“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 facethe 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’tactuallyplanning 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.
