The silence builds as powerfully as any crescendo, and the thought that it might not end makes Gabriel feel dizzy for a moment. He tries to ignore the tightness in his chest, his heart pounding. He tries to keep his breathing even, steady.

He waits for Anthony to just leave, or to say something cutting and then leave, but none of that happens. What he does say makes Gabriel look at him, finally.

"Then don't," he says just as quietly, impressed that he can make his voice work at all. "Please."

God, but he wants to kiss him. Gabriel turns his body more toward Anthony, closes the distance between them with a shift of his weight, far less closed off than he'd been just a moment ago.