The Odds of Happily Ever After (The Reyes Siblings #2)

Chapter 24

chapter twenty-four

gabe

Luna

I know it’s not January 2 there, but since it is over here . . .

HAPPY FILIPINO BIRTHDAY!!!

Hope you’re having the best time in Miami

Gabe

Thanks, Luna.

Luna

Don’t forget to take a pic for Insta!

Gabe

We’ll see.

Why the hell did I think this would be a good idea?

I sat at a corner table in the hotel bar and nursed my third drink in as many hours. I’d challenged myself to stay an hour past dinner instead of holing up in my hotel room.

One hour turned into two, and now I wondered why I thought my birthday would be any different in Miami from what it would have been in Sterling. At least at home I wouldn’t have had to dress up and pay a premium for alcohol—and not my favorite kind either.

My phone vibrated on the table, and I eagerly grabbed it, only to see the caller wasn’t who I was hoping for. It was my father.

Of course it wouldn’t be Luna. She was out on one last shopping run with her family before her flight. She’d asked if I wanted anything specific, but there was nothing I wanted other than for her to come back home. Forget my birthday—it was her arrival I counted down the hours to.

For a second, I considered letting the call go to my mailbox, but I swallowed my disappointment and answered. “Hello , Pai.”

“Feliz aniversário, Gabriel.”

“Thanks.”

“Did you forget the right way to say thank you?”

I took a healthy sip of my rum. “Obrigado.”

“Sim. How are you celebrating your birthday? Party? Date?”

“I’m in Miami.”

“Fancy. With a girlfriend?”

“No.” I emptied my glass.

“You are thirty, no? Is it not time to settle down?”

Catching the eye of a passing waiter, I raised my glass to him with a finger pointed up. “ You’re in your fifties,” I told my father.

“I settled down at twenty-five.”

And how did that work out for you? I didn’t voice the question, but he seemed to sense it the same.

He sighed. “Not all marriages turn out like mine and your mother’s.”

If you went by the numbers, the possibility of annulment and divorce wasn’t as uncommon as he wanted to believe. “I’m . . .” Happy? The word jammed in my throat. “I’m fine.”

Thank you, Tala, for giving me the perfect placeholder for these questions.

“I worry about you.” My father’s voice lowered. “It is not easy to be alone.”

I didn’t need him to tell me that. I’d spent so many occasions by myself that another one should have been a non-issue. But between Tala and Luna, I’d gotten used to celebrating with other people.

That was the problem with getting close to others. You became accustomed to not being alone, which made reverting to it hard once they left.

Suddenly, my long-buried resentment boiled to the surface.

“Why did you leave me, then?”

Silence weighed on the other side of the line. I never asked more than surface-level questions, and doing so now clearly took my father off-guard. It might have been the liquor, or how he had the gall to speak of worrying about me when he was one of the reasons for my being alone in the first place.

But after that initial question left my mouth, the others poured out. “Do you have any idea how I felt being abandoned by not just one but both of my parents? Wondering if I did something to drive you two away? Having to rely on someone who was barely a family friend for a place to live and scrambling for money to pay for the things you promised to cover?”

The waiter appeared with a fresh glass and wordlessly exchanged it for my empty one. I sucked in a breath and battled to compose myself, all too aware that there were strangers around.

“Gabriel . . .”

“Funny how you’re worried about me now when you didn’t seem to care back when I actually needed someone.” I tossed back my rum and put the glass down with a satisfying clink.

“I’m sorry I left you,” my father said somberly. “After Yasmin—I was in a dark place. I could not take care of myself, let alone another person. And every time I looked at you . . .”

He didn’t continue the sentence, but he didn’t have to. I always saw both my parents’ features when I looked in the mirror.

“I needed to be home. To heal. But do not think I don’t regret leaving you. It is my biggest failure, my biggest source of shame, knowing I let you down. I want to try to make things right with you.”

I remained silent because I knew better than to trust my father’s empty words.

“I often wonder what might have happened if we never left Rio. We had a good life here,” he murmured as though talking to himself. “Those first years in California were good, too, but that didn’t last.”

I signaled for another drink.

“At least things worked out somehow. You found success. Yas got the family she wanted. I’m home. Everyone is better off.”

Better off didn’t mean good. My mother and father might have gotten what they each wanted, but my world had splintered after their divorce. I didn’t belong in her family or his home, and neither of my parents fought for me to remain theirs.

My father was right about one point though: I was successful. That had to count for something, right?

luna

At five minutes to one p.m., I excused myself and wandered outside the mall to a quiet area of the square. I called as soon as the hour struck. The phone rang once, twice, and my smile wavered as it kept ringing. When I was about to hang up, Gabe answered, but he rejected my request for a video call.

“Luna.”

The sound of his voice sent a thrill through my body. Insane how much of a hold he had on me. “Happy birthday! Hey, turn your cam on.”

“I’m not presentable right now.” His words came slower than usual. Thick.

“What, were you sleeping or something?” It took a second for the possibilities to sink in. “Oh, are you with someone? I’m so sorry?—”

“No—”

“I just wanted to greet you in person. Well, not in person in person but not over text.” My tongue stumbled over the words as I imagined him with that faceless woman again. Had he met someone in Miami? I pictured him kissing her and taking her to his room because, let’s face it, just because he wasn’t in a relationship didn’t mean he was celibate. “I’ll go?—”

“Luna,” he snapped. “Will you let me speak?”

I took a deep breath. “Sorry.”

“Stop apologizing. You have nothing to be sorry for.”

His harsh tone contrasted with his words, and I blinked rapidly against the stinging in my eyes. How did a simple birthday greeting turn into this?

He sighed. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not.” His voice came softer. “I’m drunk. Or close to it.”

“Did something happen?” Gabe didn’t strike me as the type to get wasted. He valued being in control too much.

Then again, us being friends now didn’t mean I knew everything about him.

“I was—what do you kids call it these days, pre-partying?”

Hurt sliced through me at him referring to me as a kid in that mocking tone. “Pregaming,” I said flatly. “That’s what we kids call it.”

I felt stupid for thinking we were past this. When I thought of Gabe, I didn’t think of his age or the years between us. He was just Gabe, the person I wished could be more than my friend. Meanwhile, he apparently saw me as a child.

Still.

“Right. I was pregaming for my birthday.” He let out a sound that might’ve been an attempt at a whoop.

“Okay. Well. I just wanted to greet you.”

“Wait.”

I held my breath, hoping he’d salvage this conversation somehow.

“I forgot to tell you I’m extending my stay until Sunday. I won’t be able to pick you up on Friday.”

The news blindsided me, knocking the air out of my lungs. “Oh.” I tried to keep my voice from faltering. It was the moment I was looking forward to the most about being back in Sterling—seeing Gabe again. “Don’t worry about it. Enjoy your time there!”

“I’ll arrange a pick-up?—”

“No!” My high pitch made me wince. “It’s okay. I’ll take the airport bus, no problem.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, suddenly sounding sober.

The concern in his voice strengthened my resolve. “Totally. If I can travel across the world, I can handle an intercity bus ride. You deserve that vacation. Have fun, and take lots of pics. I want to see them when . . .” My tongue stalled because I didn’t know where we stood now. “When we both get back.”

He paused. “Alright. Have a safe trip, Luna.”

“Thanks! Enjoy your birthday.”

I didn’t wait for him to reply before I ended the call. It wasn’t until I lowered my phone that I realized my hand was shaking.

Not just my hand. It felt like my entire being shook. The muscles in my chin and cheeks quivered from holding my smile, and I finally let them rest. I looked down at the Sterling shirt I’d worn in honor of Gabe’s birthday. How stupid was I for assuming he missed me as much as I did him?

“Luna!”

I lifted the corners of my mouth back up before facing my sister, who walked toward me with Lonzo by her side.

“We’ve been looking for you,” Ate said while Lonzo frowned. “What are you doing here?”

“I had to take a call, and it was noisy inside. I was just about to go back in.” Good. My voice sounded steady enough.

She stopped in front of me and stared. “Are you okay?”

“Of course! Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You’re teary.”

I was? Frowning, I raised my hand to one eye and found it was damp. Stupid tear ducts. “I’m just PMS-ing. It’s that time of the month.”

“Yeah, right. It’s that guy, isn’t it?” Lonzo demanded, his jaw clenched. “What did he do?”

“Nothing.” I swiped my cheeks.

“I told you I had a bad feeling about him. Give me his number.”

Ate elbowed Lonzo. “Stop it. You don’t even know what happened.” Putting her arm around my shoulders, she asked gently, “Do you want to talk about it?”

“It’s not a big deal. It’s just . . . I called Gabe and it didn’t go well.”

She stiffened. “What did he say?”

“He decided to stay in Miami longer, so he can’t pick me up. He was drunk too.”

“Asshole,” Lonzo bit out.

“Gabe doesn’t get drunk,” Ate murmured. “He doesn’t allow himself to.”

I sighed. “Well, he said he was.”

“That’s not like him. He said he won’t pick you up?” As she spoke the words, I realized how immature that made me sound.

So what if he wasn’t picking me up? I was twenty years old. I shouldn’t need someone to help me get around, and I definitely shouldn’t be such a crybaby over it.

“Yeah, but it’s okay,” I assured her. “It’s not like he’s required to and I can easily go to the apartment on my own. Plus it’s his birthday trip, so he should do whatever he wants.” The words were for my benefit too, reminding me that I didn’t get to be disappointed when he had no real obligation to me . . . and that I should grow the hell up.

Lonzo snorted but Ate just said, “I’ll call him later.”

“Don’t tell him I told you anything.” He already thought I was a child. Having my older sister call him because I was sad would only make it worse. Pathetic, even. “Promise you won’t talk to him about this. Please, Ate.”

“Of course I won’t if you don’t want me to.”

“I don’t,” I said in a rush. “But you should check in with him. It sounds like he’s going through something.”

“Yeah, like a midlife crisis,” Lonzo chimed in angrily. “What the fuck is he doing messing around with a younger girl?”

“I’m older than you, Lonz,” I snapped.

“By a year. He’s, what, a decade older?” He glared at Ate. “I still can’t believe you’re okay with this. Don’t you care about her?”

She glared right back at him. “Of course I do. Luna’s my sister, and I will always choose her.” Her arm tightened around me, and her words triggered the waterworks again. “But I’m not going to judge Gabe without having the whole picture because I know he’s a good guy.”

Lonzo shook his head. “Whatever. Don’t say I didn’t warn you two.”

And then he strode back to the mall, leaving us staring after him.

I murmured, “I didn’t expect him to get so upset.”

Sighing, Ate pulled me in for a hug. As her arms settled around me, I marveled at how much she had changed. She’d rarely been the one to initiate shows of affection before; now, here she was squeezing the life out of me in the middle of a park.

“He’s just worried because you live so far away,” she said, patting my back.

I blew out a breath. “I get that, but I can take care of myself.”

“I know you can.”

“Also, he shouldn’t fixate on Gabe because we really are just friends.”

She raised an eyebrow at me. “Just friends, huh? That sounds familiar.”

“It should. I can’t count how many times you said that about you and Jason.”

“Look how that turned out.” Her smile was soft with a hint of wonder.

“I love that for you two, but this isn’t the same thing. Besides, I’m taking a break from dating. I have to keep my grades up, and then it’s senior year. I need to focus.”

“You’re doing amazing, Luna. Have I told you how proud I am of you?”

“Never,” I joked. “You should tell me now.”

She laughed. “I’m so proud of you, Lu.”

“Thanks, Ate. I learned from the best.” I linked my arm with hers. “C’mon, we should find Papa and Mama before Lonzo gets me in trouble.”

As we headed back inside the mall, her reassurance rang in my head. I might feel like I wasn’t good enough and that my family underestimated what I could do, but I knew they loved me. I always had someone to call when I needed help.

Meanwhile, Gabe didn’t have any siblings, and he felt abandoned by his parents. He didn’t have many friends and Ate made it clear she’d always side with me. So who did he have to back him up?

That I had no answer had me pushing the pain of his words aside. His boundaries sucked, but they existed for a reason. Besides, I only got hurt because I expected things from him that he never promised. Me having feelings for him didn’t mean he would feel the same for me. If easy friendship was all he needed from me, then I’d give him that.

And if I got hurt in the process? That was on me.