Gabriel was sitting in his office, thinking about his ex-girlfriend, Ashley.

*Flashback*

"I'm sick and tired of this, Gabriel!" Ashley angrily said.

Gabriel was confused and shocked by her outburst. He had just gotten back from the office and wasn't expecting this sort of welcome.

"What are you talking about?"

"Aargh!" Ashley angrily exclaimed.

"You still don't get it, do you?" she asked, frustrated with his cluelessness.

"If you would explain a little, I might get a better picture of what you're on about."

"I HATE YOU, GABRIEL!" she spat.

Gabriel was taken aback by that.

"I've been waiting for you for the past three hours, Gabriel, so we could go on the stupid date you promised, but once again, you didn't show up. Or should I say, you were too busy to show up."

Then it hit Gabriel like a ton of bricks. He totally forgot about the date he had promised Ashley. Now, he felt really guilty.

He had no excuse this time, other than the fact that he forgot.

"Baby, I'm sorry. I totally forgot about it because of an urgent meeting I had to attend."

"Great. Just great! You always have something important to deal with. What about me, huh? Is your company more important than me?!"

Gabriel didn't like where this argument was going. He loved Ashley, but his company was also important to him.

"I'm sorry, okay? I'll make it up to you," he said, not wanting to get into an argument with her.

"I DON'T WANT THAT, OKAY?!" she yelled. "You always say that, but you never keep your word. You always come up with a new excuse. You're just incredible, Gabriel!" she replied, stating the last part with sarcasm. "You suck at this..."

"Ashley, can we please not continue this conversation? I promise to make up for my mistake. If you'd like, we can set tomorrow aside for ourselves," Gabriel suggested, hoping to make Ashley calm down. He couldn't deny the fact that he had been a terrible boyfriend.

"After tomorrow, then what?" she asked.

Gabriel looked perplexed, not understanding what Ashley was trying to say.

Ashley closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, preparing herself for what she was going to say next.

"I don't think taking tomorrow for ourselves will be necessary. I already moved my things. I was only waiting for you to come home so I could tell you in person."

"What do you mean you've moved your things?"

"I can't continue living like this, Gabriel. You make me sick. So, I think it's best we end this."

Gabriel couldn't hide the surprise on his face. Ashley had not only moved her things out of the house, but she also wanted them to break up?

"Are you trying to break up with me?" he asked, wanting to get a better understanding of what she had just said.

"I'm not trying, Gabe. I am breaking up with you."

Gabriel was devastated by her statement. He watched as Ashley walked out the door without looking back.

She didn't even give them a second chance. She just left, leaving him completely broken.

*End of Flashback*

That incident had happened five years ago, and Gabriel still couldn't get it out of his head. It still remained fresh; he didn't think he'd ever forget that day.

It was the reason he was more dedicated to his work now than ever, because he knew that it was the only thing that loved and understood him, but his mom thought otherwise.

His parents were worried about him. They wanted him to move on and find someone new, especially his mom.

She called every month to find out if he had gotten a new girlfriend. She was really desperate to become a grandma, but Gabriel wasn't having it.

*Flashback*

"Gabe, my son, you have to listen to me. You need to move on. Forget about Ashley. If she actually loved you, she wouldn't have left the way she did."

"Mom, please, can we not talk about this."

"We have to, honey. You aren't getting any younger. You'll be forty in a couple of months, Gabe. Stop hurting yourself living like this. She isn't worth it."

"I need to get back to work, Mom. I'll talk to you later."

"This is exactly what I'm talking about. Stop drowning yourself in work. Go outside, mingle, make new friends…Baby, do it for your mom."

"Hmmm…I'll think about it."

"There's nothing to think about. I want to learn that you have a new girlfriend the next time I call you, okay?"

"But Mo—"

"Bye, honey." And with that, his mom hung up.

*End of Flashback*

That was the last discussion he had had with his mom. He was under a lot of pressure, not just from his mom, but also from the public and press, who were already starting to say unfavorable things about his sexuality.

He had to come up with something, and he had to think fast.

Staring at herself in the mirror one last time, she tried to convince herself that she was ready for the day. She picked up the black purse that she had placed on the bed. It matched her black high-waisted pants and grey turtle neck blouse. She slipped on her black stilettos and headed for the door.

She came out of the apartment building where she lived and inhaled the fresh air of New York City.

She was quite excited about today. She hadn't gone shopping in like two weeks because she was busy taking care of her bills.

But today, she wasn't going to let anything stop her from shopping. She had received a thousand dollars from a happy customer last night, and she was intent on using it. She wished she could get such tips every day. But one doesn't get that lucky every day, she concluded.

She most certainly would use this money to make herself look good. She needed a new hairdo, some new clothes, and new shoes to add to her moderate collection at home.

She stopped a taxi, got inside, and directed the driver to her desired salon.

After her hair makeover, she had her fingernails and toenails done. She also changed her makeup from her regular everyday look.

She left the salon and went into a boutique to shop for some beautiful clothes. She loved going shopping, and she loved to do it herself because she was quite picky when it came to her clothes. That was because she has very good taste when it came to fashion and wouldn't settle for anything less, no matter who it came from.

Sadly, the only thing standing in the way of her high standards was money.

When she was done shopping, she decided to put on one of the outfits she had bought. It was a black high-neck crop top with a black and white striped skirt and black lace heels. She loved the look and wished she could look this way every day of her life. She paid for the clothes and left the boutique, heading home.

Nicole Robinson was a twenty-seven-year-old lady living in an apartment in the city of New York. The apartment was given to her by her best friend some years back after she got a better job offer that included a house in California.

Nicole worked at a VIP lounge bar in a pub. The salary was good, all things considered. She didn't owe anyone anything and could get by every month, but if she was being honest, this wasn't the life she wanted. She wanted to live the good life, like the rich did. A life filled with adventure and luxury. A life where she lacked nothing at all. That way, she could go shopping every day, travel around the world, discover new places, meet new people, and not have to worry about paying bills.

That wasn't the case for Nicole. She had to work to make ends meet. Even though she didn't like her job as a waitress, she had no choice because the pay was good. But she had always wished that, someday, she could live the life she dreamed of, even if it was just for a day.

Nicole got home and was placing her newly bought clothes in her closet when her phone began to ring. She carefully dropped the clothes and went over to her bed where she had placed her phone.

"Hello Vanessa."

Vanessa was Nicole's friend and colleague.

"Hey girlfriend!"

"Okay, what is it this time?"

Nicole was certain that Vanessa wanted to ask a favor of her. She always asked for a favor whenever she called Nicole 'girlfriend.' Vanessa was really predictable.

"What makes you think I need a favor from you?" Vanessa asked.

Nicole was certain that Vanessa was pouting. She could tell from the sound of her voice.

"Just spit it out, Vanessa."

"Okay, Nicki, I need your help..."

"Like I didn't know."

"Can you please cover my shift tonight? I don't feel so good. I promise I'll take yours tomorrow night…Pretty pleassse?"

"Gosh! Vanessa, you always have to ruin my plans."

"I'm really sorry, babe. I promise this will be the last time. Please say yes."

"I guess I can't really say no, can I?" I stalled before giving in, "Okay."

"Thank you so, so much, Nicole. You're the best."

"Yeah, yeah. But let this be the last time, okay?"

"Okay, I promise. I love you so much, bestie. Bye." With that, she hung up.

"Bye," Nicole replied to the dead line.

This wasn't how Nicole had planned to spend her day. She had intended to have dinner at a fancy restaurant—not those extremely expensive ones, but a nice one to complete her day off. She would just have to save her dinner plans for next time.

Vanessa was going to return the favor. She just had to. After all, she had just ruined Nicole's plans to show off her new look.

She guessed she'd be doing that another time. Right now, she had to order pizza and then head to work.