Gabriele spent the next couple sleepless hours working before the numbers and words began to blur and merge together, confusing the clearly very tired man. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes and squinting before opening them and blinking, trying to shake the sleep from himself. He was too busy, had too much to do. Sleep was rarely a thing he ever had.

"I'm getting too old for this..." His voice sounded defeated.

He closed the book, stuffing documents into a file and placing both and the money pouch in the safe once more, making sure the old door latched properly. He leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms above his head and letting out a low groan as his back popped and cracked. He rubbed at the curve of his neck, massaging his shoulder before he pulled himself up, neglecting the chair where it rested as he flicked off the light and locked the office door behind him.

Gabriele climbed the stairs leading to his apartment, his steps heavy and weighty as they thumped against the old wooden boards. He yawned widely as he fumbled with his keys before sliding the right one into the lock finally and he gave the door a firm push. It was a cozy apartment, quite lived in and was kept rather tidy with very little to the place in general. He tossed his keys on the stand near the door as he kicked it closed, his hand latching it behind him. As he tugged off his coat, he draped it over the back of a nearby chair and he made his way through the dark, not bothering to turn on the lights as light was already streaming through the window, birds chirping at the new day. He grumbled as he pulled the curtains closed in his bedroom, darkness soon washing over and as he tugged off his shirt, he threw it on the chest at the end of the bed before unbuttoning his pants and slipping out of them as well.

He sat on his bed, sinking into the plush feel of it before he fell back, a sigh escaping him as he buried his face into the softness that was his pillow. It didn't take long for sleep to wash over the man, taking him deep away into dreams.

***

Only a few short hours passed before Gabriele was woken up by the loud obnoxious tone of his alarm clock and he groaned loudly as he smacked at the table to shut it up. He only finally succeeds when he knocked it off the table and unplugged it and he let out an annoyed grunt. He pulled himself up out of bed, his hair a mess and bags under his eyes, he had slept poorly and not nearly long enough and he knew that would be a toll on him as the day went on. Climbing out of bed, he made his way into the small, cramped bathroom that was just big enough for a shower stall, toilet and sink and turned on the shower. The building was old and the water heater would take its sweet time to warm the water. It was all falling apart in places despite the daily upkeep, a toll for living in such a relic of the past.

As he was warming up the water, Gabriele wandered back into his room, opening the closet and revealing a somewhat large wardrobe, mostly consisting of dress clothes, a few pairs of jeans, a couple of flannels, college apparel, and jackets. He hummed quietly as he thumbed through the hangers of shirts and finally settled on one, a simple light grey t-shirt. He pulled it and a pair of worn jeans out and draped them over the chair nearby before making his way back into the bathroom, his hand finding the watch on his left wrist and popping it free, slipping it over his large, calloused hand and gently clinking it on the sink as he entered the steam filled room.

Gabriele let out a deep, content breath as the hot water poured upon him and he rolled his shoulders, working out the kinks. He was a tired man, overworked but it was the path he chose. He had so many people depending on him, businesses needing him, his own taking up most of his time. He had no time for himself, for a family of his own. He was always taking care of other families. Of course, he considered them all to be his family, the neighborhood was his home, Little Italia was where he belonged. It was quiet, peaceful, old-fashioned. While the rest of the city bustled with life, it seemed Little Italia was lost in a time all to itself.

His thoughts drifted, his chest aching. He had spent his entire life living for others, thinking of everyone before himself, never putting himself first. Of course, he had his moments of selfishness, he was a man after all and had needs of his own, but at the end of the day, he didn't really seem to matter in his own life. He bit his lip hard, closing his eyes as he leaned his head against the warm tile of the shower. He was too old to change now, his time had gone and passed. Maybe it was better that way for him anyway. Gabriele let out a shaky breath and quickly finished getting washed, not wanting his thoughts to consume him any further than they had. He needed to get down to the bar and start to get things for the day after all.

He stepped out of the shower, grabbing a nearby towel and wrapping it around his waist as he walked into the bedroom, running a hand through his wet hair to brush it from his face. His chest was on fire, his heart beating loudly in his ears and made it hard to focus, hard to breathe, but he pushed through. He dried off and tugged on his clothes, his mind blank, his emotions numbed as he ran through the motions of everyday living. He knew the routine by now, he could do it in his sleep. Every day was the same. Nothing ever changed. As he walked into the living room, he clasped his watch then gave the apartment a glance over, chewing on the inside of his cheek as the gears whirled in his head.

"Aha!" Gabriele was leaning over the couch, his knees dug into the plush cushions, his arm behind it as he fished around for something and a moment later he pulled out a 'for help' sign. He had a grin of victory plastered across his face as he tucked the sign under his arm and he made his way out of the apartment. He pulled the door firmly, latching it behind him before jogging down the narrow, steep stairs that led down to the rest of the building.

As he walked into the main part of the restaurant, he was greeted by an older man who was tending to things behind the bar, organizing bottles and setting up fresh glasses for the day. He looked experienced, his greying hair was slicked back and styled and an apron rested around his waist over his old-fashioned and casual suit. His face was tired, worn but happy to see Gabriele.

"Hello, Gilbert. How are you this morning?" Gabriele asked the older man, smiling warmly at him as he made his way over to the large window by the door that overlooked the street, propping up the hand-painted hiring sign and securing it with a weighty candle.

Gilbert looked up from what he was doing, a frown spreading across his worn lips as he watched Gabriele place the sign in the window and shook his head, quietly polishing glasses. "The hell you do to the gals this time, Gabe?" He asked, ignoring the question asked.

Gabriele flinched before sighing, rubbing the back of his neck as he made his way over to the bar, leaning against the counter. A groan escaped his lips and he dropped his head, clasping his hands behind it before lifting it once more.

"It was a misunderstanding," he said plainly, avoiding eyesight.

"You're a pathetic dog. Why can't you just meet a nice gal?" Gilbert crossed his arms across his chest.

Gabriele was defeated and frowned, "I don't know."

"I just don't have the time, I'm always busy in one way or another," he shrugged as if this was a valid excuse.

Gilbert reached out, smacking Gabriele firmly on the back of the head, scowling at the boy. "You're supposed to make the time." His tone was harsh, but caring as Gabriele recoiled from him, whining quietly while he rubbed the back of his head, acting like a scolded child.

"It's complicated. You wouldn't understand." He shook his head, his hand still resting there.

"Try me. I'm old, but that just means I might understand more than you."

"I told her it was casual, and that I didn't want anything exclusive, to begin with. She still got the wrong idea in her head." He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Gilbert frowned, looking at Gabriele with a loot of pity before wiping it off his face. "Can you really blame her?" He asked, "you're an attractive, successful man who's incredibly kind and generous." Gabriele sighed again.

"No, I suppose I can't blame her."

Gabriele had thought about this a lot. He had always thought he would eventually have a family of his own, but it never seemed to work out. His siblings were younger than him and they all had families, his sisters had children of their own. Why couldn't he have the same things? His chest hurt again, twisting into knots and his heart beat loudly in his ears again.

Gabriele's phone rang at that moment and the man couldn't have been happier to have an interruption and he half smiled at Gilbert. "Sorry, Gilbert. You'll have to pull my tragic backstory from me another day." He said, chuckling as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and wandered away.

Gilbert sighed, shaking his head as he watched Gabriele excuse himself. "When will you ever learn, Gabe?" He said quietly, "she's going to walk right in front of you and you're going to just let her slip away..."