Page 54 of Claim Me
"Yes," Blue replies absently, still focused on his transparent tablet.
A sudden wave of unease hits me. Those hours are insane.
Then the words slip out recklessly.
"That basically means I don’t get a private life during the week. No dating, no chance to build a relationship. That only leaves weekends."
Blue slowly lifts his gaze from the tablet.
Our eyes meet, and a rush of stress goes through me. Did I say too much? Was that an inappropriate remark for my second day at work?
"Thirty minutes is enough for a hookup."
I stare at him in disbelief, then quickly recover enough to blurt out, "What?!"
Silence.
Blue narrows his eyes slightly.
"Maybe that’s how you do things! Not me. And if you really want to know, I’ve never… I mean, I’ve never had sex before. I want my first time to actually mean something. A random hookup isn’t exactly my dream scenario."
That finally gets a real reaction out of him. One eyebrow lifts slightly, and for the first time I catch genuine surprise on his face.
"I can see that look. You think I’m pathetic," I say bitterly.
Blue lets out a sharp breath, somewhere between impatience and disbelief.
"On the contrary, Gabriel. I’m surprised someone like you hasn’t had the opportunity yet."
I stare at him, completely caught off guard.
"Someone like me? People always say I don’t have the kind of confidence and charisma that turns omegas on."
"Oh, do they?" he says dryly. "And yet I know what I saw yesterday. If others paid closer attention, they’d notice your strengths."
"My strengths?" I chuckle. "Marcel surely missed that."
Blue glances back at his tablet for a second, like he’s checking a notification, and goes quiet for a moment.
"You shouldn’t think so little of yourself. That mindset sends a signal, and the world reflects it back at you. You’re twenty-one. You’re still growing into yourself. People mature at different speeds, but that doesn’t mean you’ll miss the point where you become comfortable with who you are. So keep your head up."
I just stare at him, stunned, my mouth slightly open. I never expected someone as formal and aloof as him to say something so encouraging. My throat tightens with something dangerously close to gratitude.
"Thank you. That… um… actually means a lot," I admit quietly, my voice cracking a little.
"And as for your concerns about relationships, you’ve only been working here for one day. For now, focus on your responsibilities instead of worrying about the future before it even happens."
The stern, controlled tone is back in his voice.
Then he stands and heads toward the hallway, and I follow after him, unsure what to think anymore.
The moment we step into the elevator, he’s already back to being himself again, distant, absorbed in his tablet, completely unreadable.
That brief glimpse of warmth disappears like it never happened.
But something inside me has shifted.
Yesterday I was asking myself whether I had stopped disliking him, hesitating over whether I was starting to like him even a little, and now I might actually be starting toactuallylike him, just like that?
