Jeremy was her childhood friend, they been friends as long as she could remember, much like family and friends. Even his younger sister Jocelyn was her best friend even until now , they all grew up together and as she remembered those days when she and her identical twin sister Abigail couldn't wait for summer so they could all visit the beach house together, she couldn't help but smile. It was their favourite place.
Mostly hers though. The house held many of her favourite memories, moments that can never be referred to again, moments that can only be kept as memories and nothing more , moments to cherish for she'll never have such again.
It was at the beach house that she'd realized how much she loved him, Jeremy . He was that friend that was always protecting her and found her cute with her wide glasses and braces even when her sister and parents didn't.
To him, they were merely best of friends but to her she wished they could be more. It was only Jocelyn that knew about this secret of hers and also her who encouraged her to confess her feelings to him when she graduated from college but only then did she realize that he was dating her twin sister all along.
She had cried so much back then but those tears couldn't compare to how bad she was feeling now. Back then , she and Jocelyn had even secretly wished for them to break up but they didn't instead they would be getting married in the following years to come.
It was an arranged marriage but quite not also since the two loved each other . She never got the chance to tell him how she felt and now she has to bury all those feelings that refused to fade over the years as much as she could even though she was failing woefully , not especially when he was sitting very close to her right now.
It was clear that they had no chance, he was going to be her brother-in-law in a few days so she dared not think of him romantically again but do what she had to do which was avoiding him.
Out of sight, out of mind. They do say.
---
They soon arrived at the restaurant ,one of the city's most exclusive five-star restaurants and of course a McKenzie family asset, naturally judging from the way the maître d' greeted them.
The maître d' greeted Jeremy like royalty and quickly escorted them to a private corner booth overlooking a rooftop garden laced with wisteria vines.
"Of course". Gabrielle murmured under her breath as she sat. "Why not own an entire restaurant too?" . She teased.
"Technically, I don't". Jeremy replied, flashing a boyish grin. "It's under my cousin's name actually . I just get a table whenever I want."
She snorted. "Must be hard, being the most eligible bachelor in town. Even the tabloids praise you to the sky. Rich, handsome, gentlemanly, every girls dream guy."
He smiled at her words and raised a curious brow. "You keeping tabs on me?"
"I read the news. You're hard to miss." She shrugged her shoulders acting nonchalant.
Their meal arrived swiftly, an elegant array of appetising dishes. Gabrielle focused on her plate, savoring the complexity of flavors while trying not to watch Jeremy as he casually sipped wine and made her laugh with ridiculous stories about his new cat's failed obedience and adventures.
It was dangerously easy being around him. Like nothing had changed.
Too easy.
When they finished their meal , she dabbed her lips with the napkin and reached for her clutch. "Thank you. That was… surprisingly enjoyable."
"Surprisingly?". Jeremy looked wounded. "I'm offended."
She smiled faintly, and that was when he chuckled , that deep, resonant sound that always managed to loosen something in her chest.
She looked up at him , startled and found him watching her with a strange amusement.
"What?"
"You have…". He pointed to her mouth laughing. "A smudge of jam. Right there."
Gabrielle blinked. "What? Where?"
"Right there." He leaned in, pointing near the corner of her mouth. "Still as messy as ever. Who in this age still stains their lips while eating?"
She flushed and fumbled for her napkin, dabbing awkwardly.
He chuckled again, then reached across the table before she could even tell what he was up to . His thumb gently brushed the edge of her mouth , just once, firm but soft, lingering longer than it should have.
And almost immediately, a course of electricity surged through her skin at the contact.
And she froze. Goodness.
His touch was innocent. Casual. Maybe even brotherly.
But to her… it was everything, if only he knew how much effect he had over her.
That one careless, tender moment cracked open every memory she had locked away , of nights spent listening to him talk beneath a starry sky, of laughter shared over summer bonfires, of how he made her feel seen even when her sister was the star.
She looked down quickly, forcing a smile though it trembled slightly at the corners.
"Thanks ". She said quietly, taking the napkin and finishing the job. "Still a mess, I guess."
Jerrmy leaned back, watching her with a fond expression. "No. Still Gabrielle . That's the difference." He teased.
She laughed softly, more to herself than him. "Yeah… still Gabrielle ."
Just Gabrielle. Always Gabrielle . Never the girl. Only the friend and the unlucky twin.
Her gaze fell to her untouched glass of wine and bitterness swirled quietly in her belly, drowning out the truffle and the citrus.
This was how it had always been , a thousand small, beautiful moments that meant nothing to him but everything to her.
And yet she still wanted more.
But she'd long been set on the path of eternal damnation. For she could never have what she wanted, the boundaries between them was clearly. He's soon gonna be her brother in law and she could only watch from the shadows, watching him marrying a woman who wasn't her.
And for the nth time she reminded herself of the boundaries between them.