Strained

Chapter 20

Management gave the permission to the boys to have tattoos, they were working hard and deserved it. Tattoos were popular among the teenagers, the boys will look sexier, tougher and will attract an older audience. The boys were in Los Angeles at the end of December to perform on a TV show and Gabriel was still stuck with the singer, she followed him on the West Coast.

Gabriel was sitting on a comfortable leather chair in a tattoo parlour on Sunset Boulevard. He couldn't bear to look at her anymore and focused on the tattooer who was mixing the inks on his left side. Why did she have to be here? He came to a point where he was despising her from the bottom of his heart and he should not. She was fairly kind but she was a constant reminder on what was fucked up about this industry. He hated how it was easy for her to play the part. It felt like she was devoid from any feelings or that she was simply gifted at dissociated things between her private and public life. But he was not like her. Doing this was making him miserable. He was slowly losing a piece of him, lying to himself and hurting Louis in the way.

He loved the pain of the needle on his skin and felt better but the flash of the paparazzi's disturbed him, they were gathered outside the shop.

"Are you okay?" She asked nicely.

"Yes." He snapped. He knew he was rude to her but he did not want to apologise even if she was not the only one to blame, he signed this freaking contract too. He needed to find a loophole to get away from this mess or he will become insane. She tried to hold his hand but he took it off sharply. She chose instead to wait patiently two hours next to him until the tattoo was done.

Gabriel was happy that Louis accepted to do it even if at first, he was firmly against the idea but Gabriel wanted to be bonded and connected to him and tattoos were their only way to express and to remind them their love. He looked in the mirror at his sword that will permanently be on his biceps and could not wait for Louis to get the shield. Gabriel loved the symbolism, Louis was literally his shield. He would not be as strong without him and associated with his sword, it meant that they were both fighting to protect each other. Ironically, the media saw it as an act of love for the popular and beautiful singer and when Louis went the next day to have his tattoo, no one suspected anything even management. But it did not get unnoticed by the fans that never stopped believing in Gabriel and Louis' relationship.

Gabriel and the singer flew together to Paris the city of love mid-January, could it be even more cliché? Gabriel was furious that Charles forced him to go there. They already went to England together, he had to cancel his plan to spend Christmas with his family and went to her hometown instead, had pictures of them kissing for New Year's Eve in the middle of a busy Times Square, could Charles and her management team just leave him alone? He made absolutely no effort to be nice with her during the holiday and was constantly cranky until she finally lost her self-control.

"For God's sake can you stop acting like a baby?! I would also rather be somewhere else than here with you! I'm fed up that you treat me like shit! I've been enough patient with you. No one ever talked to me that way and I won't let an angry child do it." She screamed without taking a breath.

Gabriel felt her words like a slap on his face. He was not expecting her armour to crack. She never said anything before even if he put her through Hell but she was right, she did not deserve this.

"I'm sorry." He pronounced remorsefully.

"I really tried to be your friend but you just ignored me. I've wasted enough time already and made a fool of myself in this stupid sham, it has to stop. I won't stay with you another month."

"I think it's for the best." The small flicker of hope burnt inside him. If it was a mutual decision, they could both break the contract.

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