Chapter 20 #2
My head snaps toward Gabriel at the sound of a grunt, and the next thing I know, the two of them are rolling around on the ground like two overgrown teenagers.
“We’re familia,” Julio tells me. “We know one another inside and out. Don’t worry.” He takes a drink of his soda. “He’ll be much more relaxed in a few minutes and you’ll get to see a different side of Gabe.”
“A different side?”
Julio chuckles. “Yeah. I get the feeling you only know the high-strung, protective, control freak side of him.”
The ghost of a smile touches my lips. “You might be right.”
“The relaxed, comfortable side of Gabriel is much more fun. You’ll see.”
Less than ten minutes after the fight begins, it comes to an abrupt stop when neither Gabriel nor Felix can hold on to their feigned anger any long.
Both men lie flat on their backs in the middle of the yard, chests heaving as they laugh and playfully shove one another from their spots on the grass.
“Draw.” Gabriel declares as he wipes the sweat from his face with his shirt, exposing the hard planes of his abs.
I avert my gaze so I don’t get caught staring, but when I search for something else to look at, my eyes connect with Julio’s and he gives me a knowing look. Heat creeps up my face and I turn away.
“You good?” Julio asks. I can hear the smile in his voice, his tone teasing.
“Yep. Positively peachy.”
He shifts closer and, leaning in, says, “If you need a fan or a bucket of cold water, just say the word. I’m happy to help in any way that I can.”
Now it’s my turn to shove him. “Very funny.”
His smile widens, like pushing him away was somehow a gift.
This is… I don’t know how to describe it.
Nice, I suppose. There’s no attraction between Julio and I.
Not that he isn’t attractive. He is. I imagine the tattoos do wonders for him when he tries to pick up the ladies, but there’s no spark between him and I the way there is with me and Gabriel.
Being this close to Julio should make me uncomfortable or, at the very least, wary, but I’m neither of those things.
I imagine this is what it would be like if I had siblings.
People I could joke around and be myself with.
Even with my own friends—with Kim and Joelle—I don’t think I ever had this.
There were always expectations. Underlying worries that if I did or said the wrong thing, they’d think differently of me.
Given where I am now, those worries weren’t unfounded. But, I don’t see those kinds of concerns with these three. They’re brothers, like Julio said. Familia.
Gabriel is the first to get up, climbing to his feet and closing the distance between him and his friend.
He towers over Felix with a carefree smile on his face and you can see how relaxed his stance is.
Julio was right. This is a different side of him.
I’ve seen Gabriel smile before. Even joke and laugh.
But there’s always been this underlying strain to his features.
A tension in his limbs. I didn’t notice it before, but seeing him like this, happy and with his friends, people he’s obviously comfortable with, it makes it more noticeable. I want him to be like that with me.
Reaching down, Gabriel holds out a hand, a silent offer to help Felix up.
Julio chuckles beside me and elbows me in the ribs to get my attention.
“He knows better,” he says, but before I can ask what he means, Felix slaps his hand into Gabriel’s, but instead of pulling himself up, he kicks out a leg, knocking Gabriel’s feet out from under him.
Gabriel tries to catch himself, but Felix has hold of one of his hands and uses it to pull him down, forcing Gabriel back to the ground.
Almost in slow motion, Gabriel’s expression morphs from a cocky grin to surprise as he stumbles forward, unable to stop his fall.
Felix rolls himself clear and as soon as Gabriel’s knees connect with the ground, he jumps to his feet and throws himself onto Gabriel’s back, shoving him the rest of the way down.
With Gabriel flat on his stomach, Felix spins around and settles himself criss-cross-apple-sauce style in the center of Gabriel’s back. A burst of laughter pours out of me.
Felix catches my eye and pumps his fist into the air. “To accept a draw is to admit defeat.” Looking down at a struggling Gabriel, he adds, “I win!”
Gabriel growls beneath him and muscles straining, bucks Felix from his back.
Without missing a beat, Felix jumps to his feet and, laughing out loud, runs toward me before circling around to my back.
He uses me as a human shield between himself and Gabriel, bobbing left, then right, to keep himself out of Gabriel’s direct path.
“Cecilia!” Felix runs out from behind me and jogs around the table. “Do something about your man. This face is too pretty for him to mess with.” Felix caresses his own cheek and Julio chokes on a laugh beside me.
Rolling my eyes with a grin, I reach out when Gabriel moves as though to follow him. Grabbing the loop of his jeans, I tug him toward me and hop up onto the patio table. He comes willingly, pushing my knees out to position himself between my legs.
“You’re going to let him get away with that?”
“Hell yeah, she is,” Felix says. “She likes me.”
Gabriel scowls at his friend and places a possessive hand on my thigh.
“Mine,” he declares, and the growl in his voice as he lays claim to me with that single word sends a shiver up my spine.
I should laugh off the remark. Remind him I am not, in fact, his.
But I don’t. Instead, I tug him closer, telling myself I’m only helping to protect his friend.
When Gabriel leans forward, gaze straying to my lips, I tilt my head up in open invitation.
His eyes darken and he answers my silent request with the soft press of his lips.
My eyes flutter closed, but all too quickly he pulls away.
“No hanky panky, you two” Felix admonishes.
Gabriel huffs out an exasperated breath.
“All right,” Julio calls out, drawing all our attention. “Food is done. Come and eat.”