We spent Friday night eating McDonalds and watching Die Hard. I had fallen asleep before the movie was over and was barely aware that Gabriel covered me with a blanket before going into his bedroom.
I was awoken by the smell of coffee and breakfast wraps on Saturday morning. Gabriel and I ate in silence next to each other at the island counter. My fingers were itching to grab my phone and scroll through facebook to break the awkwardness of being with Gabriel.
"I have a huge favour to ask," Gabriel said, finally breaking the silence.
"What's that?" I asked, relieved to be speaking.
"Do you think you can make lasagna for supper?" he asked, a tinge of pink forming over his face working hard not to smile. He looked like a little boy asking for m
When I had left for New Brunswick in the spring I had to let my apartment go. I hadn’t planned on coming back so soon, but I didn’t want to be held back by an empty apartment if something came up. I had graduated from the local community college in my town and worked at a few restaurants before getting a bit of a break with Gabriel’s company. The job was hard to fill as it was in an isolated area with little to no means of external communication. It was certainly not a family friendly kind of job either, I had just been gone for a better part of the year with only weekends off. Regardless, I had no one tying me down, and I found it liberating to be so far away from the outside world. I had made some real good friends there during the season and I was seriously planning on returning. I dreamt of Gabriel for the first month I had returned home, looking back at him with rose coloured glasses and replaying our weekend together had given me a different perspec
I spotted Gabriel before he saw me, he was pacing around the arrival gate deep in conversation on his phone, his frown ever so present on his face. My heart fluttered when he looked up towards me and a large grin formed on his face. He promptly hung up and gathered me in his arms in a warm welcoming hug. I was shocked by his reception based on the conversations we had in the last few months.“You look great Harper,” he said, checking me out while holding at arms length.“Thanks, you don’t look too shabby yourself” I replied. He had shaved his dark curls in favor of a buzzcut, and he sported a short beard . I had never seen him with facial hair longer than a day or two’s worth, but it looked good on him. It even made him look a little younger than 37. He placed an arm around my shoulder and carried the small suitcase with all of my measly belongings to his truck. We drove to his house with the AC on full
*Rather explicit content ahead*We spent another quiet ride together, but despite the tension in the cab I was excited to get to the camp. I smiled fondly at my old cabin and the dining hall as we approached them. I wasted no time jumping out of the truck and grabbing the groceries from the back. I brought everything inside and put away the items the way I liked them before heading to my cabin. I half expected to see my kitchen helper but my cabin was empty. The room I had been using the previous season was already occupied, so I shifted all my things to the other, smaller bedroom. Despite being a creature of habit, I wasn’t overly upset about the switch of rooms.There was a knock at the door and I turned to see Gabriel standing on the other side of the screen door.“Come in” I said, beckoning him with a finger. He looked around the cabin silently for a moment. “Are you ok?” I asked.
“HARPER!” I was jolted awake by the loud booming voice. Gabriel was still in my bed and I rushed to grab my clothes on the ground to dress. “Harper!” the voice came again. This time I recognised it as Matteo’s. Gabriel must have recognised it too as he groaned and pulled the covers over his head. “Be right there Matty” I called out pulling my hair back into a ponytail and trying to look decent. I heard the screen door open and my friend stepped in as I pulled the door to my room shut. “Baby Girl!” He called out with a joyful smile on his face. He pulled me into an embrace and I returned the warm affection “I missed you so much Harper!” he announced, “You look good, home was good for you!” “O
The first month was incredibly trying with Maria’s constant belittling, defiance and sabotaging. She never missed a chance to mention how sexually satisfied she was and loved draping herself all over Gabriel when he did show up to eat with the guys. Those moments were far and few between but it always created a very tense atmosphere when he did.I began obsessing about the lump in my throat as the sensation of suffocation woke me up each night. I had mentioned it to Matteo who urged me to see the ENT again to get more answers about my situation. I finally gave in and called Dr. Helm who agreed to book another ultrasound and biopsy. I drove out to the city with Matteo and went through the whole process again. The two of us shared a hotel room for the weekend and gorged ourselves on take out Chinese and pizza.Matteo mentioned that Gabriel was at a different work location for a few weeks and I immediately felt the tension in my body me
Maria continued to do the bare minimum and though I complained to Matteo a few times about her, there was little he was able to do about her behavior. He threatened to fire her several times but Maria and I both knew he wouldn’t do anything to go against Gabriel. This was a matter for Gabriel to solve and since he and Maria were sleeping together, she felt her job was secure.“When is Gabriel coming back?” I asked Matteo one day as he came to collect my weekly budget sheets.“Sometimes next week I think,” he shrugged.“I’m probably going to have to meet with him for budget stuff again” I groaned.“You’re over aren’t you?” he asked with a hint of amusement.“Oh yes….” I said.“How do you manage that?”“What do you mean, how do I manage that? Food is
As we got closer to town, my phone gained signal and several messages popped up on my screen. Voicemails, text messages and emails all blinked at me. Remi smiled at all the notifications I was receiving. “How long has it been since you left the camp?” he asked. “Since I got here about 6 weeks ago,” I replied. “Wow, you’re tough!” he said with a laugh. “Most people can’t go an hour without checking their social media”. I shrugged. “I’m not like most people,” I replied. “No you really aren’t” he said with an adoring smile. Remi lived in a new apartment building in town with fantastic views. The place was neat but nearly empty, I guessed he hadn’t been living there very long. “Sorry, I don’t have a whole lot in here yet, I just got the place a month ago” he said, confirming my suspicions. “Where did you live before that?” I asked curiously while checki
Remi and I had sex a few more times the next morning and each time was better than the last. His size made up for the lack of experience and his enthusiasm at pleasing me was endearing.“You’ll be coming back with me tonight then?” he asked after breakfast.“That’s the plan, Ace” I said, “Maybe we should grab a box of condoms before heading there, what do you think?” I asked. His head perked up at this.“Really?” he asked eagerly.“Wouldn’t hurt, you know, for emergencies” I teased.We went to the pharmacy to get some supplies for the week, while I browsed the shampoo and body wash aisle, Remi had wandered off to the condoms. He returned crimson faced and empty handed.“Uhm, Harper…” he began uncomfortably, “there’s like fifty different kinds of condoms. Does it mat