I stand up as Jo says, “Lauren wait, just calm down, and let her speak.”
Before anyone can say anymore the gates sound as they begin to open, I walk past everyone and head down the stairs, as I open the front door the gates are sliding shut again but there is no car on the drive. I can hear voices and engines running as I head to the small gate at the side, it’s raining and has turned cool, I give an involuntary shiver. The cold, nerves or actual straight up fear at what I am going to find out on the street? I’m not really sure. There’s shouting and I can definitely hear a woman's voice as I swing the gate back. Gabe’s car is almost touching the gate, with its lights on, engine still running and driver and passenger doors open, Coop and Zac’s cars are on the street with their lights on, engines still running. Cooper has a tall blonde girl by the arm and is trying to drag her to his car, but she is having none of it and is trying to fight him off. Gabe is leaning with his back against the boot of his car and swaying about as Zac stands in front of him, shouting about the state he is in.
“What’s going on?” I shout, as all eyes turn to me.
“Here she is, she's right here waiting just for me. The love of my life, the reason I breathe.”
Gabe is all over the place as he speaks and is barely coherent. I ignore him.
“Cooper, what are you doing? Who the fuck is she?”
He looks at Zac, then at the blonde, then at me.
“Who am I?” She tries to pull free from Coop and move towards me, but Coops having none of it. She raise her chin in my direction.
“Who the fuck are you?” She asks.
“Hey...Youuuuu...Youuuu DO NOT Ever, talk to my princess like that!” Gabe slurs, trying to focus on me but talking to the blonde, I hope!
Gabe looks towards Cooper. “Tell her to go Coop, tell her to fuck off, Lauren mustn't know. She will kill me; she will have my fuckin balls. Ha, she is so fuckin hot when she's pissed at me. Ha, I love her Zac. Zac – Zachary I love her like nothing else. She's done things to me Zachy. Why didn't you tell me bro? Why didn't anyone tell me it could be like this? I never knew, never ever knew.”
I can’t take my eyes off the blonde; she shrugs out of Coopers grip and starts walking up the street, suddenly turning around and sticking her middle finger up at us all.
From behind me I hear, “Yeah fuck off ya fucking moll!”
It’s Stella.
“I'll fucking kill that skank next time I see her, moll.”
I want to smile, Gabe’s slurring and trying to stand up straight, the whole scene is comical, but I have a bad feeling and a million thoughts zooming through my mind. Who is she? What was she doing with Gabe? Why was she here? Do Gabe and his family realise how often they use the word fuck?
Cooper walks towards me. Kisses my cheek and punches the code in to open the driveway gates. As they slide open he drives Gabe’s car in and parks it on the drive. Zac now has hold of Gabe as he can't hold himself up. One arm across his back, one across his chest. Once Cooper has all the cars safely parked he helps Zac with Gabe. We all head back inside and up the stairs. Gabriel does not stop talking the whole time he is being dragged and carried up the stairs. As the boys get him to the top where I am waiting his eyes lock with mine, as best they can. He blinks repeatedly as he tries to focus and he shakes and shrugs his brothers off but they hold him up as he stumbles towards me. My stomach lurches and I think I actually let out a small moan or whimper as I see the lipstick around his mouth and the makeup on his T-shirt.
“Lauren, Lauren, Lauren it's not my fault. They didn't tell me, they didn’t, they didn't warn me. I didn't know. I love you so much but I didn't know it would hurt like this, I don't know what to say, what to do, I don’t know what to do with all this stuff. It’s all in my head and in my chest, and all in my belly Lauren. I don’t know where to put it all? I'm so scared Lauren, please don’t leave me.”
He starts to cry and I start to cry with him – I look across to Stella, she’s also in tears.
“They're my big brothers, Zachary and ... and Coop. My brothers, but not Stella, no she’s my baby sister, but they – the brothers, they didn't tell me about this love shit. They didn't say it was so fuckin good soooo fuckin good and so fuckin’ bad at the same time and I don't know Lauren. I just don’t know what to do? I need you, just to breathe, I need you. What do I do with all that, ehh? Do you know, can you tell me?”
He reaches out and wipes my tears onto his thumb and then sucks them into his mouth and I let out a loud sob. I did this, I’ve broken him, driven him to get into this mess, driven him to her.
He falls down on to his knees and all I can say is, “You kissed her Gabe, you fucking kissed her! How could you, what have you done? Was it just a kiss?”