Quote 22
Maybe he loved Raquel. Those photos on his phone. That dried beach rose in an envelope. (8.29)
Realizing that Gat's roses are for another girl makes Cadence start to doubt herself. She's no less beautiful and awesome than she was before she saw the pictures, but her blonde Sinclair perfection suddenly seems inferior to Raquel's New York City sophistication.
Quote 23
I felt the love rush from me to Gat and from Gat to me.
We were warm and shivering,
and young and ancient,
and alive.
I was thinking, It's true. We already love each other.
We already do. (9.21-26)
What is it about falling in love with someone that makes you feel like you've known each other forever? To Cadence, falling in love feels less like discovery than recognition.
Quote 24
The bottom line is, Gat bailed when I got hurt.
The bottom line is, it was only a summer fling.
The bottom line is, he might have loved Raquel.
We lived too far apart, anyway. (12.23-26)
If by "bailed when I got hurt" you mean died, then yes, yes he did. In her own pain, Cadence is unable to realize that Gat's pain was way worse. You know, because it was terminal.