GABRIEL #5
On the surface, his face is still impossible to read, but I don’t even need to try anymore, because whatever had been broken between us suddenly mends itself in that single brief moment.
I feel a subtle, electric shiver run through me as our fragile ‘bond’ slips back into place, letting me sense what he’s feeling again.
Wow, this is super strange.
Did he allow it to happen, or did it reconnect automatically the moment my actions pleased him, opening him up to me just like that?
What I feel from him is a peculiar… inner satisfaction!
The dean mutters a curse under his breath and then says,
"I believe this situation has gotten out of control. I suggest we postpone this discussion until later, and I would like only Professor Martinez," he gestures toward the beta, "and myself to be present. For now, we have had enough alpha energy."
"I cannot agree more," Blue says coolly as he stands. "Send the meeting data to my assistant."
Then he turns and walks out, followed closely by Adams, who looks like he has just witnessed a murder, shaky and disgruntled.
I follow them, fully aware that my involvement only escalated everything.
We walk through the college corridors in silence, heading toward the parking lot where the limousine driver is waiting.
The head of development gets into the car, still wearing that same worried expression. Blue is about to follow when I speak:
"Can I have a word with you for a second, Mr. Lowen?"
Blue raises an eyebrow slightly but nods. He leans into the car and says, "Please, wait a moment," then closes the door and steps a few yards away with me.
"Yes?" he asks briefly, his face impassive.
"I wanted to apologize for escalating the situation. I probably should not have interfered, but I could not stand it. That man was going too far."
"If I hadn’t wanted your intervention, I would’ve stopped it immediately.
And by the way, you didn’t escalate the situation.
You simply asked him to stop interrupting me, and then he was the one who started throwing insults around.
These professors are incredibly entitled, and the students they send us are some of the worst. This is supposed to be an elite college, yet it’s full of spoiled brats who have no understanding of what honest work actually means.
A lot of them are influencers’ children, convinced that success means doing silly things online.
I don’t owe them anything. In fact, I’m doing them a favor.
At this point, I’m seriously considering limiting admissions from their college and expanding our already existing programs for disadvantaged students from poorer neighborhoods instead. "
"That sounds great." I clear my throat. "So… are you still angry with me?"
"Not about that," Blue says, and I know exactly what he means.
But is this actually true?
For a brief moment, our eyes meet.
There’s a strange silence between us. Maybe Blue intends for the atmosphere between us to stay tense and distant, but somehow, it doesn’t feel that way anymore.
Beneath that rigid aura of his, there’s this tiny opening again, a narrow energetic window through which I can tell… he’s no longer that angry with me.
Still, it’s hard to withstand the weight of his practiced stern gaze, so my eyes instinctively slip away, drifting down to something much less stern, his lips, and it's all completely by accident, of course.
Damn, they look soft, pink, and slightly moist, and I catch myself staring for a moment, wondering how things might have turned out if our circumstances had been different, if he hadn’t drawn such a firm line between us… Yeah, stupid thoughts.
Blue clears his throat meaningfully.
"Is that all?"
"Yes," I force out in a weak whisper.
What is wrong with me?
The burst of easy confidence I felt around other alphas is gone again, and it is just him and me, making me feel like a nervous teenager.
Blue turns away and walks back to the limousine.
Adams sits tucked into one corner of the limousine, staring out the window.
I slide onto the opposite end of the same seat, while Blue settles into the middle between us, and…
as he does, his thigh brushes lightly against my knee.
It’s clearly accidental on his part, but the contact still sends a small, pleasant shiver through me.
Blue doesn’t seem to notice my reaction. He simply leans back against the seat and pulls out his tablet.
For a moment, his scent drifts toward me, eucalyptus mixed with a subtle sweetness, tempting and fresh.
I know it’s just his cosmetics and not Allure, but even so, I find it nicely dazing, like a hit of weed.
Carefully, trying not to make it obvious, I let my gaze drop to his slender hand moving across the tablet screen, elegant, delicate fingers gliding over it.
They could graze my abs like this, featherlight, ticklish, it could be something, right? Funny idea and… impossible.
We rarely sit this close in the limousine, and because of that, I find myself taking an almost embarrassing amount of pleasure in such a small thing.
Of course, after a few minutes of drifting in a soft pink haze, I come to my senses and stop myself from going too deep into this.
Yeah, Gabriel. Calm down. The boundaries between us have been made painfully clear, so why does some disobedient part of me still keep going astray, drawn to him?
The tiny problem is…
…when I close my eyes… why does it feel like something in him shyly responds?
As if he’s aware of my closeness in much the same way I’m aware of his. Tentatively… super carefully.
Eh, I'm probably imagining it.
We turn onto the street that leads downtown, and eventually, not wanting to spiral too far into the impossibility of us, I force myself to focus on the city sliding past outside the limousine windows, and a sigh escapes me.
I should know my place by now instead of letting my unruly imagination keep feeding on things that could never become real.
For the rest of the ride, I sit rigid, fighting for control and avoiding looking at Blue while he calmly discusses something with Adams. The head of development still refuses to meet my gaze. I think he blames me, even if Blue doesn't.
Shortly afterward, as we're back in the penthouse, Blue eats lunch alone, with only my modest presence beside him.
There is mostly silence, but my thoughts keep churning, and eventually I decide to ask him something.
"Mr. Lowen, if I may inquire, tomorrow is Saturday. What does your weekend schedule usually look like?"
Blue, whose face was pensive and absent, lifts his head from his plate as if a ghost had spoken to him.
He stares at me for a few seconds.
"On Saturdays, I usually work until around 1 pm, mostly in the lab. I don't have meetings or conferences then. In the afternoon, my nephews or my brothers often visit, or I go to them."
He looks somewhere above my head. "Last week my nephew Sariel came by. But this time Axel is planning to visit, and we often play chess together."
I hesitate for a moment, then speak.
"I spent two months in county jail, and I miss martial arts training. I was wondering if I could invite either my cousin Veyron, who I used to spar with, or my friend Archer from college, depending on who is available."
Silence. He just stares at me.
I clear my throat.
"I noticed there is a wooden deck by the pool, and there are some mats there, kind of like yoga mats. I saw them rolled up under the canopy. Maybe I could train a bit?"
Blue studies me carefully, as if weighing whether to allow it.
Finally, he nods slowly.
"There are actually four gyms in this building, and on the first floor there is even a fitness club where you would probably find classes like kickboxing. But if you want, you can invite him here. Axel and I will play."
"I hope it won’t interrupt your game."
"No, it can even be a bit of entertainment. We usually sit near the pool and play outside for a good two hours. Axel is a state runner-up, so he's a decent challenge, but he takes his time to think. So having you sparring may provide some distraction."
"Thank you," I say curtly. I know I should not get into any longer discussion, so I do not.
But then he adds, "Besides, I also have a treadmill. It’s in that small storage space behind the wooden panels by the pool. You can pull it out and use it whenever you feel like you need some extra daily exercise, no problem."
"Oh? Really? Good to know, thanks," I nod politely.
That evening is not much different. Blue stays quiet, and the boundary between us remains in place.
There is no room for familiarity, and the tiny opening I noticed before is still too narrow to significantly change our interactions.
As I sit at the table, staring at Blue as he consistently maintains this guarded air around him, I keep questioning my own motives for doing what I did, my thoughts circling back to my attempt to touch him.
Crazy, how did I even dare to do that? I just can’t wrap my head around it.
It was almost entirely instinctive, something that surfaced from deep within me.
It’s also kind of interesting that I never had the courage to do something like that with Marcel, despite my feelings for him.
Later that evening, I text Archer, asking if he has time for sparring, but he replies that he has several matters related to a house he inherited some time ago and needs to meet with a notary.
So I call Veyron.
Of all my cousins, he's one of my favorites. Easygoing, relaxed, always cheerful, and willing to help.
While many of my cousins on Uncle Aiden’s side have routinely treated me with a degree of condescension or even ignored me completely, he has been consistently kind and friendly.
We used to spar more often in the past, but later, after Veyron got a yacht from his uncle and started a billboard company, it became more occasional.
To my surprise, Veyron agrees.