"Do you normally make-out with the people you're hired to kill? It doesn't strike me as very professional."
"Put the gun down," Gabriel panted, not answering her.
"Why on earth would I do that?"
"Because you're not going to shoot me," Gabriel rep...
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Gabriel: On our way back
Levi: How was your impromptu date?
Gabriel: None of your business.
Levi: I've got a pair of headphones I can put in
Levi: you know...if you want to put it in 😉
Gabriel: Fuck off
Levi: It's a serious offer
Levi: It might help resolve whatever weird tension is going on between you two
Gabriel: we'll be there in 30
Gabriel put his phone away, trying not to seriously consider Levi's offer. Tonight wasn't about sex. It was about trying to form an emotional connection with Ash. And he was doing so well.
But whenever he looked over at her, he had a nearly irresistible impulse to pull her to him and kiss her so hard that they would both be left gasping for air.
Ash and Gabriel were silent as they boarded the train back to the apartment, both deep in thought. Gabriel eventually realized Ash was overthinking things again and got her talking about subway systems. He listened to her, fascinated. She could make the most boring things interesting.
Ash fell silent again as they exited the subway and walked back to the apartment. As they waited for the elevator in the apartment complex, Gabriel turned to see a storm of emotions on Ash's face. He hated that. Not the fact that she was thinking so much; he loved the way her mind made connections, the fact she knew more about random things than any person realistically should.
But by now Gabriel could tell the difference between her thinking about trivia and her thinking about something personal. And the latter was always accompanied by a look of pain.
"You're thinking too much again," Gabriel murmured.
"I know," Ash admitted helplessly, as the two stepped into the elevator. "Maybe you could help me refocus again."
He could. He could ask her about the mechanics of an elevator and he was sure she could explain it to him for hours. But when he looked into her eyes this time, he saw something new. She was looking to him for help. She believed he could help her.
She trusted him.
Not completely. And he was sure she would absolutely deny it if he asked, which he wasn't stupid enough to do again. But Gabriel could see it in her eyes, clear as day.
And with that, his resolve failed.
He took two steps towards her, watching her expression completely change. Her pupils dilated, her breathing quickened, and her focus shifted to be entirely on him. Gabriel tried to stay humble, but there was something extraordinarily flattering about the fact that he could capture the undivided attention of someone whose brain seemed to work at the speed of light.
