I wanted to ask him so many questions but couldn’t seem to form the first one. And the way he’s looking at me, I’m not even sure that he likes me, though he seems to keep trying to save me. I can still feel the warm reassurance of his touch even after he’d dropped my hand as if burned. Say something, please, so I can stop feeling like an idiot just standing here in the middle of this clearing like a duck without a pond.
“Are you afraid of me?” My head lifted at his words, and I fought to hold his gaze but lost.
“No, no, I’m not afraid of you.”
“Then look at me when I’m talking to you.” I did as he asked and barely kept myself from swooning. Looking at him openly for the first time and from this close did strange things to my heart and sent butterflies swarming through my tummy.
This is not good. I’m bound to make a complete ass of myself. What was it that his sister had said? He’d be taking me to their home this evening. How the hell do I get out of this? There’s no way Victoria and Becky are going to let this happen. I’d been too stunned to speak up when the principal gave me the news, first because I never signed up and no one had ever asked me to join the team of tutors who had to go through rigorous vetting before they could be chosen for the job and because of who she claimed I would be working with.
Of course, I knew it had to have something to do with him, but I’m stumped as to why he’d do a thing like that. Now I have the fear of looking like a complete ninny when the whole thing falls apart. I geared myself up to nip this thing in the bud before it went too far. “Listen, about the tutoring thing. I think there’s been some kind of mistake. I can’t…”
“It’s already done, don’t worry about it. Your dad has already given the okay.” My mouth hung open in surprise, and I felt like I’d fallen down one hell of a rabbit hole. Before I could utter another word, he carried on. “I’ll pick you up when class is over, so you don’t have to come searching for me.” How can he just look into a stranger’s eyes with such confidence? There were no clouds in his eyes, and I bet he wasn’t suffering the same crap I was: uncertainty and a heavy dose of what the heck.
“Sit down; you look like you’re about to fall.” I strumbled, walked to the nearest flat surface, and plopped down just in time before my legs gave out. Too much stimuli in too short a time. And this on the heels of Victoria’s manic behavior during this morning’s ride to school. She'd gone on and on about his interest in her and some text he’d sent her the day before. That one had been a dagger to the heart, but I dared not ask her about it.
I didn’t let on while she went on and on about their future together that each word was another wound, just sat there in silence while she preened and flaunted what, according to her, was a new chapter in her very blessed life; her words. My only thought had been of how unjust life truly is. Now I have something else to worry about, her reaction after this afternoon’s happenings.
“Wait, what do you mean my dad already gave the okay? When did you speak to him?”
“I didn’t; my pops did.” Oh well, that changes things. Though my family has never had any dealings with the Russos, it’s a known fact that anyone with an ounce of sense would sell their own mother to get close to that family. It’s not something I’d ever given any thought to before, well before Gabriel came into my orbit, but I know my dad wouldn’t be any different to so many others.
Knowing that the man himself had gone to my dad helped ease some of the uneasiness I was feeling, and instead of dread, I now felt a slight ping of excitement. I won’t lie and say there wasn’t a bit of pleasure felt at the thought of what this was going to do to Victoria and her mother. I know for a fact that Becky would give anything to get in good with that family and any of the other leading families in the community who all seem to shun her.
And even though I know they were gonna both give me hell over this, I couldn’t help but feel like I’d won one. “You look very impish Gianna, exactly what are you thinking about to put that look on your face?” Oops! He’s right. I feel very vindictive right at this moment. But how could he know? He doesn’t know me well enough to read my expressions. “Nothing, I’m not thinking about anything.” I looked around at our surroundings for something to do and to hide from his prying eyes.