Avery's POV
The room was dark.
I stayed still in my bed.
My eyelids felt heavy.
Fragments of the day still moved through my mind.
The pain.
The cold.
The fear.
The bed creaked softly.
I slowly turned my head.
Gabriel was sitting in a chair beside the bed.
His head tilted back.
Asleep.
Or almost.
I watched him for a moment.
He looked… exhausted.
Like someone who had spent hours fighting sleep.
Why was he here?
Why had he stayed?
I shifted slightly.
And that's when it happened.
A sharp pain tore through my body.
Like an electric shock.
I jolted upright with a violent gasp.
Gabriel's eyes opened immediately.
"Avery?"
His voice was rough, still caught in sleep.
"Are you okay?"
It took me a few seconds to answer.
My throat was dry.
"… Water."
He stood up instantly.
Without asking questions.
He grabbed the glass sitting on the nightstand and handed it to me.
My hands trembled slightly when I took it.
The water slid down my throat.
And for one second, everything felt better.
Then the pain came back.
Throbbing.
Instinctively, I raised a hand to my neck.
And everything exploded inside my head.
Images.
Brief.
Violent.
Air disappearing.
A hand around my throat.
The pressure.
The floor getting closer.
My body giving out.
My breathing refusing to return.
I gasped.
The room vanished around me.
I wasn't in my bedroom anymore.
I was back there.
Again.
My heart was beating too fast.
Too hard.
I couldn't breathe properly anymore.
"Avery."
The voice sounded far away.
"Avery, look at me."
Hands gently took hold of my face.
My body tensed for a second.
Then I realized it wasn't that thing.
His hands were warm. Human.
Not rough.
Not trying to restrain me.
Just trying to bring me back.
Gabriel.
His gaze was locked onto mine.
Steady.
Present.
"Breathe."
I shook my head slightly.
Impossible.
"Hey… easy."
His voice was surprisingly calm.
He repeated my name.
Again.
Again.
Always with that same gentleness.
Like he was afraid of breaking me.
Little by little, the room returned.
The walls.
The dim light.
His hand against my cheek.
I managed one real breath.
Then another.
The panic slowly loosened its grip.
Gabriel gently brushed his thumb beneath my eye.
I hadn't even realized tears were running down my face.
"It's over," he murmured.
His voice was low.
Sincere.
"I'm here."
And for the first time since he arrived…
I trusted him.
---
Silence lingered between us for a few seconds.
Long.
A little strange.
I suddenly realized my face was still very close to his.
His hands too.
My heartbeat quickened slightly.
I gently placed my hand over his.
"I'm okay… I'm okay now."
As if the touch burned him, Gabriel immediately pulled his hands away.
Not abruptly.
But quickly.
A little too quickly.
He stepped back.
Then another step.
As if he had suddenly remembered some invisible rule.
"Sorry," he said.
His voice had turned distant again.
He ran a hand through his hair before walking over to the window.
Cool air drifted softly into the room.
He stayed there for a few seconds.
With his back to me.
Not to ignore me.
More like he was giving me space.
I looked around.
The room was darker than before.
"How long was I asleep?"
Gabriel thought for a second.
"Two… maybe three hours."
I blinked.
"What?"
My mother.
Daniel.
They must've panicked.
"Do they know I'm okay?"
"Yes."
His answer was simple.
Calm.
But I could tell he was choosing his words carefully.
I watched him for a moment.
Then I sighed softly.
"You have questions, don't you?"
He turned his head slightly toward me.
"About what?"
Was he seriously pretending not to know?
A tired little laugh escaped me.
"About what happened in the house."
A silence passed.
"Because I don't understand it either."
I lowered my gaze to my hands.
"It's all blurry.
Pieces.
Sensations.
Fear."
I looked back up at him.
"But there's one thing I'm sure about."
This time, he turned fully toward me.
Attentive.
I held his gaze.
"You know something."
I paused.
"And you pretended to be surprised."
The room fell silent again.
Gabriel didn't answer immediately.
His eyes dropped to the floor.
Then to the door.
As if he were thinking very quickly.
When he finally spoke, his voice was lower.
More honest.
"Avery…"
He hesitated.
Just enough to confirm what I already thought.
"There are things your mother would rather explain to you herself."
I raised an eyebrow slightly.
"So I'm right."
The corner of his mouth moved.
Almost a smile.
But worried.
"You're more observant than I thought."
I crossed my arms.
"I get that a lot."
He looked at me for a few seconds.
Then his expression changed.
More serious.
"What happened today…"
He stopped.
As if the words themselves were dangerous.
"… should never have happened to you."
A chill ran down my spine.
"But it did."
I held his gaze.
"And I deserve to know why."
This time, he didn't look away.
His eyes were entirely on me.
---