The Hidden(36)

Gabriel laughed and scratched the back of his head. “For the same reason that I’m even having this conversation with you.” He shrugged. “I can be myself around you. I don’t have to be...”

“Gabriel, God of Backseat Lovin’?”

His brow arched. “Huh?”

I smiled, knowing exactly what he was trying to say, even if he didn’t. “Nothing.”





Chapter Twenty-Three

Wednesday, September 2nd



EMILY

I lay in bed, unable to sleep, just like the night before. It was almost three o’clock in the morning, and I had to be up for school in a little more than five hours.

I sighed and turned onto my side, looking out my open window to the dark, shadowy woods surrounding the college. It was cooler that night and the breeze blew through my window, into my room, ruffling papers on my desk.

My eyes closed. Images of Thomas flashed through my mind. His lips, his eyes, his smile, his stomach and that little trail of hair leading down to–

My eyes quickly reopened.

This was ridiculous. I couldn’t escape him, even when I wasn’t around him. I tried switching classes, but couldn’t. I tried switching seats, but he followed me. He even had a way of showing up outside of school.

Thoughts of him kept taking over my brain, making it impossible to concentrate on anything else. I hated that I couldn’t stop thinking about him.

I also couldn’t stop thinking about what Gabriel said yesterday, about all guys being nice for a reason. If all Thomas really wanted was to sleep with me, then why would he have sabotaged his chances by being such an asshole early on? It didn’t make sense, and I was starting to think that wasn’t the case anymore. In fact, I was leaning more towards the idea that Thomas might actually want to be my friend. Why he’d want that, I still wasn’t sure.

But I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.



* * *



It was 10:59 and Thomas was not in Professor Rosso’s sociology class. He’d always shown up by now. An awful sinking feeling settled into my stomach as I looked back down to my book. I refused to admit it was disappointment.

I also refused to admit he wasn’t here because of me.

Just when I’d given up hope, he walked through the door, right as Professor Rosso started his lecture. Thomas kept his eyes down as he sat by the door, several rows back from me and the seat I’d saved for him.

Well, it appeared that he’d finally given up. I should’ve been happy, but I wasn’t. I didn’t want him to give up on me, not when I’d finally given in.

I picked up my bag and his hoodie, which I still had from Monday, and quietly walked over to him, sitting in the empty seat next to him. “Hi,” I whispered.

He set his books beneath his seat. “Hey.” His greeting was totally indifferent. He didn’t even bother to look at me.

I was surprised at how much it stung. “Here’s your jacket,” I said, handing it to him.

“Thanks.” He took it from me and set it on the floor, on top of his books, then turned to a blank page in his notebook. “Shit,” he muttered as he looked around on the floor.

“What’s wrong?”

He looked at me for the first time, but it was only for a brief second. His eyes were not their usual pale blue, but a dark and cold navy. He looked back towards the front of class. “I forgot my pen.”

I pulled my bag to me and dug around for another one. “Here,” I said, holding it out.

He looked down at the pen, then up at me. “Thanks.” His eyes were a few shades lighter.

My heart skipped a beat and I had to remind myself to breathe. “No problem… That’s what friends are for, right?”

The corners of his lips turned up, his eyes back to their impossible shade of light blue. “Right.”

He started copying notes, and I stared at him, waiting for the inevitable question. When it didn’t come, I said, “Aren’t you gonna ask me?”

He looked over at me and frowned. “Ask you what?”

“Why I changed my mind.”

“Oh.” He shrugged and smiled. “It doesn’t matter. I’m just glad you did.”



It was stupid how euphoric I was the rest of my morning. All from, what, maybe an hour in Thomas’s presence? How could someone have that kind of effect on me?

My last class of the day was over by one o’clock, so I made my way from the science hall to the courtyard, where Beth and her friends were having lunch. As I walked under the shade of the tree-lined sidewalk, I got the strange sensation of someone watching me. It didn’t make me uneasy, though. I felt…not calm, but also not uncomfortable.

My stomach fluttered as I grew warm. Too warm. My heart picked up speed as adrenaline rushed through me. I knew who it was without even having to look. I turned around anyway, seeing Thomas approaching.