Chapter 104 104: Wrong Timing
The drive back felt quieter than the afternoon.
Gloria rested against the passenger seat with one heel abandoned near the floorboard, sunglasses pushed into her hair while evening traffic crawled slowly through Los Angeles.
For once, she wasn't filling every silence automatically.
That alone said enough.
Gael kept one hand loosely on the steering wheel while city lights blurred across the windshield ahead.
The conversation at the café still lingered between them.
Not the flirting.
The honesty.
That changed things.
Then Gloria glanced toward him.
"You're thinking too much."
"I usually do."
"I noticed."
A faint smile touched her mouth before she looked back out the window again.
"You know what the problem is?" she asked quietly. "Nothing actually happened today."
He understood immediately.
That was the dangerous part.
No line crossed.
No kiss.
No confession.
Just emotional intimacy settling somewhere it shouldn't.
Gloria exhaled softly and crossed her arms loosely.
"I should probably feel guiltier already."
"You're married."
"And you're dating my husband's granddaughter." Her eyes slid toward him briefly. "Trust me, I'm aware."
There was no humor in the sentence this time.
Only awareness.
Real awareness.
The weight of the situation finally entering the space between them properly.
Outside, traffic rolled slowly past storefront lights and crowded sidewalks.
Then Gloria surprised him.
"I'm not unhappy with Jay."
Simple statement.
Important one.
Because that truth mattered.
"He drives me insane sometimes," she continued. "He falls asleep too early, complains about modern music, and thinks astrology is a conspiracy." A small smile appeared. "But he loves me well."
Gael stayed quiet.
Because she clearly needed to say it out loud.
Maybe for him.
Maybe for herself.
Then Gloria looked down at her hands for a second before speaking again.
"I think that's why this bothers me."
The sentence came softer.
Less controlled.
"When people cheat because they're miserable, it's easier to understand." She looked out the window again. "But this?" A pause. "This feels selfish."
That landed differently.
Not melodrama.
Not temptation.
Accountability.
And suddenly the situation felt more adult than the flirtation had.
Gael finally spoke after a while.
"Then don't let it become something you regret."
Gloria turned toward him slowly.
For a second neither looked away.
Then she laughed once under her breath.
Not amused.
Almost frustrated.
"You make it very hard to romanticize bad decisions."
"Somebody should."
"That is usually the fun part."
But her voice lacked conviction now.
Because part of her already knew he was right.
The car eventually turned into her neighborhood street as the sky darkened fully overhead.
Jay's porch light was still on.
Waiting.
Gloria noticed it immediately.
Her expression changed in a way that hurt slightly to watch.
Softer.
Fonder.
Complicated.
When the car stopped outside the house, she stayed seated for another few seconds instead of reaching for the door immediately.
Then she looked at him one last time.
"We should probably be more careful."
Not:
stop.
Careful.
Important distinction.
Gael leaned back slightly in the driver's seat.
"That sounds like a decision already made."
"Maybe it is."
The honesty sat heavily between them.
Then Gloria reached for the door handle before pausing again.
"Next time," she said quietly, "don't let me talk that much."
A small smile touched his mouth.
"You were the one ordering espresso."
"That is not a defense."
Finally she stepped out of the car.
But before closing the door, she leaned slightly back inside.
Not close enough to touch.
Close enough to shift the air between them.
And then, very deliberately, Gloria kissed his cheek.
Soft.
Brief.
Dangerously intimate because of how restrained it was.
Not passion.
Permission.
When she pulled back, her eyes held his for a second longer than they should have.
Then she closed the door and walked toward the house where Jay still waited.