Mending (This)

by J. B. McGee

  Gabby grabbed her wallet from her bag and pulled her student ID. She smiled as she slid it across the table with her two books. “Good morning, Miss Georgia. Did you enjoy your vacation?” Gabby smiled. She loved Miss Georgia because she always saved her the best quiet room during the semester.

  Miss Georgia picked up the library card and scanned it. “We did. Thank you for asking.” She handed the card back to Gabby. “You’re beaming pretty girl. What happened to you this summer?”

  Gabby could feel her face warming until she felt like she was on fire. “I met someone over the summer, Miss Georgia.” Gabby placed the card back into her wallet and slid it into her backpack. “Long story short, I met him at a wedding in June. Thought he was a jerk. He found me through our mutual friends and my sister. This weekend he took me out and treated me like a princess all weekend.”

  “Oh my, that’s impressive, sweetie.” Miss Georgia picked up the books and began to scan them. “What made you think he was a jerk?”

  “Oh, you can spot his type a mile away. Beautiful, smug, over assertive.” Gabby shook her head rolling her eyes as she realized that her initial description of him made her cringe. He had proven all weekend he was still beautiful, but he could be kind, caring, and compassionate. He had impressed her with his self-control to refrain from pushing the relationship physically. “He’s not like that, though. I learned that this weekend.” By this time the receipt had printed for the books and Gabby took the receipt and placed it in the front of top book.

  Miss Georgia smile and curtly nodded. “Well, I hope for you he is your prince charming.”

  “Yeah, not sure about the prince part, but he’s definitely charming, alright.” Gabby giggled. “See you later, Miss Georgia.”

  “Bye Gabriella.”

  Gabby wasn’t used to being called Gabriella, but Miss Georgia had always called her that because it was on her student ID. The only other person who still called her Gabriella was Bradley. She was thankful it wasn’t Gabs. Since Ian and Lindsey had done what they had done, she had refused to allow anyone to use the nickname anymore. It had been too painful.

  Gabby had been squirming the entire way home, undecided as to what she should do about his midweek proposition. She had known earlier that if she had not gotten off the phone she would have impulsively said yes, but she needed time to think about it. For starters, it was the first week of the fall semester. In a way, if she met him this time it would set a precedent for other weeks. She worried if they started meeting mid-week on a regular basis that her grades may suffer. Then, there was the issue of her car. Her Honda had been a good car, but it wasn’t getting any younger. She worried if she stayed on the road going back and forth to meet him that eventually her car would give out on her and she would be royally screwed. She could barely afford the insurance on her fully paid off ride, but if she had to get another car the overall expenses would go up in addition to a new monthly payment. The more she thought, the more clear her answer became.

  She had grabbed her mail on the way upstairs to her apartment. Putting it under her arm, she fumbled for the keys to unlock the door. She squeezed through the small opening hoping not to drop everything and kicked the door shut with her heel. She tossed the letters across the counter and plopped down on her couch. She had not had time to check her email all day. She had meant to do it at the library but she was just ready to get home. Anxiously, she pulled her computer onto her lap remembering that Bradley had said he was going to email her information on the therapist when she had been on her way back to school.

  Gabby had been listening to music on the computer the night before and had forgotten to turn the volume down. So as soon as she opened the computer, the loud ping of new mail startled her. She grinned hoping that one of them would be from him. She had never been so excited for email in all of her life.

  Sure enough, there was not only one email from him, but two.

  ***

  To: Gabby Gerhart

  From: Bradley Banks

  Subject: Therapist Information

  Time: 08/09/2011 8:39am

  The therapist is Dr. Katina Harrison. She’s in Columbia. I didn’t know what your schedule was like so I told them you’d call to schedule your appointment. If you have any issues, please let me know.

  I hope you have a great first day back to school.

  Yours,

  Bradley

  ***

  Yours, she thought smiling. She liked the way that sounded. He had not signed the email the night before like that. She clicked the next email because she thought if there was a response even required, she could do it in one email. Besides, she was thinking she would probably call him back.

  Gabby’s face gleamed.

  ***

  To: Gabby Gerhart

  From: Bradley Banks

  Subject: Running Shoes?

  Time: 08/09/2011 2:44pm

  Are you sure you weren’t fooling me? Did you really have your running shoes on earlier? You’re killing me.

  Thomson, GA is halfway. There are plenty of things to do there. I’m sure we could find a nice place to have dinner Wednesday night.

  b

  ***

  Gabby shook her head grinning like a fool, clicking the reply button.

  ***

  To: Bradley Banks

  From: Gabby Gerhart

  Subject: RE: Running Shoes

  Time: 08/09/2011 4:12pm

  mr. banks, i told you i had to get some stuff from the library. no running shoes for me today. ;) tell me where to meet you wednesday and a time. i have class until 3.

  -g

  ***

  She paused before she hit the send button. While she had been torn about meeting him, there was a very large part of her that knew waiting until Wednesday would be torture. Just the mere thought of seeing him made her heart flutter. His voice made her body feel like jello. Thinking of him moving a stray piece of hair behind her ear or the way he would look at her with his eyes hooded with that sideways smirk caused far more than a flutter. She felt like her body was sitting far too close to a furnace with those thoughts. Yes, it was those thought of his touch, his sexy looks, and his mere voice that put her over the edge on meeting him. She tapped the send button.

  She got up from her computer and went into the small kitchen that was really just a few steps from her living room. The apartment was very open. There was a small bar that had two black bar stools. There couldn’t be enough room in the actual area between the bar and the dark cabinets for more than two people. Even then, she and Sam had nearly bumped into each other frequently. The apartment had been recently updated, so the appliances were all black and new. For what she had to pay in rent, the apartment was really quite nice. She opened the fridge and grabbed the clear pitcher of filtered water and poured herself a glass. As she placed it back, she pondered what she wanted to eat for a snack. She finally decided on pepperoni, cheese, and crackers. As she was preparing them, she heard the ping of her email. She hurried back to the computer as if she were a child in a candy store, far too eager.

  ***

  To: Gabby Gerhart

  From: Bradley Banks

  Subject: Re: Running Shoes?

  Time: 08/09/2011 4:20pm

  Meet me off of exit 172 on I-20. That’s the Thomson/Washington exit. There is a Steak & Shake to the left of the interstate from the direction you’ll be driving. Hope you like greasy cheeseburgers and milkshakes. Seven sound good to you?

  By the way, that’s about halfway, so maybe two hours of drive time for you.

  b

  ***

  Oh she liked greasy cheeseburgers and milkshakes way too much. That’s partly why she loved that she was a runner. She could get away with eating junk like that and then run a couple of miles to burn the calories before they became a huge problem. She smiled at the thought of sharing a milkshake with him. She loved Steak & Shake.

  Minimizing her email, she pulled up Google and put in the exit number and
her address for directions. Sure, she had time before she got directions, but she was just curious where that was. She had never heard of Thomson, Georgia. Seconds later there was a map on her screen showing a blue line to the exit from Columbia and she wasn’t surprised that it did appear to be a perfect halfway spot. Driving directions on Google showed that the time would be a little less than two hours and 98 miles. She was curious how long it would take him to get there. She took her address out and changed it to Atlanta. It was a little over two hours for him and 118 miles. She raised her eyebrows and just sat there grinning. He had seriously thought about where the best place to meet would be and he made it an exit that would mean she was travelling less time than he was to get there. The gesture was not lost on her.

  She maximized her email and clicked the reply button to his last email.

  ***

  To: Bradley Banks

  From: Gabby Gerhart

  Subject: With Bells On

  Time: 08/09/2011 4:34pm

  looks like it’s the perfect halfway spot. i’ll see you at seven on wednesday with bells on mr. banks.

  -g

  ***

  Within one minute there was a reply.

  ***

  To: Gabby Gerhart

  From: Bradley Banks

  Subject: RE: With Bells On

  Time: 08/09/2011 4:25pm

  Hmm, bells on, huh? You not only torture me with your adorableness, Miss Gerhart, but you’ll jingle for me, too?

  See you then, Gabby Girl.

  b

  ***

  Gabby giggled as she covered her mouth. Gabby Girl? She had been called a lot of things, but Gabby Girl was never one of them. She loved the cute nickname and the playfulness of his email. He’d been mostly stuffy over email all day and she felt like she was arranging a job interview rather than a date with him. She clicked reply.

  ***

  To: Bradley Banks

  From: Gabby Gerhart

  Subject: Jingly emotions

  Time: 08/09/2011 4:26pm

  what can i say? you bring out all kinds of jittery jingly emotions, most of which scare the heck out of me. but, i think i promised to try.

  gabby girl? cute. where did you come up with that one?

  trying,

  -g

  ***

  Gabby was surprised when there wasn’t a quick reply. He had been responding so quickly that she was sure he was online. She was frustrated because it was the first email of the day where she had really shown any kind of emotion and it was going unanswered. She tried not to sulk, but she couldn’t help it. She realized that she had already fallen much harder than she had even realized. She not only longed for his touch, his smiles, his seductive looks, but she also longed for his attention. She longed to know she was on his mind and that no matter how busy he was that he had time for her.

  She grabbed her cell phone and called to make an appointment for as soon as possible with Dr. Harrison. She knew that if she didn’t start therapy soon she may very well end up far more heartbroken than she could handle if things didn’t work out between the two of them.

  As soon as she had hung up from scheduling that appointment for a couple of weeks out she called John. She and John had remained friends despite the Ian and Lindsey debacle. In fact, he was her best friend aside from Sam. He had gone to The University of South Carolina in Columbia and so he was nearby. He was like the big brother she had never had and she knew that she could tell him anything. More than that, she knew he would help her sort out all of these emotions. She needed to hear what he thought of Bradley. Not just because he was her best friend, but because he was a guy. A guy’s perspective was always welcomed when it came to dating. She stopped herself for a moment and realized what she had just thought. Dating. Not friendship, she had referenced her relationship with Bradley as dating.

  She dialed John’s number and he answered pretty quickly, “Hey Gabby. How was your weekend with Sam?”

  “Hey.” Gabby paused trying to figure out where to start and how to classify the weekend. “Too much to tell you over the phone. You wanna order a pizza or something?”

  “Yeah, your place or mine?”

  “Mine, please.” Gabby giggled. “I definitely don’t want all of your roommates listening to our conversation.”

  “Hmm, somehow I don’t think this weekend was all about you and Sam.”

  “No, very little about Sam, actually.”

  “Ah, I’m curious now. I will be over in about twenty minutes. Go ahead and order the pizza. I’ll pick it up on my way.”

  “K. Thank you, John.”

  “For what baby girl?”

  “For being a good friend.”

  “Don’t get sappy on me, Gabby. I am still a guy.”

  Gabby laughed. “Okay okay. See you soon.”

  Gabby hung up and ordered their favorite pizza, The Works from Papa Johns. She sat down and started to read The Notebook while she waited for John to get there. She knew as soon as she started, she’d have to put it away. She didn’t care, though. At least that would give her time to get past the beginning boring part of the book.

  Sure enough, twenty minutes later John was there. She was surprised how she immediately felt better about her situation. They got plates out and Gabby put a slice of pizza on each of them. She opened the garlic dipping sauce and put it in the middle of the bar. “Do you want a Diet Coke?” She asked him as she went to the fridge.

  “I’d rather Coke, but if diet is all you’ve got I’ll take it.” He winked at her. “You know I like fizz with my pizza.”

  Gabby giggled and winked back to him. “And you know that Coke is not allowed in my apartment.”

  John shrugged one shoulder and had a sideways grin. “I figured but it never hurts to ask.”

  Gabby got their drinks and walked around to the other side of the bar and climbed onto the stool. “No double dipping in the sauce!” She teased him.

  “I don’t double dip, do I?”

  “Noooo,” She exaggerated sarcastically.

  She told him everything that had happened during the weekend and about the mid-week appointment proposition as they ate their pizza. As John finished off his last slice, he hopped up from his bar stool to wash the plate.

  “Gabby, what do you want me to say?”

  “Well, I don’t necessarily want you to say anything. I just want your opinion.”

  John raised one of his thick dark eyebrows and looked up to her as he washed the plate. “You seriously want my opinion?”

  “That’s what I just said, yes.”

  “Gabby, I agree with Sam. And, I say screw the whole let’s be friends first bit.”

  Gabby’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “John Martin! I should have known you’d think like a typical guy.” She grabbed the towel he had put on the bar to dry the dishes and threw it at him.

  “Hey, that was uncalled for! You asked!”

  She rolled her eyes shaking her head, but she couldn’t wipe the grin off of her face. “Typical.”

  “You come dry if I’m gonna wash.” He tossed the towel back to her. “Seriously. Most people who have that kind of connection don’t say hey, let’s just be friends and see where it goes.”

  “Well, I’m not most people for starters.” She walked around the bar to where she was beside him. “I’m really not in the market to get hurt again.”

  “Me neither, but you can’t stop feeling or pretend that the feelings aren’t there to avoid it.” He handed her the plate he’d just washed. “You clearly are head over heels for him.”

  She looked up to him with big hazel eyes. Her brows furrowed. She put the plate down and backed up to the bar putting her head in her hands. “I know, but there’s more than just my hurt over Ian and Lindsey.”

  “So.”

  “So, don’t you think I should sort that out before I jump into this.”

  “Honestly, no. I think you’re using that as an excuse.”

  “We’ll see
. I’m going to start seeing a therapist in a couple of weeks.”

  He finished the dishes and turned to her. “Well, I gotta go. The guys wanted to go out tonight before things get crazy this semester.” He pulled Gabby into a big brother style hug. “I think that if you meet him Wednesday, you should greet him with a great big kiss.”

  She jabbed her fist into his chest and growled, “Grrr. You are such a…”

  He grabbed her wrist. “A good friend who is telling you that you deserve to be happy?” Smiling as he raised his eyebrow. “Anyway, you’re wound so tight from having not gotten any lovin’ since Ian that you are like a spinning top waiting to be released?”

  She shook her head as she narrowed her eyes. “Ugh, your head is always in the gutter. Just skadoodle.”

  “Hey, you asked for my advice and here it is.” He winked. “Careful what you ask for baby girl.”

  “Seriously, I do appreciate it. You always speak your, hmmm…” She looked at his head and then down and back up again. “Your mind.” She busted out laughing. “I just haven’t figured out which is which yet.”

  “What can I say?” He laughed. “Do tell him that if he hurts you, I’ll only be so happy to kick his ass.”

  Gabby looked up to him with a proud smile. “Hey, Bradley! My faux big bro is gonna kick your ass if you hurt her.” She giggled. “Yep, perfect way to start a relationship.”

  “I’m serious. You can tell him or I’ll tell him when I meet him.” He leaned over and kissed her on the head. “I’m outta here.”

  “Thanks for the pizza.”

  He winked as he walked out the door. “Anytime.”

  Chapter 9

  January 14, 2011 ~ 6:45pm

  The Present

  “Hey, who were you talking to?” Gabby asked Ian as she walked back into the living room after going to the bathroom.

  “Oh, it was just one of my roommates.”

  “So, did you end up going to Georgia Tech?”