Foot Job

Cristela coughed, I grabbed the glass of water and handed it to her, my legs dropped to the floor.

“Gabriel, you haven't answered my question." My brother said.

“Are you blind, can't you see that she choked on her food?." I asked them angrily.

“Thank you but I am fine. Mum, dad, he wasn't staring at me any way, you all were very busy you didn't even notice that I was battling with the spiciness of this food." Cristela said vindictively.

“Oh baby, we're sorry." My brother said reaching for her and touching her hair.

My hands balled into fists on the table.

Did he just call my Cristela his baby, and then touch her hair?.

“Gabriel, you don't look fine." Cristela's mother said to me.

“Get your hands off her hair, how long would you fucking touch it?!." I yelled at my brother.

***

I watched as anger darken Gabriel's eyes when my step dad called me baby. Then he made everything worse by using his fingers to comb through my hair, I saw Gabriel's grip on the knife tighten as his hands turned into fists. I was only twenty percent certain that he wouldn't swing the knife at his brother. 

I was trying to signal for him to keep his mouth shut and emotions in check because we had barely slipped through a thin crack the first time, I wouldn't want my mum and dad to find out what was going on between us.

Until he yelled at his brother.

My step father's jaw dropped.

“Huh?." My mother asked In confusion turning to look at everyone around the table including me.

I stood up from the dining table and I ran up the stairs praying that Gabriel stayed in his seat, but when I heard sharp footsteps behind me and his voice calling my name I knew that there was no how my parents wouldn't pick it up.

I entered into my room, I didn't even have to close the door because he was hot on my heels.

“What do you think you're doing, they're going to find out!." I told him as tears escaped my eyes.

He came towards me, took my face in his hand and he kissed my tears away. 

“Let them find out, I don't care." He said.

I pushed him away from me. My mother and father was standing at the door.

“Please." I mouthed to Gabriel without saying any words.

He turned to my parents.

“I'm sorry for talking to you the way I did at the dining table." Gabriel said to his brother. " Thank for letting me stay this long." He said walking out of my bedroom.

“I'm confused as hell." My mother said in distress. “Cristela, what was all that about?." My mother asked me storming into my bedroom.

I was planted to the same spot as I heard Gabriel telling his brother that he was leaving.

“So that's it?." I asked walking into the bathroom.

“Cristela don't you dare ignore me!." My mother shouted as I left her In the room.

If Gabriel was giving up so soon then I better find a lie to cover our tracks.

“Gabriel wants to sponsor the new movie I'm going to play in but the production media already have sponsors. He's angry about it because he feels it's a way for his company to reach more people and that's why he yelled at dad." I told her.

She crossed her hands over her chest and shook her head playfully.

“And here I was thinking something else entirely, I'm sorry, I'm going to talk to your dad to tell him not to worry." She said to me and she walked out of my bedroom.

Immediately she left I ran to the shower and turned on the water. It was soaking my hoodie, I heard Gabriel's car pull out of our driveway.

“Fuck!." I yelled as it drove away, I hugged my knees and I stayed there for a while.

My mind played back everything that happened since he got here. 

***

I was tired of crying, the tears had stopped coming. 

I took off my hoodie and my skirt, I grabbed the body wash from the side and poured it all over my body, I returned it to the shelf .

I heard someone walk into my bedroom, I could remember that I had not locked the door after my mother left, I never failed to lock the doors.

“Who is there?." I asked, I could hear the footsteps over the sound of the beating water from the shower.

There was no response but I knew very well that someone was there.

My heart started beating very fast and there was a knot in the bottom of my throat.