Chapter 31

Jealousy doesn’t sit well with Andrew. It made him want to kick the source that caused the seething churn at the pit of his stomach. Correction, it made him want to kick, punch, shove, drown, poison, iron on, break an arm, push off a cliff, cut into tiny pieces and fry in oil, the source of that annoying burn in his heart.

It has been almost two weeks since Angel first joined him for Astronomy lectures (he refused to use the word “them”, because that would include Daniel-the-current-bane-of-his-life-whom-he-very-much-wants- to-kick-punch-shove-etc-etc). And since that day, Daniel has been everywhere, clogging off his attempts at getting Angel to spend some quality time alone with him.

Even now, he felt extremely marginalized as he watched He-who-must-be-exterminated grab the full attention of his Angel with that oh-so-exciting story of how he bumped into Grace at a hospital.

Come on, what is so captivating about meeting in a chlorine-soaked place that Angel had to listen to it so intently? She was practically hanging on to his every word, what’s up with that?

And why was Angel always looking at Daniel like she’s captivated by an intriguing puzzle? Why didn’t she look at him like that?

He has had enough.

“Angel, I need to pass you something,” Andrew interrupted that infuriating conversation, “it’s in my locker, will you walk with me?”

“Erm… Sure,” Angel replied, slightly startled by the suppressed frustration in his voice. She grabbed her bag and said to Daniel, “We’ll talk another time okay?”

Daniel nodded with an amiable smile. Which Andrew found exceedingly aggravating.

He guided Angel away from the table with a gentle pressure on her shoulder, leaving the mess of plates and bowls for Daniel to take care of.

“You…… How long have you known Daniel?” he asked hesitantly. Now that he had her attention, he has no idea how to proceed. He very much wanted to confront her about why she’s all cozy with Daniel, but he wasn’t sure if he could go about this without coming off as a raving lunatic.

Who in hell was so utterly demented to have invented Jealousy?

Angel was surprised, but she answered evenly, “The first time I talked to him was at the Biodiversity Lab session, about two weeks ago. Why’d you ask?”

“I see,” Andrew said in a pseudo-passive tone, “no wonder you two seem to have a lot to talk about.”

“Yeah well, we mainly talk about Grace. And Emily. Obviously we can’t talk about you; you’re almost always there when I talk to him,” Angel chuckled.

Yeah, more like he’s almost always there when I want to talk to you. Andrew thought bitterly.

“I wasn’t paying much attention most of the time,” Andrew shrugged, “What’s so interesting? You always seem so…… attentive.”

More like enamored with his charm and wit. I have plenty of those, and I don’t see you this bewitched when talking with me.

They turned the corner and walked towards the lockers. The study tables there were unusually empty. It wasn’t surprising, because the lights there weren’t switched on to illuminate the hidden corridor.

Angel inclined her head to look at Andrew. Did she just imagine that repugnance when he said the word “attentive”?

“Erm… he is funny, sometimes even witty, when he talks about Grace,” Angel paused to wonder if there was an element of awe and fondness to the way Daniel recounted his bump-ins with Grace, for he does seem very enthused whenever he brought up the topic of Grace.

Which was suspiciously often. Angel amused within herself.

“I guess he is a decent guy, huh?” she asked mildly, “do you think he’s……”

Angel didn’t get to finish her sentence. She found herself jostled against the lockers and faced with a sullen Andrew. His palms rested on the cool metal, flanking either side of her shoulders, and his eyes held a stormy regard.

“Do you…” Andrew found it hard to verbalize his question through the thick obstruction in his throat, “Do you……like him?” he finished, with much difficulty.

Angel was stumped. Not because she didn’t know how to answer the question. She was speechless because of…… the overwhelming aura of a myriad of emotions that was just rolling off Andrew.

Apprehension. Anxiety. Fear. Anger. Resentment. Weariness.

Despair.

All because he thought she might like Daniel?

Does he…… like her?

But before she could delve into those eyes to search for her answer, he dropped his arms and backed off, hanging his head so low that his fringe obscured his eyes.

“I…… I got to go to the bathroom,” he said quietly, “see u at the library later.”

And Angel could only stare after the shadow of his retreating back, her heart pounding painfully against her chest.

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Chapter 30

When the impact never came, he propped himself up and warily opened his eyes. Relief filled him when he saw Emily alive and lying comfortably on her bed. Miraculously, he had managed to get her there in time amidst all that tumble. But he didn’t have time to congratulate himself for this impossible feat.

Belatedly, he realized he was now holding himself directly above the girl, who was, just a few moments ago, feeling him up. Her face was, literally, just an arm’s length away from his, so close, that he couldn’t look anywhere else but at her.

It was a peculiar feeling, having this girl underneath him, so utterly entrapped in his territory; so utterly……... his. Perhaps she too felt the vulnerability of her position, for the black of her eyes has almost fully eclipsed the lighter brown of her iris.

Her lips parted in a barely audible gasp, drawing his attention to their trembling fullness. When she licked her bottom lip, he gulped nervously, and flitted his eyes back to Emily’s.

But… she wasn’t looking into his eyes anymore! She was…. Is she?? Is she staring at his lips?! Gabriel could only stare back at her in hopeful astonishment.

Emily internally berated herself for that display of…… wanton curiosity when she noticed the physical distance Gabriel has thrust between them. What has gotten into her? Why had she reached out to touch Gabriel like that? What if he thinks she’s weird? What if he freaks out? What if he didn’t want her near him anymore?

Oh God, what has she done?

But Emily didn’t have time for further irrational lamentations before her world swirled violently. Instinctively, she knew she was falling, and so she reached out to grab the only form of support she could lay hands on, her eyes shut tight.

She had prepared herself for a hard landing, but all she felt was a soft, cushioned crash. She glanced up to see what happened. But she couldn’t find anything conclusive, for she could barely see anything else other than Gabriel’s face.

Which is mere centimeters away from hers.

Where she could look right into the depths of his eyes and delineate the edge between black and white. Where she could see the texture of his sharp nose and wonder what it would feel like against her own. Where she could trace the curve of his lips and imagine what they would taste like.

What they would feel like.

Would it be sweet but intoxicating? Soft yet demanding? Would it be passionate, or gentle? What ever it might be, she knew kissing Gabriel would be perfect and…... highly inappropriate!!!

Emily jarred her senses back. What the hell was she thinking?! Or rather, why the hell was she thinking about kissing Gabriel? What will he do if he knew she was having such unseemly thoughts? She diverted her gaze away from his lips before he realized something was amiss.

But the look in his eyes…. the subtle hick in his breath….

Oh God, he knows!!

She reflexively reached out to push him away, but stalled suddenly, feeling terrified of touching him. She looked away.

“Can I get up now?” she winced. There was just no way of phrasing that to prevent drawing attention to their current positions.

“Oh! I’m sorry,” Gabriel bounced up immediately, “I tripped on your carpet just now. Are you alright? Er… your leg, is it alright? did I crush it in the fall? Are u in any discomfort? I mean, is your leg painful? Do I need to….”

“No, I’m fine.” She interrupted his tirade, concentrating on that accursed bump in the carpet.

For a long moment, no one spoke. And no one dared to look at the other.

Then, Gabriel glanced discreetly at Emily. Her shoulders were tensed. Her cheeks were a burning red. Her bottom lip was caught in a nervous nibble. And, her eyes were forcefully averted away every time they drifted towards him.

He hadn’t imagined it.

She had been staring at his lips.

She had wanted to kiss him.

He couldn’t stop the grin that was making its way across his face.

On hindsight, perhaps the lack of foresight and the resulting series of events weren’t that unfortunate after all.

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Chapter 29

He couldn’t stop that unidentifiable feeling from expanding in his chest. The feeling that surged through him every time Emily’s friends accosted them with a sly, knowing smile and a “are you two together?” It would have been more wonderful if Emily hadn’t denied all those claims with such vehemence.

Still, his efforts have paid off. Those guy friends of hers have been sufficiently “informed” of the “new” status quo between him and Emily, and would probably keep their hands off his property from thence forth.

Save for one remarkably thick individual. While earnestly wishing Emily to get well soon, he had the guts to run his abominable fingers along the seam between bandage and leg, completely dismissing the hard look Gabriel was sending him.

When they parted, Gabriel had accidentally stepped on his foot and carelessly placed all of his weight, combined with that of Emily’s, on that point of contact. Perhaps now, he could stroke the seam between bandage and toe at his own leisure and to his heart content.

Besides the aforementioned benefits of serving as Emily’s crutches, there was of course, the ultimate gift – an armful of Emily.

Granted, Emily proved to be very heavy in some areas, particularly those punches of hers. But generally, it had been a pleasant experience. He loved the way Emily just FITS in his arms, as though his arms were tailored for her and her for him. He loved the way Emily slung bonelessly against him in defeat, when he threatened to do something more inappropriate in public to silence her if she continued her verbal abuse on his eardrums.

Most of all, he loved the exciting discovery that Emily’s pulse actually speeds up every time he held her close.

Wait a minute; could that be due to over-exertion from all the punching and kicking?

No, that can’t be it. That wouldn’t explain why Emily’s heart is beating so…... excessively at the present moment, when she had been unusually pliant and complying throughout the whole course of the day’s “service”.

Gabriel was starting to get worried about the bizarre silence that had fallen upon Emily. Had he, perhaps, accidentally caused her bandaged leg to be bent in an uncomfortable position?

He was about to look down at the girl in his arms when he felt cool fingers glaze tantalizingly over his Adam’s apple. His inhalation got caught in his throat, and for a moment, his reflexes battled between gulping and aborting a gulp.

What is she doing?!

Gabriel tried to focus on something other than the feel of wandering fingers against the sensitive skin of his throat. He counted his footsteps, and measured his breathing. He calculated his BMI and mentally recited the Psalms. But damn! Those slender fingers have snaked their way up and were now toying with the hairs that caressed his ear lobe. Every unintentional brush against his lobe sent shivers down the side of his neck.

He determinedly switched his attention to the surroundings; and realized he had nearly walked past Emily’s apartment. He jerked to a stop, and backtracked a few steps.

The sudden jerk must have rocked Emily out of her trance, for she had withdrawn her arm awkwardly and is now spotting a lovely blush on her cheeks. Gabriel smiled indulgently and gently reminded her that the door will not open on its own. He has no idea what came over her, for she had never touched him like that before. But he fervently hoped that it was a good sign.

After a few moments of fumbling with keys, they stepped into her home, and Gabriel carried her towards her bedroom, like he did for the past few days.

This time, however, there seemed to be something intangibly intimate about carrying her to the bedroom, but Gabriel refused to dwell on that thought. Instead, he widened his gait, and held Emily a little distance away, so that they no longer connected at the thorax.

He didn’t think he could handle another lapse of unconstrained exploration of any part of his anatomy, no matter how enjoyable it was on hindsight.

And if his foresight had been as useful as his hindsights were, he would have known to pay more attention to where he puts his foot when walking. But seeing how his attention isn’t all in the right places now, he tripped on an unfortunate bump in the carpet on her bedroom floor.

And in his unfortunate attempt to ensure the girl in his arms landed safely in her bed and not the hard ground, he unfortunately held Emily further out, towards the bed. This, unfortunately, caused his equilibrium to experience an unfortunate tip that nothing obeying the Laws of Nature could ever correct.

He braced himself for an unfortunate, painful impact.

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