Then of course there was Dean. It was like he had an innate ability to show up when Gabriella was at a breaking point. The image of Jadeâs lips against his flashed in her mind, sending a shudder down her spine. It wasnât just jealousy, though sheâd be lying if she said that wasnât a part of it. Something about it was just wrong.
âHey.â She grabbed ahold of his shoulder, turning Dean to face her. âYou seen Dec?â
Her tone was obviously annoyed, giving Dean a look that she clearly did not want to be talking to him. Truthfully she didnât have much to say to him, itâs not like he knew any better. Thatâs just how he was, how he always was. Really she was just mad at herself for not seeing it coming, Jade always would find a way to fuck up every thing in Gabriellaâs life.
Dean had run away from Declan with his tail between his legs. There were very few people on planet earth that made him feel vulnerable, and Declan was one of them. Why couldnât they seem to see that he was trying? He didnât try to hide the sullen, frustrated expression on his face as he skulked about the room. He saw Gabriella, and initially was going to let her go about her evening, but she grabbed onto his shoulder, so it would only be polite to hear her out.
He audibly sighed when she asked about Declan. Why was he all anyone cared about? âNo,â Dean lied, despite how he could easily tell Gabriella exactly where Declan was. Dean was upset with Declan, and intended not to do anything to help them or anyone looking for them, âI havenât seen them since we got here.â
Usually, Dean tried to at least fake a pleasant face for people, but he didnât bother with Gabriella. He wasnât in the mood. âLook for Soren, heâs bound to be there making googly eyes.â Dean rolled his eyes, clearly disgusted by the very thought.
âJesus fucking christ, donât be a child.â Gabriella rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. âLike youâre one to talk.â
Dean shook his head, âDec deserves someone who has time for him, and wonât drag him down with their own issues.â And who Dean didnât so deeply and personally hate. As some sort of cover up for that all too real admission, he added âYou look like shit.â
Gabriella couldnât help but laugh. One at the idea of Dean micromanaging Decâs love life, two at his weak jab at her appearance. She ran her hand through her hair, nodding her head in agreement with him. âYou got me there, Iâll give you that.â
As annoyed as she still was with Dean, it was more like one would be with a child or a pet. You canât really stay mad because they donât really know better. Their friendship was rooted in encouraging one anotherâs worst impulses, chaos was just a byproduct of it all. Despite it all, Gabriella did believe Dean had a soft spot for others - though he had a funny way of showing it. Regardless, she wasnât going to just let him make himself into the victim or the good guy just looking out for his brother.
âI think you need to care a little bit less about who Declan fucks, Dean.â Gabriella pointed towards Dean to emphasize her words, then clasping them together to keep herself from gesticulating wildly as she spoke. âIf it doesnât affect your life then you need to leave it be. You know, unlike you fucking my ex without telling me for god knows how long. You know, like how that could affect me - you know from like contact fucking my ex.â
Dean crossed his arms as Gabriella said he needed to care less. He didnât care, so long as it wasnât Soren. He wouldnât pretend to internalize her point, though. He knew she wouldnât expect him to, either.
But when she brought up Jade, he winced, just barely, but likely enough for her to notice. âYeah, thatâŠâ That broke some major codes, he knew it wasnât cool. âShe came to me, you know.â He shrugged, âWho was I to say no?â He offered Gabriella a weak smile; he knew sheâd understand it. Jade offered a lot. Well, she offered some of what he needed, anyway.
âThatâs over, anyway. Iâve got⊠Bigger things lining up for me.â He wouldnât apologize for what heâd done, because, really, heâd not done anything so bad that it warranted an apology. âYou can do whatever,â
âYeah, I know that.â Gabriellaâs head bobbed with each word, her smile tense. âCould have her with or without your grace, she was literally throwing herself at me earlier tonight. She was just using you to make me jealous, or mess with Lauren - or whatever fucked up shit she has planned.â
Gabriella made no attempt to censor the truth, Dean wasnât someone who was going to get his feelings hurt - and obviously he wasnât very invested in the relationship anyways. Still, the fact that he used her coming to him as an excuse as if that made it any better knowing damn well thatâs exactly how Jade operates. He might be emotionally stunted but he wasnât dumb.
âI donât even care, because I donât even want her.â Gabriella added, be it to reassure herself or Dean she wasnât sure. âAre you going to dump her publicly though, and if yes can I film it?â
âShe knows Iâm just Laurenâs little pet,â He said, with a shrug. He knew it was true, and so did everyone else. There was no point in hiding it. âYou shouldnât let her get to you. Itâs all mind games around here,â He tapped his temple to drive his point forward, âThe best thing to do is learn to play along, or finally block her number like Declan keeps telling you to do.â
Dean cared about her. He did. He was shit at expressing it, but he was shit at just about anything that involved emotions.
He laughed when she asked if he was going to dump her publicly, âWe arenât even dating. Iâm just gonna text her. Iâll let you know before I do if you really wanna film her reaction though. She wonât care that much.â
Gabriella rolled her eyes again at the implication she should just block Jade. If even Dean was saying it now, what the hell did that mean? He was right about one thing at least, it was all mind games around here. Before she could just check out, playing her role of pawn very well. Dean knew how to make the game work for him, always had. As much as anyone would hate to admit it, he was smarter than he let on.
âUgh, thatâs no fun.â She pouted at the idea of him just dumping her over text. The prospect of Jade being publicly humiliated was enough to get her salivating, though Dean wouldnât want to piss of Jade that much. He had to make sure to cover his bases and she understood that, she had to start doing the same. She thought about mentioning Lauren but figured Dean had already ran into her, then remembered his earlier statement. The gears turned in her mind, a look of realization dawning on her face as she put it together.
âSo I take that to mean you already ran into Lauren?â Gabriella asked, her expression a mix of amusement and bewilderment.
Dean shrugged apologetically when Gabriella said texting Jade to break things off wasnât any fun. If things went south with Lauren, and he knew they eventually would, he would need someone else around that could fund his bad habits. Having a rich spouse was the goal, one way or the other.
When Gabriella asked if heâd run into Lauren already, Dean tapped the side of his nose. âDig deep enough, youâll eventually find treasure.â He smiled, some pride showing in his face, âDon't expect wedding bells or anything. We all know itâll end badly, but I have to leverage the dirt Iâve got while Iâve got it.â
Gabriella raised a brow, mildly impressed. Of course anyone who wanted to keep up with Lauren had to play her game but it was rare anyone got the leg up on her. The part of her that wanted to watch Lauren fail was itching for more information but she knew Dean wouldnât hand over his leverage.
âWouldnât be Dean Sun if you didnât, I guess.â She joked, shaking her head. âPretty satisfying to know that Lauren is getting a dose of her own medicine, though.â
âI learned from the best.â Dean hadnât spent years following Lauren around like a lost puppy for nothing. To her he was just a pawn, but he picked up a few tricks along the way.
Then it struck him that Gabriella may have had a less than excellent interaction with Lauren over the course of the evening. âI know sheâs sometimes, uhh, less than pleasant butâŠâ Dean was fond of Lauren for reasons he couldnât really explain, and even if he could there was no way most anyone at this party would understand. He shrugged, mumbled a quick, âOh, hold still,â As he picked some cat hair stuck to Gabriellaâs top, and then said, âWe all have our vices, huh?â
He winked at her, then. He knew something about the way he was living life was going to kill him one day, and it would probably be Lauren. Gabriella belatedly swatted at Deanâs hand as he picked the cat hair from her top, then batting at the fabric of her clothes when noticing other hairs had stuck to her. It didnât matter that he was helping her, or that he had touched her many times before - even though she wouldnât hold anything against him she was still annoyed.
âAt least my vices get you high while they ruin your life.â She said absently, looking around the room once more. âIâm going to grab a drink - do you need one?â Dean snorted, as if he didnât share some of those vices as well. He waved off her offer to get him a drink with a noncommittal grunt. He was a big boy, he could get his own when he wanted one.
âCatch you later,â He said, maybe a little too confidently. Gabriella gave him a weak wave, making her way back towards the kitchen.