Eleanor stood outside his apartment door, her cheap coat wrapped tight against the night air. She balanced a paper bag of takeout in one hand, her heart fluttering with anticipation. The building was nothing like the cramped flats she knew—gleaming, polished, a monument to success. His success.
She knocked softly. The door opened a moment later, and Gabriel's sharp, handsome face appeared. His jaw was set, his eyes shadowed from exhaustion—or maybe annoyance.
"You're late," he said flatly, glancing down the hall before pulling her inside.
Eleanor smiled faintly, ignoring the sting. "I brought you food. You probably skipped dinner again."
He took the bag from her and dropped it carelessly onto the counter, unopened. "I'm not hungry. Just come here."
She set her bag down and moved to him without hesitation, her heart swelling even as his hands were rough, pulling her close with a kind of urgency that felt more like demand than desire.
"Gabriel—" she whispered, but he silenced her with a kiss, hard and impatient.
---
The couch cushions sank beneath their weight as he pressed her down, his hands tugging at her clothes with little gentleness. Eleanor gasped, her body arching to meet him. She gave him everything, the way she always had, her touches tender, her voice soft against his ear.
"You've been working so hard," she whispered as his lips trailed down her neck. "You deserve to be loved."
He grunted in response, his focus fixed on his own release. Every thrust was hurried, every kiss more like possession than passion. Eleanor closed her eyes, forcing herself to believe that this—his need, his taking—was proof of love.
She whispered encouragements, fingers threading through his hair, though her own body's pleasure was forgotten. What mattered was him. Always him.
Moments later, it was over. Gabriel rolled away, breathing hard, reaching instantly for his phone on the side table. The glow of the screen lit his sharp features as Eleanor curled against his side, her heart still full despite the emptiness in her body.
"I love you, Gabe," she murmured, kissing his shoulder.
"Mm," he muttered, eyes fixed on a message flashing across his screen.
---
Her gaze drifted to the desk across the room, where a stack of lyric sheets lay scattered. Her heart tightened when she recognized her own handwriting—pages she had given him years ago, scribbled in the quiet of her room, dreams poured into ink.
"You still keep those?" she asked softly.
Gabriel's jaw flexed. "The company thinks they're mine. Don't bring it up."
Eleanor sat up slightly, brushing his arm. "I don't mind, Gabriel. You know I don't. I just… maybe you should try writing some too. If people ever found out—"
Her tone was gentle, full of care. She wasn't warning him, wasn't accusing him. She was trying to protect him, as she always had.
But Gabriel's head snapped toward her, his eyes flashing with sudden irritation.
"So that's what this is?" His voice was sharp. "You think I can't do it on my own? You think I'm some kind of fraud?"
Eleanor's lips parted in shock. "No—no, Gabe, I didn't mean it like that. I just… I don't want anyone to hurt you. That's all."
He laughed bitterly, running a hand through his perfect hair. "You're starting to sound ungrateful. Don't forget—you get to be here because of me. You'd still be waiting tables in a dead-end town if it weren't for me."
Her throat tightened, her heart sinking, but still she reached for his hand, holding it between both of hers. "I didn't mean anything bad, Gabriel. I'm proud of you. I've always been proud of you."
He pulled his hand away. "Then don't say things like that."
The words sliced deeper than any knife, but Eleanor forced a smile through the ache in her chest. "I'm sorry," she whispered, pressing her forehead against his shoulder. "I'll never say it again."
And as Gabriel turned back to his phone, his attention already elsewhere, Eleanor closed her eyes and told herself it didn't matter. He was tired. He was stressed. He needed her to be patient.
After all, she reminded herself, everything she had ever done was for him.
---
✨ End of Chapter Two