FG

Forgiving Gabriel

Saturday, December 26, 2009 / 4:49 AM

Chapter 3

{Rory}

2 months of summer later...

"I'm gonna go say hi for awhile then I'll help arrange the furnitures, okay?" said Pia, who had been my dorm mate since the first semester. We part ways and I then find myself standing at the UM courtyard directing two moving man to carry my sofa to the dorm room.

"Careful, if you stain that, my dormmate will hunt you down and kill you. I wish I was joking. Here, let me help you get the door," I said to them.

"Rory!" Max approached. Max and I knew each other when I heard snoring in the hallway and found him naked and sleeping on a hallway. I woke him up, offering him a blanket, we talked and became friends. Either it was a prank pulled by his friends or something else, I never found out why he was there.

"Max, it's great to see you!" We hugged. "So, are you living here?"

"Yeap, I'm living here." He nodded.

"Great! So am I," I said, noticing the impatient movers. I apologized.

"So, how was your summer?" I asked Max.

"Well..." he replied vaguely, "I met Nicole Richie, then spent the rest of the weeks showering."

I laughed lightly, holding the interior hall door open for the movers, then the dorm's.

"Hey!" Pia called out and walked over. She looked upset. "Guess what? Professor Xanders just died. Urgh! How am I suppose to ask his opinion on my paper?! Oh, hi Max."

"That's sad how did he die?" I asked.

Pia said, "The great man was brought down by someone's vagina."

"O-kay. Lose the details. Come on Rory, let's go get some coffee," said Max.

"Alright, see you later," I said to the very troubled Pia.

*********

"I mean, I always thought I looked a lot like my Uncle Jerry, and, gee, Mom seemed to really like him. My dad looked relieved when my mom finally told me," Max explained.

"He did not!"

"I heard him say "whew!". I guess I wasn't much of a son to him anyway."

"So what did you do over the summer?" Max asked.

I shooked my head. "Same thing everyday--lying on the swimming pool with my bikin-- Hey!" A student wearing a red jacket bumps into Max as he passes, purposely.

Max apologized but took it back mentally when the red jacket guy said, "No, seriously, you couldn't see me there?"

"Not everyone has to be staring at you, Pete," says Samuel. He and Pia dated for awhile once.

'Pete' was also walking with a blond guy and the bond guy's even blonder...girlfriend?

"Hey, I know you," blond guy said to Max. "No, wait-wait, don't tell me. I'm seeing a uniform of some sort."

"I've bartended for you -- for your parties," Max replied nervously. I was the only one who actually noticed.

Blondie nodded and replied to Max, "That's right, you're a talented man," then to me, he said, "He makes a kick-ass margarita."

Max chuckled. "Thanks, I guess."

"Well, it's good to see you again. What's your name?"

"Max. Uh, this is Rory."

Blond guy seemed to have this kind of face on all the time. The kind of cool and sarcastic Prince Charming look. He just cannot stop smiling. And the way he talks is just so business-like. "Hi. So, assuming your services are still for hire this year, your financial situation hasn't changed at all?"

"Nope."

"Good. Okay, I'll give you a call. Where are you living now?"

"Branford."

"Oh, excellent -- Branford. All right. Good running into you."

Samuel laughed. "Nice building."

Blond guy exits with the blonder girl in tow, his friends slowly following.

"Excellent shirt," Pete said to Max and the to me, "I can see what you see in him."

"Don't be an ass, Pete," said the blond guy.

Pete laughed and said, "Me? Never. I'm a friend to all people, large and very, very small," then walked to catch up with blond guy and the others.

"I hate those guys," Max said.

I shook my head.

{Gabe}

"So you think I should really give her a call?" I asked Alex, my best bud since high school. We were there for each other all the way. From nasty breakups and music making--we sure had a lot of that in common.

"Yeah man, listen, I really have to go now, Lisa's coming over tonight and I haven't seen her for a month so..."

"Alright man, go have some fun. If you know what I mean," I raised my eyebrow and gave him a soft punch on the arm. "Let yourself out."

I took my cellphone and dialed Rory's number. It directed me to her voicemail: "Hey, it's the fabulous Rory! I'm kind of busy with furniture now so please leave a message!"

Right, I remembered she said something about her next semester.

"Hey, Rory it's Gabe. You know, Gabe Saporta. Well, as you know, or not, I'm back from my almost seven-week trip in Seattle and I've been thinking about that dinner we agreed to have as friends once I've come back. Call me back so I'd know when you're free."

I let go of my breath. What did I just do?