regrettably, his tempestuous relationship with the day was not made easier with the weight of creeping through the dimly lit house and completely dark hallway of gabriella’s family home. holding her hand and sliding through the crack in the door into her room. the second he’s in the room, in the light again, he leans against the door and breathes out a sigh of relief. “i thought i was a goner when i knocked over the umbrella stand.” but he smiles down at her with a joy he hadn’t shown in too long. (especially with gabs, as they hadn’t spoken as of late, much to his intentional dedication.) it’s not that he’s afraid of being caught, or that they aren’t adults, but meeting the family wasn’t high on his priority list right now. he’s keeping his voice to a minimum, inside tones. one of the last conversations they had comes to mind (the conversation between gritted teeth, the mistake that fell his lips “you’re not getting it”, the fact that he had given her such a hard time when in reality, it was all his fault to begin with) “thanks for smuggling me in.” he cups from her hair to her cheek, a complete tonal dissonance from the last 200 words he had said, or actions he had taken, “i don’t have any excuses. i just wanted to make it up to you for being so annoying,” he quotes, in an imitation of her voice. nothing would make things better, or easier. nothing could take back the steps they had taken forward, or his stomach ache over the thought of the future, or their friendship. and for tomorrow, he might just consider avoiding this whole debacle once again, set fire to the past and their future together for fear of the sun setting on them tomorrow. but that’s tomorrow. tonight he reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out her favorite snacks. he shakes them proudly and smartly says, “consider this my apology.” it’s all an elaborate cover up for the fact that he hadn’t, in reality, apologized for much of anything at all, and especially, had no plans to make things easier in the slightest. because easier and gabs was not an equation he could solve.