Page 11 of Gentleman Wanted
It was time to start making some tough decisions.
“Well, how about Cali and I go and grab coffee and breakfast? You can sort Bobby out, and…” Avery swung open the door. It didn’t seem to matter that her hair was standing up in every direction because she hadn’t been awake more than five minutes. Her urge for caffeine outweighed her need to look human.
“Nothing is going to be open….” I didn’t get to finish. As she swung open the door, a figure fell through with a grunt to land on the carpet.
Gent looked up at us sleepily.
Cali started giggling. But I couldn’t laugh. All I could do was stare at him. Because it looked like he had been sleeping, leaning against my front door. And if his confused face was anything to go by, he had been asleep for a few hours at least.
“Come on, Cali.” Avery reached a hand to Cali. “No need for us to stay, not now Gent’s home.”
Her choice of words wasn’t lost on me. A blush flamed to life in my cheeks. Why did they have to go and say it that way?
“I thought you were going to get breakfast and….” I had spent the last year alone with Gent, but I wanted my friends to stay. It would be less awkward if they stayed. At least that way, we would have a buffer between us.
“Change of plan.”Cali winked as she stepped carefully over Gent’s prone body. “Maye you and Gent can take a walk and grab some breakfast together.”
“Or have breakfast in bed.” Avery’s voice carried as she trotted downstairs.
Glancing down, I let my eyes meet the man lying on my floor. And I had no idea what to say.
“Hey.” Gent’s voice was soft, his smile lazy as he looked up at me.
“Hi.” Awkwardly, I shuffled my feet. “How long have you been outside?”
The smile on his face slipped slightly. “Pretty much all night,” he admitted. “I found it hard to sleep somewhere you two weren’t.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. I hadn’t expected him to say exactly what I was feeling.
“Gem?” With a groan, he climbed to his feet. “At least say something.”
A wail went up. Bobby had decided now was breakfast time. And it couldn’t come at a better time.
Saved by the bell or, in this case, the screaming baby. “I’ve got to get his bottle.”
“Pass him over.” Gent’s hand closed around my bicep, stopping me in my tracks. “Are you mad I slept outside?”
No, I wasn’t mad. How could I be?
“No, I'm not mad. I wish you had knocked on the door instead of sleeping in a stairway, but I’m not mad.”
“I didn’t want to wake you.” Something shifted in Gent’s gaze as he stepped into my space, his chestnut hair falling into his eyes. The hand on my arm moved to cup my cheek.
Gent pressed his lips to mine softly as if he was testing the waters. It was a nice kiss. A barely there touching of his mouth on mine. But he looked pleased with himself as he stepped back.
“You wouldn’t have woken me. I couldn’t sleep either.” I pressed my fingers against my lips.
****
I didn’t know what to say.
He didn’t know what to say.
So we sat there in silence as I fed Bobby with two untouched glasses of water on the table between us.
It had never been so awkward.
He had come to me because he couldn’t sleep, sat outside my door like some cut wearing guard, and I hadn’t been able to sleep because I wasn’t under the same roof as him.
