“Thank you for yesterday,”I say to Gabriel as he floats us around the pool. Today we decided to take full advantage of the facilities; we’re enjoying a day in the sun. Together! I’m so much calmer now, seeing Rose and having that talk with her gave me perspective. I need to be more open with Gabriel and share with him my feelings. It won’t be easy and I might slip back into my old habits but I am more conscious and actively trying to connect with him. “You’re welcome.” He says looking at me intently. He’s giving me that look he gave me on our first date. That one terrified me but now I know what it means. It doesn’t scare me now; I look for it in his eyes to remind me I’m in the right place in his arms. He seems calmer too. He is morphing back into that in charge and in control man. I guess our talk last night, put him at peace too. He has this look in his eyes like he knows something I don’t. I want to get into his head and hear all his deepest thoughts. What is he cooking up in

“I just want to say that I will miss you. I can’t imagine this office running without you but I’m so happy that you’re going out there to experience something new. I wish you all the best in your new endeavors. And just so you know, if you ever want your job back. T’s always here.” Max says at my farewell party. My two-week notice is over, I’m happy about this chapter of my life. But I can’t say I’m not terrified of what’s to come next. This is me taking a leap into the unknown. Who quits a job without a plan? I don’t know how I’m going to make money when I leave here. I am shaking in my boots but I’m up for it. This is by far the craziest thing I’ve done, ever! The whole room cheers for me and I smile shyly. I have to be the centre of attention but Max insisted we host a party for my last day here. I walk around the room thanking everyone. It’s only right that I say my proper goodbyes; I worked with these people for a long time. “Thank you for everything Max, I truly appreciate yo

“This place is amazing.” Zan says looking out at the view in front of us. We’re in my parent’s backyard, looking at my father’s berry field. He hasn’t been here in a long time; I first brought him here when I bought the property. It was just a field then; now it’s a fully functioning farm. He’s seeing this view for the first time; I’ve seen it so many times. But seeing the look of awe on his face makes me see appreciate it more. It’s breath taking. It really is.” I say realizing that it’s so easy to take things for granted. I realize I took our friendship for granted once. Knowing that it’s on the line right now makes me rethink everything I have in my life. When he called me a week ago to say he’s coming back home and we should meet, I was happy. This is a chance to mend broken trust. I don’t know if he’ll be open to that but when I saw him drive up today he seemed different, even now standing next to him he seems resigned. I could be jumping the gun here but I have to be hopeful.

I spent the whole morning with Gabriel’s parents. His father gave me a tour of the whole farm; we spent the morning going through his daily chores. Gabriel had a full day of work so I had to do my own thing today. His dad was more than happy to spend the day with me. I got to see what it really takes to run a fully functioning farm.It’s amazing to see where Gabriel gets his work ethic. They both love what they do, they treat their employees with so much respect and they are always so eager to share information with others. I enjoyed my time with him, he’s a cool dude.Now I’m making lunch with his mom. She’s her husband’s complete opposite, where he’s talkative and smiley. She’s quiet and reserved. Now that I spent more than a few hours with his parents I can tell Gabriel us the perfect blend of the two of them. He took his father’s work ethic and commanding presence and his mother’s calm.  &ldqu

“Ryan baby, wake up.” Gabriel says kissing me. I slowly come out of sleep. I blink looking at him confused. He’s sitting next to me on the bed. He’s fully dressed in sweats and t-shirt. Why isn’t he naked? We went to sleep butt naked last night.“What time is it?”I ask looking out the window, it’s still dark. Am I missing something? Today is Sunday, we have nowhere to go. So why do we need to wake up early?“5:59.” He says touching my face softly. I lean into his touch closing my eyes, feeling sleep come back slowly. I don’t want to get out of bed, it’s so comfortable here.“I want to show you something.” He says and I groan. Can’t it wait? I don’t want to go anywhere.“Right now?” I ask and he chuckles softly, I open my eyes looking at him. He’s not budging; he really wants me to get out of bed. I sit up slowly and stretch. He looks at my nak