Page 17 of Unrequited Sloth

He looked up and realised for the first time that Gabriel had nothing on other than a towel around his waist. Bobby had never seen his body before. Gabriel was ripped. He didn’t have Bobby’s bulk, but you could see the ridges of his abs. His body was smooth, which showed off his physique more. The guy was stunning, which was a really weird thing for him to be thinking right now. It was probably just admiration for his physique. He’d thought that about other guys he’d seen at the gym.

Gabriel had a concerned look on his face, so Bobby just nodded. Gabriel left, and Bobby heard the bathroom door close after a few seconds. That was when the tears came.

How could she do this to him? How could his best friend do this to him? Was it something Bobby had done to drive her away? Could Dillon offer her something he couldn’t? He’d overhead enough to know this had been going on for a while. It explained why she’d been so distant, and he’d suspected something like this might have happened, but with Dillon? Why did it have to be with his best friend? Didn’t Bobby matter to anyone?

Before he could spiral any more, he was pulled into strong arms. He buried his face in Gabriel’s chest and sobbed his heart out. Bobby and his brothers had a father who had never been ashamed to show his emotions, which was good, as Bobby and Ryan were criers. Martin was more measured, which sometimes came across as emotionless. That wasn’t the case, but Bobby had seen the Terminator film when he was young and asked Martin if he was one of the unfeeling robots from the future. He snorted at the memory of the ridiculousness of it.

“It’s good you can still laugh,” said Gabriel.

“I was just remembering something about my brothers from when we were kids.”

“Do you want to call them?”

“I probably should, but they’ll only rush in and try to fix everything.”

“That’s what big brothers do.” He stiffened. “Sorry, that was insensitive of me.”

“It’s fine. She’s still your sister. You love her.”

“Yes, but I don’t like her very much right now.”

That gave Bobby a warm, tingly feeling, like he mattered to someone outside of his family. Right now, he’d never felt more alone.

“Why was Dillon here?” he asked.

Gabriel sighed. He was stroking Bobby’s back with his hand. It felt comforting and supportive.

“He came to ask me not to tell you about him and Alex.”

Bobby looked up at Gabriel. The man had tears in his eyes, and a sense of dread washed over him.

“How long have you known?” he asked, bracing himself.

“About an hour longer than you.”

He exhaled the breath he’d been holding. “How did you find out?”

Gabriel looked torn, and Bobby didn’t want to make him uncomfortable. This couldn’t be an easy situation for him. It was his sister, who Gabriel was very protective of. She spoke so highly of him too, which was why Bobby had wanted to do all he could to ensure they were good friends.

“It’s okay, you don’t need to tell me. I’m just trying to work out what to do next. I guess I need to tell the others something. We’re supposed to be going speed car racing in a couple of hours. No way I’m doing that.”

“Just say you’re not feeling well. I can tell them, so you don’t have to speak to anyone.”

Gabriel’s eyes darted nervously, and he looked at the floor. Bobby wasn’t sure what had caused it, then his lawyer brain kicked in and all the pieces started fitting together.

“How many people know?” he asked, his stomach churning.

Gabriel’s eyes widened before softening, and he smiled.

“What?” asked Bobby.

“Good looking and smart,” he replied, before his eyes widened again.

Bobby chuckled. “I’m happy to take any compliments right now. But Gabriel, you need to tell me.”

Gabriel explained how he’d overheard his uni friends talking about his fiancé and best friend in the pool.

“What did they say when they saw you?” asked Bobby.