Slow Dancing in the Darkness

“He kissed you again?” Shakira posed as she stared at Gabriela, her brown eyes narrowed on the brunette who chewed on her lip shyly. She hadn’t quite known what to do, after Elliot had left, Gabriela had sat around for a while fretting before she decided to call Shakira, and she merely wanted to get it off of her chest. She didn’t want him back, she didn’t quite know how she could make it much clearer to him, but she also knew that she couldn’t tell Lionel about it. The argentine didn’t like Elliot, he never had, but he hated the idea that the other man could worm his way back in more and Gabriela didn’t want to upset him. He’d taken Elliot’s last advance personally and she didn’t like the idea of him walking away again. She didn’t want it to become a permanent thing.

Gabriela nodded. “He was using his usual lines, telling me that he made a mistake and that he wants me back, and then he kissed me. I am trying to decide whether or not I ought to tell Leo” she explained carefully.

Shakira tilted her head.

“He hates Eli” Gabriela clarified “Ever more so since Elliot made a move on me at Christmas, and I hated the way he looked when he saw it. He’s got this idea that I will just run off with Elliot because he was my first love” she added.

“Were you tempted?” Shakira posed gently.

Gabriela shook her head. “I have no feelings left for Elliot” she confirmed gently “Perhaps, 3 years ago, I would have been, maybe even 7 or 8 months ago, but since I met Leo…I only want one guy and that’s not Elliot” she explained gently.

“Then you ought to tell Lionel” Shakira noted “If you don’t, and Elliot does, then he’ll think you tried to hide it from him and he’ll be more upset. You two have something pretty special there and I would hate to see it fall apart over a non-issue” she added.

Gabriela nodded. “You’re probably right” she noted.

Shakira smiled. “He loves you, Ela” she assured gently “I can see it all over his face and you can’t let your ex-husband destroy that. Have you ever thought to talking to Elena and telling her that her boyfriend’s trying to win you back?” she suggested. It seemed like a logical move, telling Elena about Elliot’s attempts to win her around, and Shakira was amazed that Gabriela had never done it. As petty as it was, it afforded her the chance to get a little bit of her own back on the two people who had seemingly left her a little broken until she had stumbled across Lionel.

“She wouldn’t believe me if I did” Gabriela replied, shaking her head gently “Elena has it in her head that I am immensely jealous that she won Elliot and even if I had videotaped proof, she would insist that I put him up to it. She thinks she has something I want and, to her at least, I would look petty and jealous” she explained.

“And this girl was your best friend?” Shakira posed, her nose wrinkled a little.

“Childhood friends” Gabriela commented “It was after we finished high school that she transformed into this bitch of a woman. I thought she was there for me, looking out for me, and it turns out that she merely wanted something I had” she explained.

“Elliot” Shakira commented.

Gabriela nodded her head. “She convinced me that she hated him, but it turns out, she loved him and she hated me for getting there first. There were just 3 weeks between me getting with Elliot and her sleeping with him for the first time” she explained gently.

“Wow” Shakira muttered.

Gabriela shook her head. “It’s the past” she mused gently “And I don’t want to get involved between them again. I want to focus on my son, on my husband, and the baby that I am going to have in a few months’ time” she explained, her blue eyes gently peeking down at her swollen stomach.

Shakira smiled. She hadn’t known Gabriela for long, only a couple of months, but she could already see that she was a lovely woman, something which made her glad that she had found Lionel. Despite all of the complications, the two of them had something special and it made Shakira a little envious that she and her own boyfriend were no longer in the honeymoon phase.

“Gabriela?”

Gabriela lifted her head at the sound of her name and turned, her blue eyes staring up at Elena who padded towards them, a wide grin on her face. “Elena” she murmured.

“How are you?” Elena posed.

“Perfectly Ok” Gabriela returned “What do you want, Elena?” she posed gently.

Elena shook her head. “There’s no need to be so hostile, Lala” she mused.

Gabriela sighed. “Elena, I am trying to enjoy lunch with my friend” she protested gently “So, what can I do for you?” she added.

Elena smiled and reached into her bag, pulling out a photograph that she placed in Gabriela’s hand, a small smile appearing as Gabriela’s blue eyes widened. “Eli asked me to give this to you” she commented airily “He said you’d be interested in seeing it” she added before she waved her hand, leaving the table.

“Ela?” Shakira posed, her brown eyes a little concerned at the expression which sat on Gabriela’s face.

Gabriela shook her head gently, not quite able to find her voice.

Shakira frowned and leant over, taking the picture out of Gabriela’s hands. Offering the brunette a little look, she flicked her stare down to the photograph, frowning a little. It wasn’t over incriminating, it was merely Lionel and a woman that she didn’t quite recognize standing outside of a house she couldn’t place, but it was pretty obvious where Gabriela’s mind had jumped to, something Shakira guessed was the desired effect of the photo. “Ela” she murmured “You can’t jump to conclusions” she added.

Gabriela swallowed, but nodded. “I know” she murmured.

“He’s back tomorrow” Shakira reminded her “Talk to him. It’s probably nothing” she assured her gently.

Gabriela looked over at her friend and nodded, forcing the best smile she could muster. She knew that Shakira was right, she couldn’t jump to conclusions, but with the way she had been treated in the past, it was more than a little difficult to stop herself from assuming the worst. She didn’t quite know how she would cope if Lionel had turned out to be like Elliot.