As Long as You Love Me (Previously Kiss and Tell)

Chapter 8 ♔ Worse Idea

Kiss and Tell will be published as a paperback and e-book from W by Wattpad Books under the new name "As Long As You Love Me". The book is available for pre-order now: https://a.co/d/bV1ARdt

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"Qué carajo estás haciendo?" I asked Gabe so only he would understand the extent of my outrage.

All he did was hold on tighter and whisper, "Tranquila."

Which was precisely the opposite of how I felt.

Liz stumbled upon her feet but caught herself in time. The same couldn't be said for her drink and it spilled over the rim of her cup and down to the floor. She stared at the puddle at her feet like she'd just lost another major thing, aside from her pride after the words her ex spat back at her in front of everybody. I felt for her, really. But I also knew that trying to console her would land me in the ER with a scratched out eye. At least based on the fact that the last time a sort of interaction like this had happened, she'd attempted to slap me in the face. And that had been after seeing Gabe and I walk out of the office, our heads close to each other as we discussed a joint report we'd been working on for Jeff.

"I didn't think—I mean, I thought you'd," she stammered, looking back up at us with a world of hurt in her eyes. "I thought you'd come back to me, not run to her."

Maya gasped and covered her mouth so she wouldn't start laughing. Taylor's jaw hung and the way she looked at me was like she believed this spiel.

To make things worse, Malik asked, "Wow, I didn't know you had a boyfriend, Catalina."

At the sound of his voice, all my attention pulled to him. There was a different type of appraisal, as though previously he hadn't even thought the notion possible and though that cut me, it also made me wonder if that was why he'd seen me as a little sister and not as a girl with great potential to change status into girlfriend.

My brain short-circuited. The opportunity to make Malik see me as not a sister was right there and I jumped head first.

"Ah, yeah. It's kind of recent." I glanced up at my supposed boyfriend and with a nasally voice said, "Babe, I don't want to make a scene so I'm just gonna go."

So far Gabe had been getting an A+ in acting but this change of tack from me caught him off guard. Unfortunately, it also served to amuse him. "You're right, bebé. We should just go."

No. That wasn't what I had in mind. I just wanted to leave that place and get some fresh air, not do so with Gabe. But then again as he steered me out of the kitchen, murder was written all over Liz and I was thankful for the safe escort.

In front of me were two possibilities, one where I kept walking out the apartment door and made it outside. There, I could text the girls and with the suggestion of relocating our behinds to a nearby McDonalds because I was certainly not in the mood to party. The second option was to head in the opposite direction, into the empty hallway that led to the bedrooms, where thanks to the noise I could tell Gabe off while not straying alone into the night. Then once I was done ripping him a new one I could text my friends and we could leave this place together.

Option two won out. I pulled Gabe's forearm until we were sequestered in the dark hallway.

"What the fuck, babe?"

He rubbed the sores I'd left and gave me an annoying grin. "Two birds with one stone, huh? You're welcome."

I wanted to punch him. Instead I managed to just use words. "What are you even talking about?"