Sweetest Touch (ManxMan)

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Gabriel’s POV

My fingers twitched in my pockets as I leaned against my Audi while waiting for Ivan’s cousin, Devon to come out. I was in need of a smoke but I had quit almost 6 months ago. Gavin’s situation didn’t help. I took a deep breath and remembered I had left a pack of mint chewing gum inside my dashboard compartment. I got back inside and searched for it and sighed in relief when I saw it.

I took two pieces and put them inside my mouth and got back out just to see Devon standing staring at me. “Geez, say something, will you? You almost got me a heart attack. I’m not as young as you,” I exclaimed, rubbing my chest to calm my heart. But he smiled.

“Sorry, you don’t look old,” he replied. I realized other people on campus started to take notice and quickly told him to get in. He rushed to the other side of my car and slammed the door closed. “Well, I might be 10 years old than you actually,” I muttered. He seemed to hear it and turned towards me. “Really? You don’t seem like it,” he said. I actually smiled at that.

I peered to look at him but his eyes were on the road, hands clasping tightly together. “What’s wrong?” I asked, noticing his grip gotten tighter. He cleared his throat. “N-nothing,” he rasped. I frowned at that. His eyes were staring ahead, unblinking as if he was hyper aware of my presence and he actually sat far away from me so he was mashed against the car door.

“Devon,” I called him. He made an ‘mmm?’ sound and I scowled at that. “Are you afraid of me?”

He looked down and shook his head. “Not necessarily. It’s just…ah…I thought Ivan mentioned to you,” he said, eyes downcast.

“What about?” I inquired, driving my way through the traffic to get to the hospital. “I’m not good around big people. I mean, big, muscled people. Like you,” he admitted silently. I frowned and slowed down the car, but not stopping it. “If you don’t mind me asking, why is it?”

“I don’t mind. My therapist thinks it’s good for me to tell people and admit that. Part of accepting and facing my fear,” at this he took a deep breath. “I was bullied until I was hospitalized few months ago. My dad sent me here to attend Croxton, which is a great place since my cousins are here as well. See, I wouldn’t want to leave him if possible considering we only have each other. But I was threatened back home,” he explained. I scowled at his story. ‘Kids can be mean’, now I understood it.

“And your bullies were big muscled people?” I asked. I saw he nodded his head. “Jocks,” he spat out and I smirked. “Hey, watch it. I was a jock myself back in high school. But I never bullied anyone,” I corrected him. He turned to me with his eyes wide and apologized. “Sorry! I didn’t mean…I mean, they were…but---“

I actually laughed out loud at his outburst and reached out to ruffle his dark hair.

Soft. It has been a while since I touched another person. Intimately or not. The gesture was automatic and even I was caught off guard by what I was doing.

Quickly, I retreated my hand and cleared my throat. “We’re here,” I said when I spotted the white hospital building. He leaned forward to see the massive building we were reaching at. I drove into the parking lot of visitors and parked my car. I turned off the engine was grasped the steering wheel, taking slow breaths.

“Are you okay?” Devon’s voice snapped me out from my anxiety. He was still seated in his seatbelt and I frowned at him. “Why aren’t you getting out?” I asked. He gestured to the people going in and out and some of them were large people.

“Scared?” I wanted to tease him but then I saw panic in his eyes. “Well, are you okay?” I returned the question. He turned to look at me and just stared at me. It was as if he was staring deep into your soul and I couldn’t look away. His grey eyes almost looked like silver from the way the sun shine in the sky. “Are you?” he asked again. I swallowed the lump in my throat and just stared at him.