Chapter 06

The next evening, they arrived at the birthday party at rooftop venue, The party night at the rooftop venue grew livelier as the music shifted to upbeat rhythms, drawing more guests onto the dance floor.

Gabriella was awestruck by the setup as she was attending a spanish party after a long time.

The tables were adorned with floral centerpieces, and a small dance floor sat under a canopy of fairy lights.

The trio quickly found Elena's friend Lyra, who greeted them warmly and introduced them to a few other guests.

Gabriella was standing by the dessert table, admiring the delicate pastries when someone approached her.

" Admiring or deciding? " a warm male voice asked.

Gabriella turned to see a man about her age, casually dressed in a white shirt and blazer. His smile was easy and inviting. She recognised him as one of the Lyra's friend

" Both, I guess," Gabriella admitted with a small laugh.

" There are too many options. What's your recommendation?"

He picked up a tiny chocolate tart and handed it to her.

" This one. You won't regret it."

She took it, her confidence growing.

" And if I do?"

" Then I owe you a better dessert," he said with a grin.

" I'm Alejandro, by the way. If you remember."

" Gabriella." She shook his hand while nodding, feeling at ease for the first time in months.

They talked about alot of things from Madrid's art scene to Gabriella's favorite hidden cafés.

Alejandro shared stories about his work as a photographer and how he loved capturing life's candid moments.

When the music shifted to a slower tempo, he gestured to the dance floor.

" Care for a dance? "

Gabriella hesitated but then smiled.

" Why not? "

Dancing with Alejandro was surprisingly fun. He kept it lighthearted, guiding her through the steps and making her laugh with his littlle light-hearted jokes.

To be honest, she had a lot of fun after long time, now she was happy to be out of her room, it has really freshen her mood.

...

Later at midnight, Gabriella returned home, still in her party dress.

She sat on her bed, scrolling through her phone when she noticed a missed call from Mike.

Smiling to herself, she dialed him back.

" Look who finally remembers I exist," Mike teased as he answered.

His playful tone made her laugh.

" Sorry, it's been a busy night, returned just now." she replied, propping the phone up against a pillow.

Mike's screen lit up, and she saw him lounging on a couch. His expression softened when he noticed her outfit.

"You're still in your party dress?"

" Yeah, just got back from a party." She adjusted the camera to show the dress.

" What do you think? "

" You look... amazing," he said after a pause, his voice quieter and he swallowed hard.

Gabriella felt a flicker of warmth but brushed it aside.

" Thanks. It was a Elena's school friend, Lyra's birthday party. It was so much fun.

Even I met her friend, the guy named Ale...."

Mike's brows furrowed slightly.

" A... A guy? "

" Yeah, his name's Alejandro. He is Lyra's friend. He's a photographer. We talked about art and danced a little."

Mike tried to play it cool, but his smile faltered.

" Sounds... nice."

" Are you okay? " she asked, noticing his shift in tone.

" Yeah, yeah," he said quickly, forcing a grin.

" Just tired. You know me, long day. "

Gabriella nodded, though she felt something was off.

They chatted for a few more minutes before saying goodnight.

...

A Week Later, Gabriella was lounging on the balcony, sipping tea as she was sharing gossips with Sophia and Isabella over the phone.

" I heard about the birthday party," Sophia said.

" Yeah It was fun," Gabriella replied, leaning back in her chair.

" Yeah, especially meeting Alejandro, was fun." Isabella teased.

" He seems interesting."

Gabriella was surprised to her.

" How did you guys know about him."

Isabella's tone shifted slightly.

" Eugene told me that Mike mentioned some guy you met at party.

Well, according to him, Mike is continuously sulking about your new friend these days."

" And why is that? " Gabriella asked, confused.

" You know what, he's been moping around for almost a week, and Ethan told me he's barely hanging out with them, saying something about doesn't feel like going out and feeling like he's losing you."

Sophia told her

Gabriella froze, her heart skipping a beat.

" That's... not true. He didn't mention anything like that.

We talk all the time and he is fine. "

" Yeah, but he's not dumb, Gabby,"

Sophia added.

" He knows there's distance. And honestly, he's scared you'll move on."

Gabriella stared at her tea, a knot forming in her chest.

" Hey, thats not true "

" Look, Gabby we know that but Mike...." Isabella said gently continuing

" Mike's not the kind of guy to say much, but it's obvious to all of us how much he cares about you and he is just scared of losing you to a random guy you met at a party."

Sophia chimed in.

" And let's be real, do you really want him thinking Alejandro has a chance?"

Gabriella let out a small laugh, though her mind was already spinning.

" No! But I don't know, how he got the idea that I'm slipping out but Alejandro is just a person i know, he is not even a friend

Not a big deal."

" That's what you say but Mike seems to think opposite,"

Isabella said with a knowing tone.

After the call ended, Gabriella found herself staring out at the sunset, the weight of her friends' words settling over her.

.....

The days that followed the party felt different. Mike seemed distant, though he tried his best to act normal.

But whenever unknowningly she mentioned Alejandro during texts or during a call,, his messages would be shorter, his voice lacked the usual warmth, and his teasing, which always made Gabriella laugh, would noticeably be absent.

She noticed it but didn't push, assuming he was just busy with something.

One evening, as they were on a call, Gabriella again unknowingly brought up Alejandro again, recounting the party's details for the third time.

" And then Alejandro showed me this photo he took of the city skyline," she said, her voice animated.

" It was incredible. You could see the lights reflecting on the river.... "

" Right. Sounds great," Mike interrupted, his tone flat.

Gabriella paused, confused by his response.

" You don't sound interested."

" I've heard about Alejandro enough times to last a lifetime," he muttered, more to himself than to her.

" What's that supposed to mean? " she asked, her tone sharpening.

" It means," Mike said, his voice calm but with an edge,

" You've been talking about him non-stop since the party. It's like he's all you think about."

Gabriella frowned, taken aback.

" That's not true! I've mentioned him a few times because he's interesting and we had a good conversation. Why does it bother you so much? "

" It doesn't bother me," Mike said quickly, though his voice betrayed him.

" I just think you're giving him way too much attention."

" Mike, he's just a guy I met at a party," Gabriella said defensively.

" Why are you making it such a big deal? "

Mike scoffed, unable to hold back.

" Because it feels like he's already gotten into your head, Gabby!

You talk about him like he's the best thing that's ever happened to you."

" That's ridiculous," she snapped.

" I can't believe you're acting like this."

" And I can't believe you don't see how it comes across," Mike fired back.

" It's like he's suddenly more important than..." He stopped himself, clenching his jaw.

" More important than what? " Gabriella pressed, her voice rising.

" Say it, Mike. More important than you? "

He exhaled sharply, shaking his head.

" Forget it, Gabby. This is pointless."

" No, it's not," she argued.

" If something's bothering you, tell me instead of acting all passive-aggressive about it."

" I'm not being passive-aggressive,"

Mike shot back.

" I'm trying to deal with the fact that maybe you're moving on and I'm just.... just here."

Gabriella froze, her heart pounding.

" Moving on? Mike, what are you even talking about? I'm not moving on from anything."

" Well, it sure feels like it," he muttered, running a hand through his hair.

" You don't get it, do you?"

" Get what?" she demanded, her voice trembling.

" That you're mad because I talked to someone new? That's not fair, Mike! "

" And maybe it's not fair that I have to hear his name every time we talk! " he snapped, his voice cold and flat now.

" You don't think it bothers me?"

Gabriella stared at her phone, her throat tightening.

" You're being ridiculous."

" Yeah? Maybe I am," Mike said bitterly.

" But it doesn't change how I feel."

They both fell silent, the tension between them palpable.

Finally, Mike sighed, his voice softer but still strained.

" Maybe we need some space."

Gabriella felt her chest tighten.

" Space? What does that even mean?"

" It means I don't want to argue with you anymore," he said, his tone weary.

" Let's just... not talk for a while."

She went silent for a while,she then bit her lip, trying to hold back the wave of emotions threatening to overwhelm her.

" Fine. If that's what you want."

" It's not what I want," Mike said quietly, his voice almost breaking.

" But I don't know what else to do."

The call ended soon after, leaving Gabriella staring at her phone, the weight of his words pressing down on her.

She didn't want to admit it, but something between them had fractured, and she had no idea how to fix it.

Meanwhile, Mike sat alone in his room, staring at the ceiling.

He hated how things had escalated, but he couldn't shake the anger and jealousy that Alejandro's name stirred in him.

He didn't want to admit it, even to himself, but the thought of Gabriella growing closer to someone else terrified him.

And for the first time, he wondered if he was losing her for good.