Miss Incomplete | ✓

71 | He Loves Me

Tasha place her tray in front of me.

Julian settled down next to her.

Iris was the first to break the stare, glancing between Gabriel, Graham and me. Her eyes searching, widen as she waited for me to move. To do something.

I stayed still, green eyes on me before shifting to Julian. Graham searched for Julian, to his waist to his face, while Julian covered mostly his face. He looked down at the table, staring at the food in front of him; not moving to eat.

"Okay, who are you?" Gabriel points to Tasha, who merely gave a smile.

"I'm Tasha Larson, Julian's girlfriend," she introduces, holding out her hand over the table for Gabriel to take. Gabriel's hazel eyes switched over to me for a moment as I remain unmoved; he turns back to Tasha, taking the girl's hand in his.

"Gabriel Vasquez," he answers, his eyes searching up and down at the girl before taking back his hand. "I haven't seen you sit here before."

"Neither did I," Tasha rebuttals, "but Julian's friends are kinda a bust, and I like Francena better than them—so we're here."

Julian is still silent.

"Francena," Gabriel snapped a finger in front of my face, bringing me out staring. "Staring is rude."

I smile, chuckling, "shut up, Gabe. It's not like you haven't stared at girls and guys before," I replied, causing the boy to blush. His skin heated at my comment, and he turns away.

"Wait, you're gay?" Tasha asks, pointing to Gabriel. He gives Tasha an conflicted look before slowly nodding his head.

"Bi, so technically half," Gabriel answers, shifting in his seat. His eyes darting from the girl to Julian, who still hung his head low. "You got a problem with it?"

"No–no!" She replies, shaking her head, "I love gays–I mean, like I love the community as a whole! I just, I just never had gay friends before."

"Bi," Gabriel corrected.

"Right, sorry, bi," she replies, her eyes looking towards her food before turning back to Gabriel. "Do you have a gay radar too? Like is that—"

"Tasha," I clear my throat; the first time speaking since she entered the table. Her brown eyes look away from Gabriel, turning to me with widen eyes filled with oblivion. "If you're going to be start sitting at this table, I'm chill with it. But we don't bluntly go out and ask people questions like that, especially at my table. Sexuality is just a sexuality, nothing is different."

Tasha frowns, "I didn't know–I'm just so used to be being blunt with my friends. They're usually guys and they usually all handle my comments well. I mean, I'm just trying to be honest. Curious."

"There's a difference in curiosity and rudeness; if it's too the extent of someone feeling uncomfortable–it becomes rude. I'm not trying to be mean to you, I'm just–this is how my friends and me work. We respect each other."

Tasha nods, grasping the idea, "you're right. I understand, I can deal with that."

She turns back to Gabriel, "so, moving pass away from all that, can we start anew?"

"Okay," Gabriel nods, after a moment of hesitation. "Gotta ask though, why is your boyfriend so quiet?"

Julian looks up at the mention of him before flashing a forced smile, and pulling out his phone wordlessly. Tasha merely shrugs. "He's shy, I guess." She explains, taking a piece of his chips from his lunch. "It's just the way he is."