being your champion, as I believe I rescued you from a very ungraceful face-plant.”
“Always the ‘he said she said,’” Gabrielle kidded, finally dropping her gaze from his as she felt warmth burning her cheeks.
I hope I get used to this soon. Really. I can’t believe I can’t keep my cool with humans. Well, at least this human.
“Okay, you two,” Nonie said, “you can decide who wins the battle of the sexes later. Can we get our food, please? Time’s-a-wastin’ and my stomach’s-a-rumblin!’”
Lunch went by without any more uncomfortable moments. Nonie and Nate bantered back and forth, at times including a jab at Lucas. Gabrielle mostly listened to the other three, enjoying the closeness they shared, wishing she knew what it must feel like to have such ease with others. When she asked how long they’d known each other, they told her they’d grown up together. They’d lived across the street from each other since they were a few months old.
The doors holding back their memories seemed to open as they proceeded to go into ‘remember whens’, breaking into spontaneous laughter over their adventures. All too soon, lunch ended, and they were walking from their cars, heading back toward school.
Nonie and Nate cheerfully waved and took off in opposite directions.
Gabrielle and Lucas didn’t notice, but Nate turned to look back in their direction as he opened the door to the building, then paused. A scowl formed between his brows, his focus directly on Gabrielle as if he wanted to go back to her and say, or do, something. If she had been close enough, she would have noticed how the air chilled around him and maybe the faint odor, present only for a moment. After a few more seconds, he disappeared into the mass of other students.
Now, it was just Gabrielle and Lucas. They made their way to class also but much more slowly than everyone else.
“So,” Lucas said, “do you think you’ll be able to make the football game? I know it’s a month away, and it might be too early for you to know for sure, but I’d really like it if you did.”
Nonie told Lucas and Nate that she had invited her but not that Gabrielle had said yes.
“If you need me to, I can pick you up,” Lucas continued. “That way you don’t have to worry about finding it. Maybe we can get something to eat before we meet up with the others … if you want to?” Lucas trailed off at the end.
Her stomach did a little flip. She was pretty sure he’d just asked her on a date.
A human date.
She figured it would help her research.
“I’d like that very much,” Gabrielle answered, a little too enthusiastically. Lucas smiled, and Gabrielle worried she was too obvious.
She needed to be careful. Again, she reminded herself that nothing good could come of it if she got too close or if she let him get too close to her. But this was a chance to experience a side of human emotions she had only glimpsed from a distance, to understand how this kind of attraction influenced people. She was sure she could handle it, and that these emotions that seemed to pull her to Lucas were only because of her human body.
This is actually perfect. It’s what I’m here for, after all.
The rest of the walk to class was quiet, a few glances and smiles shared between them. Along the way, Lucas got quite a few ‘hey mans’ with approving, as well as envious, looks from other guys. Some of the girls would see him and act as though they were going to say hi, glance at Gabrielle, take a long look, and pass by. The final bell rang as they entered the room.
“By the hair on our chinny-chin-chins,” Lucas said with a smirk and then stopped to glance around the room. “There aren’t two seats together. Guess you’re on your own.”
“I think I’ll be okay,” Gabrielle said with a flirty side-ways glance and wink. She was a little shocked at herself; flirting was coming very easily. She made her way to an empty seat in the front of the class so she
“Always the ‘he said she said,’” Gabrielle kidded, finally dropping her gaze from his as she felt warmth burning her cheeks.
I hope I get used to this soon. Really. I can’t believe I can’t keep my cool with humans. Well, at least this human.
“Okay, you two,” Nonie said, “you can decide who wins the battle of the sexes later. Can we get our food, please? Time’s-a-wastin’ and my stomach’s-a-rumblin!’”
Lunch went by without any more uncomfortable moments. Nonie and Nate bantered back and forth, at times including a jab at Lucas. Gabrielle mostly listened to the other three, enjoying the closeness they shared, wishing she knew what it must feel like to have such ease with others. When she asked how long they’d known each other, they told her they’d grown up together. They’d lived across the street from each other since they were a few months old.
The doors holding back their memories seemed to open as they proceeded to go into ‘remember whens’, breaking into spontaneous laughter over their adventures. All too soon, lunch ended, and they were walking from their cars, heading back toward school.
Nonie and Nate cheerfully waved and took off in opposite directions.
Gabrielle and Lucas didn’t notice, but Nate turned to look back in their direction as he opened the door to the building, then paused. A scowl formed between his brows, his focus directly on Gabrielle as if he wanted to go back to her and say, or do, something. If she had been close enough, she would have noticed how the air chilled around him and maybe the faint odor, present only for a moment. After a few more seconds, he disappeared into the mass of other students.
Now, it was just Gabrielle and Lucas. They made their way to class also but much more slowly than everyone else.
“So,” Lucas said, “do you think you’ll be able to make the football game? I know it’s a month away, and it might be too early for you to know for sure, but I’d really like it if you did.”
Nonie told Lucas and Nate that she had invited her but not that Gabrielle had said yes.
“If you need me to, I can pick you up,” Lucas continued. “That way you don’t have to worry about finding it. Maybe we can get something to eat before we meet up with the others … if you want to?” Lucas trailed off at the end.
Her stomach did a little flip. She was pretty sure he’d just asked her on a date.
A human date.
She figured it would help her research.
“I’d like that very much,” Gabrielle answered, a little too enthusiastically. Lucas smiled, and Gabrielle worried she was too obvious.
She needed to be careful. Again, she reminded herself that nothing good could come of it if she got too close or if she let him get too close to her. But this was a chance to experience a side of human emotions she had only glimpsed from a distance, to understand how this kind of attraction influenced people. She was sure she could handle it, and that these emotions that seemed to pull her to Lucas were only because of her human body.
This is actually perfect. It’s what I’m here for, after all.
The rest of the walk to class was quiet, a few glances and smiles shared between them. Along the way, Lucas got quite a few ‘hey mans’ with approving, as well as envious, looks from other guys. Some of the girls would see him and act as though they were going to say hi, glance at Gabrielle, take a long look, and pass by. The final bell rang as they entered the room.
“By the hair on our chinny-chin-chins,” Lucas said with a smirk and then stopped to glance around the room. “There aren’t two seats together. Guess you’re on your own.”
“I think I’ll be okay,” Gabrielle said with a flirty side-ways glance and wink. She was a little shocked at herself; flirting was coming very easily. She made her way to an empty seat in the front of the class so she
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