I woke up to an amazing smell wafting in from outside my room. Gabriella wasn't beside me, so I guessed she might have ordered breakfast. I rubbed my eyes, still a little groggy, and slowly stood up, stretching as I did.

When I reached the kitchen, I was taken aback. There was Gabriella, standing at the stove, expertly flipping pancakes. She was humming along to a song playing quietly on her phone. Not going to lie, I was shocked but amazed at the same time. I had no idea she could cook like this.

"I didn't know you could cook!" I said, walking up to her, a smile spreading across my face. Gabriella turned around, beaming at me, and walked over to me, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
She smiled sweetly, then, without warning, grabbed my face gently with her index finger and thumb, pulling me in for a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Good morning, darling," she said, her voice soft, pulling me closer by my waist. I could feel my face turning red as I grinned.

"Good morning, sweetheart," I teased, kissing her on the cheek in return. As I pulled back, I noticed her ears turning red, though her face stayed calm, trying to act unaffected.

"Oh, yeah! I used to watch the maid cook a lot, and I found I really enjoyed it. So, I decided to learn. It's kind of fun," she said, returning her attention to the stove, clearly proud of herself.

I moved to stand next to her, peering over her shoulder to see what she was making. I was about to ask when she spoke again.

"I'm making French toast, chocolate waffles, pancakes, and eggs with bacon. I know you don't really like bacon, so I made extra waffles just for you," she added. Her consideration almost made me tear up. I'd never expected something like this. I remembered her not being particularly fond of chocolate, yet she had made the waffles for me.

Unable to contain myself, I hugged her tightly. "You are the best!" I said, still holding her close.

She laughed, a soft, amused sound, and I finally let go. I quickly headed to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth.

Afterwards, I dashed back to my room, threw on my work clothes, and spent a few minutes applying some makeup—concealer, mascara, a bit of blush, and gloss. Then, I rushed back to the kitchen table where Gabriella was already sitting, patiently waiting for me. I sat down in front of her, grinning, and immediately dug into the delicious spread she had prepared.

The rest of the morning passed in a comfortable blur. We chatted as we ate, talking about everything and nothing. After breakfast, I kissed her goodbye and headed to work, already feeling like I had the best start to my day.

When I arrived at work, it was the usual grind. I started my shift, trained Evelyn some more, saw Gabriella for a brief moment, and dealt with some mad CRAZY Karen's—who I politely, but firmly, showed the door. Lunchtime came, and I grabbed a quick bite before returning to the chaos of the afternoon shift. Closing time arrived, and I was glad to finally be done for the day.

I parked my car a bit farther from the café because it was the only space available at that moment. As I walked toward my car, I started to feel... unsafe. My stomach twisted uncomfortably. I checked my phone: 7:27 pm. I quickly shared my location with Gabriella, along with a message that read: "I don't feel safe," just in case anything happened.

My footsteps quickened, but I tried not to make it too obvious. I don't have any weapons with me, I thought to myself. The street felt unnaturally quiet. The usual evening buzz was absent. The only sounds were my own footsteps and the occasional distant car. But something about the silence unsettled me. As I neared my car, the uneasy feeling deepened. My car was close, but the noises seemed to be getting louder, too. Footsteps, shuffling. My heart began to race.

Just as I reached for the door handle, I felt a hand on my shoulder. My body froze in an instant, and my heart skipped a beat. I could barely breathe as I turned around, praying it wasn't something worse.

It was a man. He looked completely drunk, his eyes unfocused and glassy. His breath stank of alcohol, and I could see he was swaying. I stopped myself from tearing up and gripped my purse tightly.

"What's a pretty girl like you doing out at this time?" he asked with a sleazy grin, the kind that made my skin crawl. But he didn't stop there.

"Is this your car?" he slurred, eyeing my vehicle. My stomach churned. I had to think fast. I remembered a tip I'd seen in a TikTok video about situations like this. I stammered out the first thing that came to mind.

"U-uh, no! It's a rental!" I hoped to God that would be enough to get him to leave me alone.

My body was trembling, my hands shaking. Can he hear my heart pounding? I thought, my mind racing. Is this how it ends? Negative thoughts flooded my brain.

The man took another unsteady step closer, then reached out, brushing a lock of my hair aside and inhaling deeply. I recoiled, disgusted. I didn't know how to defend myself against men like him. Why was I so weak? Why didn't I know how to fight back?

Tears started streaming down my face as I stood there frozen. My mind was consumed with thoughts of Gabriella, my beautiful, loving girlfriend. We wouldn't get to spend enough time together, I thought, my chest tightening. I don't want to lose her.

Just as I was about to lose all hope, there was a sudden movement. A punch landed on the drunk man's face, sending him stumbling backward. I gasped as I looked up. It was Gabriella.

Her face was filled with fury. She wasn't just protecting me; she was furious that anyone would dare try to hurt me. The man, stunned, tried to raise his arms to defend himself, but Gabriella wasn't done. She punched him again and again, blood covering her fists as she continued to strike.

"DON'T YOU EVER TOUCH WHAT'S MINE, YOU FREAK!" she yelled, her voice filled with rage. The crowd that had gathered around us whispered in shock, but Gabriella didn't stop. She kept going, her fists landing blow after blow.

I could feel my stomach twist with anxiety, not because I was afraid for myself, but because I didn't want Gabriella to get into trouble. I didn't want her to get arrested for this, even though every part of me understood why she was doing it. She was protecting me.

I tried to pull her away, but she was too consumed with her anger. The man was crying, pleading for her to stop, but she kept shouting, still punching him. I knew I had to do something, and I couldn't let her keep this up.

So, I did the only thing I could think of.

I grabbed her face gently and kissed her. It was a long, soft kiss, my heart racing as I tried to get through to her. For a moment, everything went silent. Gabriella's hands rested on mine, and she kissed me back, as though the world had paused just for us.

When we pulled away, Gabriella's tears started to fall. The whispers from the crowd grew louder, and I could feel everyone's eyes not on us, but on the man now lying on the ground, defeated. Someone had called the police, and the man was quickly hauled away.

I suggested that we go to the hospital, but Gabriella refused. "I'm fine," she said softly. So, instead, we walked back to my apartment. Leaving my car at it's place

As we were walking, Evelyn spotted us from across the street. She came running over, her face filled with concern. "Oh my God! What happened?" she asked, holding my hand. Just as I was about to answer, Gabriella cut in.

"Nothing you need to know about," she said sharply, glaring at Evelyn. We both stared at her, confused by her sudden coldness.

"Gabriella, that's not nice," I said gently, squeezing her hand in an attempt to calm her.

"Whatever," Gabriella muttered, pulling me towards the door of my apartment. She unlocked it with one quick motion and pulled me inside, immediately pinning me against the wall.
Before I could process what was happening, her lips were on mine. She kissed me passionately, moving from my forehead to my lips, and then down to my neck. I tried to gently push her away, placing my hands on her shoulders, but she wasn't having it. She continued to kiss my neck with increasing urgency.

"Gabriella, stop!" I cried out, she pulled away just enough to look into my eyes. I could see tears shimmering in hers.

"I... I thought something happened to you," she said, her voice trembling. "I thought I would've lost you." Her words struck a chord deep within me. I pulled her into a tight embrace.

"I'm here," I whispered, trying to comfort her. "I'm not going anywhere."

After a while, Gabriella calmed down, her sobs slowly subsiding. We sat down together, and I carefully treated the cuts on her hands, covering them with bandages.

When I looked up, I saw that she had fallen asleep. Her eyes were puffy from crying, and she looked so peaceful in that moment. I got up quietly and grabbed two pillows and blankets.

I placed one pillow under her head and one on the ground beside her. I gently laid her down, covering her with a blanket, then sat on the floor, my thoughts lost as I gazed at her. Her face was calming, comforting. In that moment, everything felt perfect.

I lay down on the floor beside her, covering myself with a blanket, and soon, we both dozed off, wrapped in the safety of each other's presence.

*****

END OF CHAPTER 9!

Q: A song you relate to?

A: Fable - Gigi Perez