,"

"Gabe's the one that wants me to go," He knelt down beside me.

"So, are you to like, together now?" I shrugged and he laughed a little.

"Well, before I go I'm going to tell him it's up to him. I've had relationships before Bill, and they're crap. I don't want my heart to get broken again. I'm going to be in Europe for a few months, so there's no point. But it's not like I'll never see him again,"

"How do you mean?"

"I'm going to the New England Institute of Art next fall," I said, "And I was talking to Travis the other day and he said I could stay with him whenever I'm not at school,"

"And how will you see Gabe this way?"

"Travis said that Gabe doesn't live too far from him so I can see him when I'm there,"

"Why don't you stay at Gabe's?" I shrugged in response to his question once again. He
sighed and I looked at him.

"What?"

"Hails," his eyes met mine. "You make things way to complicated for yourself,"

William smiled at me and I smiled back. I picked out some clothes from the ones in the case and went and got ready.

I tied my hair back in a loose bun at the bottom of my neck. I applied a thin coat of eyeliner and lip gloss and left the bathroom. William was sat on the bed; he smiled as I came into the room.

"Ready for breakfast before you fly?" He asked.

"Yeah," I smiled at him and he stood up. William looked at my pile of luggage and shook his
head.

"We'll send someone up to get those," He said. He put his arm around me and we left the room.

"William dude, get your skinny ass arms off my sister,"

"Good morning big brother," I said to Andy.

"Where did you disappear to last night?" He asked. I smiled a little at him.

"I slept in Gabe's room," I said. "He stayed sober last night so I wouldn't be all alone,"

"He better not have taken advantage of you," Andy said. I shook my head, and looked at my brother. He was smiling at me .

Everyone was down for breakfast. Apparently, the end of tour party was last night, but everybody wanted a sober, yet slightly hungover, goodbye. I sat across from Gabe and the Midtown boys at the far end of the table, the boys from The Academy Is separated us from Gym Class and Fall Out Boy. William sat down next to me and winked at Gabe.
Gabe looked at me stunned and I gigged.

"He knows," I mouthed to him and he nodded in comprehension. He held my hand under the table and sent a small smile my way.

We sat and talked to everyone else at the table, and as breakfast came, everyone quietened down and ate. Gabe never let go of my hand even whilst he was eating. Choosing to eat his food with one hand, I looked at him. His curly hair was out of control at the top of his head, and his eyes had dark circles starting to form. He looked exhausted.

"What?" He asked.

"Nothing," I said shaking my head.

"What are you two whispering about?" Joe shouted down the table at us.

"If it was your business Trohman, we'd say it a bit louder," I said to him and he pulled a tongue at me. "Ever the mature one,"

As everyone finished up, everyone slowly left the breakfast table. William elbowed me softly in the side.

"Time to go," He said, I nodded and let go of Gabe's hand. The three of us stood up, and walked towards the lobby. I felt insanely small next to the two of them. William went over to the desk to ask for some assistance with our, well my, luggage, while Gabe and I loitered
around near the elevator for a while.

"You look exhausted," I said to him

"I'll be fine when I get home in a couple of days, catch up on my beauty sleep, eat properly for a change," Gabe said. "I'll probably spend a few weeks in Jersey, see my parents,"

"That's pretty cool," I said.

"I've missed home, not that this tour hasn't had it's highlights," he said, smiling at me.

William joined us and smiled.

"Taxi's to the airport are booked and someone's getting our bags now, we'll be waiting ten minutes tops. You coming to see her off man?" William asked and Gabe nodded. William started tabooing away at his phone while Gabe, curled his arm around my waist and held me close to him. I leaned in against him.

"You two look like a proper couple," William said, smiling at us. "It's sweet," I smiled back at him.

Everyone came down a couple of minutes later, just in time for the taxis to arrive. The guys from Gym Class, Midtown and Fall Out Boy got into the van. The crew in the van behind. Gabe smiled as he let go of me and went into the van with his band mates.

William pulled me into a taxi with him and Sisky. He told the driver where to go and we followed the procession out of the hotel driveway. William and Sisky chatted to the cab driver animatedly about the local area and the things to do around here. The cab driver, got interested in the band the boys said they were in.

We arrived at the airport about twenty minutes later. As everyone piled out of the vehicles, and got their bags, Pete and Patrick spotted me and beckoned me over as they got my luggage out of the van.

As we walked into the airport, I walked alongside Gabe. While Pete, Patrick, Joe, Andy and the crew checked in, I stood with Gabe for a few minutes.

"You'll call me everyday?" He asked. "No matter what the time difference is?"

"Yeah," I nodded.

"And you'll email or text or something if I don't answer?"

"Yes Gabe,"

"And you'll call me when you get to London?"

"Gabe, please, stop worrying, I'll be fine,"

"I know, but, I really like you Hails, I really do,"

"I really like you too Gabe," He leant down, and cupped my face in his hands and gently pressed his lips to mine.

"Go have a good time," He said. "And, since we won't see each other for a while, and since we're technically not together, it doesn't matter who you sleep with while you're in Europe," He smirked at me and I kissed him again.

I turned away from him and said my goodbyes to everyone else. Hugs and kisses on cheeks were given until I was ushered by Travis to check in before I missed my flight.

With one last look behind the barrier, I smiled at my friends and Gabe and walked onto the air bridge. I wiped a single tear off my cheek as I boarded the plane. As I sat down next to Pete, he hugged me tightly. I smiled up at him and leant my head on his shoulder. Ready for the long flight to England.