CHAPTER 7
No More Time Wasted
Hunter
I never realized that once I had a singular taste of my obsession, the need to touch her again would continue to surmount inside of my core like ivy, climbing through the rungs of my bones and weaving tightly around my skeleton like a caressing lover, needing the warmth only my addiction could provide.
It’s what drove me this Monday morning to rush through my routine, eager and so very elated to be in the same vicinity as Gabriela.
She was warm, the sun personified, and I felt cold and lonely without her presence, like the Earth at night.
If I wasn’t careful, this girl would construct herself into the depiction of my goddamn ruin.
And like a fool, I would let her.
She already had me wrapped around her pretty, manicured fingers. The kicker was that she had no idea how ruled I felt by the need to pursue her, to be near her.
Meanwhile, she’d actually friend-zoned me Saturday night.
“Okay, good! It was just a kiss and it meant nothing because we’re friends, right?”
Her text gutted me. It was more than just a kiss for me. I was tempted to tell her that friends weren’t supposed to know the way you taste. But I bit my tongue, not wanting to scare her with my intensity.
It took a lot of courage to put myself out there, to talk and flirt with her freely when I rarely did that with anyone. My life was meticulously composed of school, football, and my friends and family. I didn’t have time for distractions or girls.
But I was making time for Gabriela, who’d been marathoning inside of my skull from the second I laid eyes on her four hundred and twenty days ago.
My dad always told me that when you found a woman who spoke to something deep within your foundation, it was your duty to hold onto her, to make her realize you were the man to treat her right, and to rearrange the world in a way she desired and needed.
I wanted to be that man for Gabriela.
My nerves were ever present, but my excitement blanketed most of them by the time I pulled into the driveway of her childhood home at exactly 10:00 a.m.
There was also a grain of guilt tumbling in my system due to the fact that I lied to her.
Firstly, I wasn’t supposed to be in the West Side this morning. In fact, I was in my apartment downtown and drove all the way back here just to give Gabriela a ride. She didn’t have a car and I wanted an excuse to see her again.
Secondly, I didn’t have the same Horror & Cult Classic Cinema class with her…
until she sent me her schedule Saturday night and I frantically logged onto the university’s portal before the drop deadline and found an open seat.
It was the only way I could mirror her schedule, even for a day, without compromising all my core classes.
I was so desperate to be near her that I’d subject myself to a genre of movies I otherwise avoided. And now that I knew she wouldn’t be living across from me, courtesy of the break-in situation, I had to improvise ways to constantly be in her orbit.
Sharing a class and driving her to school every Monday was one way.
I’d spent so much time thinking about Gabriela. I only wished that now, with my efforts, I spent even just a small fraction of that time on her mind. Beggars weren’t choosers, so I’d take any morsel of attention she threw my way.
I shot Gabriela a quick text that I was outside and placed my phone back into my pocket.
Seconds later, Gabriela emerged from the front door.
I swallowed at the sight she created as she descended the porch steps like a little prima donna, her usual short height hiked up a few inches by her booted heels.
A little black dress that was suited for a business meeting was poured over her body, sheer stockings with tiny black hearts covered her legs, gold jewelry was layered on her person, red lipstick was painted on her mouth, black cat-eye-shaped sunglasses were perched on her dainty nose, and a black velvet headband dotted with pearls sat over an immaculate side part, while the rest of her long red hair billowed freely behind her like a flag.
Fucking hell.
She was stunning.
I ran a hand over my mouth, utterly mesmerized. So much so that I forgot to step out and open the passenger side door for her.
Gabriela opened it herself, popping her head in the car first, her mouth curled in a big smile like she was so happy to see me. “Good morning, pretty boy.”
Whenever she called me pretty boy, I melted on the inside.
“Morning,” I rasped, the proximity of her presence overloading my senses and her delicious fragrance wafting over me like a welcoming hug. “How are you?”
She slid into the leather seat effortlessly, depositing her structured designer bag on the floor. “I’m good. Yourself?”
Amazing now that you’re here. “Good.”
“This is for you.” Gabriela angled herself towards me and extended the offering in her hand.
She was holding a little bouquet of three red roses.
“It’s not exactly a house plant, but I cut these fresh from my garden this morning.
I baked you some blueberry muffins as well.
They’re in my bag. I figured you could snack on them during our class. ”
My infatuation sank deeper into uncharted waters, a place no woman had ever ventured before. I watched Gabriela helplessly, unable to make her understand the kind of emotions she invoked within me.
“Thank you,” I murmured, my voice thick as I reached for the bouquet. I’d never been given roses. This was unexpected and caught me completely off guard. Gabriela was so goddamn cute. “That was very kind of you.”
Tension drummed between us when our fingers brushed and caused a spark. The same kind I experienced right as she led me onto the dance floor Friday night.
“M-my pleasure.” Gabriela sucked in a sharp breath, removed her sunglasses, and tucked them in her dress’s neckline. “It’s the least I could do for you.”
Ignoring my pounding pulse, I placed her bouquet in one of the cupholders. I’d have to find a way to preserve it. My older sister, Heidi, was always drying her flowers. I could ask her, but that would mean giving her ammo to tease me about my crush.
“Just a fair warning, my papà has one of his men trailing after me for safety reasons. I hope that’s okay.” She let loose an awkward chuckle. “If you see a black sedan tailgating you, it’s him.”
“That’s okay. Appreciate the heads-up.” I put the car in reverse, placed a hand on her headrest, glanced over my shoulder, and backed out of the driveway. When I turned to face the front, I spotted her eyeing me. “Did you have time to get your morning coffee?”
“No.” She shook her head, then bit her lip. “You look really good today.”
My cheeks turned hot with a blush.
“So do you,” I returned and touched the lapels of my blazer. “I’m having a late lunch today with my mom at some fancy restaurant, hence the suit. I make it a point to take her out for a meal once a week.”
“How sweet. Are you close to your mom?”
“Very. I have a small family, but we’re tight-knit.”
She smiled fondly. “Same.”
When my gaze swivelled to Gabriela, I was drawn to her fingers drumming against her thighs in beat with the song playing on the radio. “You changed your nail colour.”
Gabriela frowned like I said something strange. Was I not supposed to notice that, let alone point it out? The blush on my face turned brighter. Fuck.
“Yes, I did. Yesterday.”
“Why black?” I liked it, but I wanted to know why she picked it. I craved learning about how her pretty mind worked.
Gabriela inched a sly look my way. “To match the colour of my dark soul, Hunter.”
I chuckled, surprised. “You don’t have a dark soul, Gabby.”
“But I do,” she insisted, sitting up straighter in her seat. “My grandma occasionally calls me a witch because of my affinity for all things horror and spooky.”
“I can tell.” This girl soberly added an elective class about horror movies and my obsessed self followed suit. I hoped I didn’t regret my decision. I hated scary movies. But not as much as I hated not being near her. “When did this fascination start?”
“Can’t exactly say why or how, but around the time I was a kid.
Halloween has always been my favourite holiday, much to my family’s chagrin.
” She shrugged. “I can’t help but gravitate towards darker things.
As a result, my bookshelves are filled with paranormal romances, gothic lore, and all sorts of encyclopaedias of creepy stuff.
Oh, and I like to listen to true crime podcasts in my free time. ”
“Jesus.” I laughed. “No wonder you were contemplating murder the night we met.”
She laughed with me. “Hey, I wasn’t actually planning on committing a crime!”
I side-eyed her and drawled, “Sure.”
She lightly punched my arm playfully in retaliation and I grinned wide.
I felt like I was living in a fantasy. Finally talking to my dream girl.
Finally driving her around. Finally being in her presence.
I thanked my lucky stars, liquid courage, and Shaun’s push for inciting me to finally make a move on her.
“Now that I’ve divulged my tastes, what about you?” she quipped. “What do you like to read, watch, and listen to?”
I floored the gas as I entered the highway, glancing at my blind spot and putting on my flasher.
I noticed the inconspicuous sedan with her guard gaining speed on us, trailing behind like a shadow.
“I like reading classics and Greek mythology. I tend to watch a lot of action movies. And I listen to a lot of the rap that plays in the locker rooms, and the rock bands from the early 2000s that I grew up on.”
“Any favourite songs?”
“Plenty.” I plucked my phone with one hand, keeping the other on the wheel. “Here. Go through my playlist and put on something.”
Gabriela snatched my phone with grabby hands. “Passcode?”
The night I first saw you. “Zero, seven, one, nine.”