Page 94 of Gabriel
Regards, Professor Bowman.
My shoulders slump.Great.
Gabriel hovers beside me, his movements slow as though he’s waiting for me. I try not to read into it. He’s always walked me to my last class of the day when he’s here, regardless of how tense things are between us, but it’s canceled today.
Do I tell him?
No.
It’s presumptuous to assume he’ll want to walk me to class today, isn’t it?
It is.
I’ll just head to my Jeep and see what he does. Maybe he’ll go the opposite direction as soon as we exit the classroom.
I don’t know. And I hate not knowing.
We exit the building side by side, silence stretching between us. He’s still following me, but we’re not going in the direction of my class, and he hasn’t asked me why. He also hasn’t moved to head for the locker rooms, which are on the opposite end of our campus.
He just wordlessly walks beside me.
I want to bridge this gaping chasm between us, but I don’t know how.
Or if he even wants me to try.
Lost in my thoughts, I don’t see Felix bounding up to us, or the guy trailing close behind him. But I do notice when Gabriel stiffens beside me, coming to a stop. My footsteps falter beside him.
“Cecilia!” Felix greets me with a grin. “Long time no see. Have you met our new roomie?”
He tugs Deacon forward, and on instinct, I take a reflexive step back.
Gabriel all but growls beside me as he quickly tucks me behind his back.
“Shit, my bad.” Felix offers me a chagrined grin. “I forgot about …” He shrugs. “You know.”
My aversion to strange men? Nearly all men, really. There are very few exceptions. Gabriel being one of them. I’ve gotten used to Julio and Felix, but only enough to be near them. Not to hug them or be any sort of touchy-feely with them. In a strictly platonic way, obviously. But you know what I mean. We’ve been friendly. But I don’t know. I guess I really only count Gabriel as a friend.
Before, I mean. We’re not friends now. We’re not … anything.
I swallow down the lump in my throat, reminding myself that it’s fine. I’m fine. Felix is safe. And if this guy lives with Gabriel, I’ll assume they’re friends, which means he’s probably an alright guy.
Taking a deep breath, I force myself to take one cautious step forward, enough for me to see the new guy while still keeping myself shielded by Gabriel’s back.
“No worries,” I force out a smile, tamping down my anxiety. “New roommate?” I ask, my gaze flicking from Felix to Gabriel and then to the other guy. I take in his visible ink, both forearms decorated with intricate designs. He has light brown, almost hazel eyes framed with dark brows. Medium brown skin. Full lips.
There’s a cross tattoo on the left side of his neck. A scroll design filled with script on the right. He’s attractive, I guess. If you’re into the whole athletically built, tattooed god sort of thing. But he’s also … imposing. A formidable player.
Is he on the soccer team? I don’t remember seeing him on the field when I used to go to Gabriel’s practices. And he’s not the sort of guy you’d easily miss.
Gabriel likes to keep his circle tight.
I wonder how they know each other. And why I’ve never seen him around before.
“Yeah. Hey. I’m Deacon.” The new guy shoots me a cocky smile, soft brown eyes scanning my face with interest. “Cecilia, right? Pretty name for a pretty girl.”
Heat climbs up my neck, and not in a good way. I don’t want him to notice me. To look at me like that. Like he finds me attractive. My breathing shutters, and Gabriel shifts abruptly, blocking me from Deacon’s view. He glances over his shoulder once, looking down at me with concern flashing across his handsome face before turning back to the guys.
“You two should get to the field.” His voice is hard. Cold. “Practice is going to be grueling today.”
