Messiah GXG : BOOK ONE (Completed) The Other Side Of The Game Series

EIGHTEEN

M E S S I A H

Our laughter died down after a few seconds of shared glee and amusement. I watched as she lifted her glass with a place of the straw between her lips to take a drink, while I released my torso against the cushion backrest of the booth we were in.

I was enjoying myself, and I felt relaxed, not completely relaxed but more than I usually did in the presence of other people. It was a strange, weird but accepted feeling.

"What?" She asked, and the sound snapped me out of my thoughts and back to reality.

"Hmm?"

"The staring," She clarified, but I already knew.

"Nothing I was just thinking," I answered honestly.

"About?"

"How much I'm enjoying myself," I revealed, looking into her brown eyes. "I mean I always seem to do,"

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No,"

"Then why do you sound like it is?" She asked and I shrugged while leaning forward with a bend of my arms to rest my elbows on the wooden table.

"Ion know," I breathed out with a shift of my gaze down to my plate that held nothing but crumbs and other small remains of my already eaten food. "I guess it's just different,"

"I understand that," She replied, earning my gaze once again. "I mean you're different for me too, this is different,"

"In a good way?"

"If it wasn't I wouldn't be here," She informed me while using her finger to play with her straw in her now empty glass on the table.

"That's good to know because I really do like spending time with you,"

"So do I Mes—M," She quickly corrected and I smiled at the fact, but I couldn't help but wonder if the mere fact she couldn't even call my name as freely served as a source of annoyance or frustration for her since it did for the people in my past.

She said she was okay with it though, and she didn't seem like the type to suppress herself to make space for others, so I guess I had no choice but to believe her. Especially when her actions didn't make any move to contradict her words, but my overthinking and trauma-fueled cautious mind couldn't help it sometimes.

"Thinking again?" She questioned, pulling me from my mind to allow my eyes to refocus on hers that were already with me.

"Uhm, yeah, I am,"

"You're really quiet you know that?"

"I've been told," I replied while thinking back to something I had remembered when we had arrived at the restaurant earlier, paddle boating. "When next week are you going to be free?"

"I don't know—I mean I can't really say because I don't really have anything planned after school this week but work is unpredictable," She informed me with a small thoughtful frown. "Imma say the weekend to be safe,"

"Well, then I wanna take you out Saturday,"

"Where?" She asked. "Or is it another secret?"

"No, I'm taking you paddle boating," I replied, smiling.

"I'd be happy to come,"

"If your schedule changes and you're free earlier on during the week let me know,"

"I will," She agreed and I nodded while continuing to look into her eyes.

"So tell what else you usually add to these care packages,"