Perfect

Ok, guys here's the new chapter. I realize that I've made many errors within my writing because I find it very hard to edit my own work. So if anyone out their wants to become my editor, just drop me a note. Ladylovey4@yahoo.ca

Perfect

~ Chapter 5 ~

Flashback Connor's POV

"Daddy where are the beach towels?" Connor asked.

My daddy had never been organized but was usually prepared for anything and everything. After a lot arguing all last week about Gabriel, daddy had decided to bring us to Miami for a weekend of sun and swimming. I pulled on my blue swim trucks, then walked over to where daddy was sitting in the sand.

"Here you go buddy," he said.

"Can I go play now?" I asked.

"Yeah, but don't go past the shore ok?"

"Alright," I said, turning to run with my pail in hand.

I found a broken sand dollar, half a shell, and a little crab claw and placed them into my bucket. Noticing movement in the sand I crouched down to investigate. A sea anemone was stuck to one of many small rocks exposed by the low tide.

"Touch it," Gabriel told me, appearing at my side. "It's sticky."

Gabriel hadn't said a word to me all day; in fact he's been staying away from me lately. I figure it's because his mom was mad at him for being bad, but I missed playing soldiers with him.

I shook my head. "I know it's sticky, but I don't like to touch 'em."

"It won't bite you," Gabriel told me, casting a shadow over me. He was really tall for his age and I hoped I would grow up to be just like him.

"Are you afraid it will grab your finger and won't let go?" He inquired.

"No, I'm not," I objected, and shook my head again. I scrambled to my feet and pointed to Haystack Rock about a hundred feet away. "I want to go there."

Together the two of us made our way toward the huge formation. Gabriel helped me jump from rock to rock, and when the terrain got a little rough for my short legs, he picked me up and swung me up on his shoulders as effortlessly as if I weighed nothing.

Once we reached the base of the rock, the two of us explored. Gabriel set me back on my feet, and together we examined the unusual variety of ocean life. We discovered an orange and purple starfish, mussels, and more sticky anemone.

"It's lost," I said as I squatted down beside the tide pool.

"What is?" Gabriel asked.

I pointed to a little brown and black fish swimming beneath the surface of the clear, cold water. "It's a baby and its mommy is gone."

"I don't think it's a baby," Gabriel told me. "I think it's just a small fish."

I shook my head. "No, Gabriel. It's a baby."

"Well, once the tide comes back in, it's mommy can come and get it," Gabriel assured me.

"No," I said, my chin quivering. "Its mommy is lost too."

"Its mommy isn't lost. When the tide comes back in, it can go home," Gabriel soothed.

"NO, mommies don't leave their babies unless they're lost. The little fish can't ever go home now." I rested my forehead on my knee. "It's gonna die without its mommy." I squeezed my eyes shut and a tear ran down my nose.

"I'm sure its mommy is out their swimming around looking for it."

I sniffled and stared back into the clear water, missing my mommy, wanting her to come get me.

"What if it dies before the tide comes back?" I asked shakily.

"Hmm." Gabriel reached for my bucket, dumped out my shells, and scooped the tiny fish inside.

"What are you doing?" I asked as we stood.

"Taking your fish to its mommy," he said, and turned toward the tide. "Stay here."

I stood on a flat rock and watched Gabriel wade out into the surf. Gentle waves swept up his thighs; I heard his gasp as the cold water soaked the bottom of his shorts. He looked about him, and after a few moments, he carefully lowered the pail into the ocean.

"Did you find him?" I jumped off the rock and waded in up to my knees.

"Yep, and boy, was he happy to see his baby."

"How did you know it was the mommy?"

Gabriel ruffled my hair, then took my hand in his. "Because they look alike."

"Oh, yeah." I nodded. "What did he do when he saw his baby?"

"Well, he jumped up in the air, and then he swam around and around his little fish just to make sure it was all right."

"Really?" I whispered.

"Yeah," he stated his face serious.

"Do you think my mommy will be that happy to see me when I go to heaven?"

He looked at me for a minute then said, "Of course she will, but that's not going to happen for a long time because your daddy would miss you a lot."

"CONNOR GET BACK HERE!" dad yelled.

"Coming," I called back. Grabbing Gabriel's hand we walked back toward them.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Present Day- Connor's POV

"Honey, you need to get laid."

I flinched at Hunter's overly loud voice in the small Downtown Café where we sat, finishing up our lunch of chicken salad and ice cappuccino. Unfortunately for me Hunter's voice possessed a lovely octave that could carry plainly through a hurricane.

And it was followed by a sudden hush in the crowded room.

Glancing at the nearby tables, I noted the men had stopped talking, and turned to stare at us with a lot more interest than I cared for. Ah shit! Will Hunter ever learn to keep his voice down? I asked myself.

For the millionth time since we had first met, I wished Hunter could get embarrassed. But my audacious, often extravagant friend didn't know the meaning of the word.

I covered my face with my hands and did my best to ignore the curious onlookers. An urge to slink beneath the table, followed by an even greater urge to kick my companion, consumed me.

"Why don't you speak a litter louder, Hunter?" I whispered. "I don't think the guys in Australia were able to hear you."

"Oh, I don't know," the gorgeous brown-haired waiter said as he stopped by their table. "They're probably headed here as we speak."

Heat stole up my cheeks as the obviously college-aged waiter gave me a devilish grin. "Is there anything else I can get you gentlemen?" he asked, then looked pointedly at me. "Or more precisely, is there anything I can do for you?"

"I think we have it," I said, my cheeks scalding. I was definitely going to kill Hunter for this. "We just need our bill."

"All right, then," he said, pulling their ticket off and scribbling across the top of the paper. He set it down in front of me. "Just give me a call if I can be of any further service."

It was only after he left that I saw his name and number on the top of the bill.

Hunter took one look at it and laughed out loud.

"Just you wait," I said, suppressing a smile as I dropped my portion of the money on the table. "I will get you back for this."

Hunter ignored the threat as he reached for his wallet. "Yeah, yeah, so you say. If I were you I'd hang on to that number. He is a cute little thing."

"I don't think so."

Hunter slid his gaze over to where the waiter leaned with one hip against the bar. "I wonder if he has a brother."

"You can have them both," I replied dryly.

Hunter snorted as he placed his money on the table. "I'm ogling him for you. It was, after all, your sex life we were discussing."

"My sex life is all right thank-you." I grabbed a last bite of cubed cheese and headed for the door.

"Don't be mad," Hunter said, following me out into the busy crowd of shoppers and workers on Queen St.

I waded my way through the crowd, and into my car which was parked in the back parking lot.

"You know it's true." Hunter said as he caught up to me. "I mean your 20 and still a virgin, what are you waiting for?"

"Nothing," I replied absently.

"No wonder you're so bitchy, your balls are probably purple by now."

I swallowed my cheese and gave Hunter a nasty glare.

"Can we not talk about this now?" I growled.

"Ok, so what do you want to talk about huh? Your dad? Gabriel? Or the fact that you look like you haven't slept in days?"

"I'm alright," I said

I wasn't all right at all, and in fact, was suffering from a killer hangover. Not the alcohol kind, but the dream kind. That was because what little fits of sleep I had been able to get in the last 2 weeks had been tortured by dreams. Dreams of Gabriel and times we had played together in our tree house, when no was around. Dreams that filled me with shame and guilt. I knew I had to somehow make things right but I didn't know how. So when Hunter asked to go out on a peace-offering lunch, I conceded because I needed some form of human communication with a person that was no longer pissed off at me.

"I screwed up," I said quietly, clutching the steering wheel but making no move to start the car.

"I know honey but you can fix it, right?" Hunter asked.

"I'm not sure," I replied, my tone hushed. "You know how my dad is, he won't talk to me until I apologize to Gabriel."

"So go apologize," he said.

"I don't know if I can," I stated.

"Why?" he questioned.

"God, I'm so mortified Hunter," I whispered. "He's always been nice to me and I've treated him like shit. How am I going to apologize for something like that? How do I make it ok? He may not even talk to me."

"He might not, but a least you'll know you tried to ask for forgiveness."

"Maybe," I mumbled.

"If you told him about your dad--"

"I couldn't do that," I said cutting him off. "That's my dad's story to tell and I wouldn't feel right airing his business."

"Well it might be easier for him to understand where you were coming from, if he understood."

"I'll think about it." Turning on the car, I pulled out of the parking lot.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Rather than drive straight to the house, where Gabriel was currently painting, I deliberately drove to a restaurant, and willed away an hour and a half, picking at my pasta while all of my instincts screamed at me to hurry, to see Gabriel as soon as I could. But his workers weren't leaving until 5pm and I didn't want to confront him in front of them. Since I didn't know where he lived, this was the only way I was going to reach him.

When my watch told me it was five o'clock, I paid my tab and drove slowly, carefully, to the house. My heart was pounding, and my stomach nauseous. With damp palms, I clutched the steering wheel more securely to make certain it didn't slip in my grip.

A dark blue 4x4 was in the driveway, I parked behind it and got out, walking slowly up the sidewalk to mount the five shallow steps, and pushed open the door. This house was one of my dad's company's newest builds so no one was living here. The house was empty, thank God, but I heard light sounds echoing in the rooms. Following the noise I found him, outside in the backyard.

He glanced up as soon as I rounded the corner. A ladder, drop cloth, and assorted cans of paint lay scattered about the area, but all I saw was him. Just like before, the sight nearly made me dizzy-- he emanated sheer masculinity from head toe.

A white tank top molded to his muscled body and also revealed a tattoo: a stylized gray and blue eagle covered from his right forearm to wrist. I wasn't sure if I was frightened of him, or turned on, or both. I couldn't dispute at least being intimidated, and the closer I came, the less I could dispute being turned on. To my dismay, lust coursed through my veins, replacing blood with hot, oozing lava.

"Hey," I murmured hesitantly.

He didn't say anything, just stared coldly at me.

"The roses giving you trouble?" I pointed to the trellis of pink and white roses, which I noticed he pulled off the wall.

Still he said nothing just watched me carefully as if he couldn't figure out how I got there.

Taking in a deep breath I said, "I know I'm probably the last person you want to see but I had to apol---"

"Don't," he commanded. "You meant every word you said."

"No-o-o," I stammered. "I didn't."

"Forget it." He turned around and picked up paint rollers and brought it to a hose to wash them.

"What I did was unforgivable," I started. "But I need to know if there is anyway for me to make this up to you."

"No," he stated, and then resumed cleaning the rollers. He hadn't turned to face me when he said it, just stilled for a moment before making his comment.

"Gabriel, please," I beseeched. "Can you please look at me."

"Leave."

"I can't."

The quiet desperation in my voice stopped him. He turned. "Can't what?"

"I can't sleep, my dad's not talking to be, I can't look myself in mirror without being ashamed of myself."

"You don't need to do this Connor. Like you said we're different people. We might have shared a house for awhile but that doesn't change anything. You'll always be rich and I'll always be poor, I was stupid to think we could get beyond that."

"That's not true," I exclaimed. "I was still harboring resentment towards your mom and took it out on you. For that I'm sorry. I was just trying to protect my dad from getting hurt again. You have no idea what she did to him."

"Tell me then."

"I can't, I shouldn't have said anything; it's dad's story to tell."

"Yes, of course. You wouldn't want a little nobody like me privy to the family secrets, Lord knows what I would do with it, Extortion? Blackmail?

"Dammit, that's not what I meant! Just listen to me--"

"Go home, Connor." He suddenly looked very tired. "I'm through listening. We have nothing left to say to each other."

"No, I'm not finished talking yet." I said and stepped in front of him as he tried to leave. He seemed to grow larger. Hostility radiated off him in waves and his chest rose and fell in the rhythm to his heavy breathing

"Move."

"No," I said frozen. "Maybe it's going to take a long time to earn forgiveness but what about professionalism, you were suppose to paint my house."

"Find some one else," he declared. Pushing me out of his way he walked towards the doors. "Don't be here when I get back."

For awhile I debated whether or not to chance staying or giving him time to cool off. With my spirit screaming for me to stay, I walked away, my heart heavy and sadden with remorse

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Gabriel's POV

I leaned against the kitchen wall, listening to his car drive away. I've been expecting him to come from the moment his father called to apologize for Connor's behavior but never did I anticipate him to get to me like this.

When I saw him I thought I was imagining things but then anger had consumed me when he began to talk. I was tired of having high expectations, tired of believing people could live up to them.

To be continued...

So what do you think?