The Loneliest Stars

Chapter 15

It was uncharacteristically cold that October morning. Natalia was freezing as she waited for Gabe outside his truck but she knew it would quickly warm up to temperatures similar to a British summer by mid-day.

"You're driving." Gabe said when he finally appeared, his movements slow; his voice deeper than usual and still gritty from sleep.

Gabe chucked his car keys at her when he was close enough. Natalia caught it easily. They had arranged to drive in together the night before but she was surprised that he was letting her drive his beloved truck again while sober.

"Rough night?" Natalia smirked. She had no hangover effects since she didn't drink a drop.

Gabe grumbled as he reached for the travel mug, Natalia had stashed in the cup holder. He sipped her coffee with a grimace, hating the taste but clearly needing the caffeine boost.

"Music?" Natalia asked. Gabe didn't answer, merely stared. 'What a grump.' She thought. "Okay, silence it is then." Nobody talked on the drive to work.

"Here, cheer up." Natalia handed Gabe an apple from her bag with a wink. Flouncing off before he had a chance to speak, she went to the science wing to prep for the labs she was going to run that day and the rest of the week in her various classes. The school didn't have science technicians so teachers were in charge of their own stock and experiments.

Most of the science teachers hated that part of their day, preferring to pool their experiments and have a rota, where one unlucky person sorted everyone's experiments for that week, but Natalia loved it.

It reminded her of her PhD days and it gave her time to think as she did a task that didn't need all her attention. She had barely been eight months into her doctorate in biochemistry when she dropped out. The death of her twin had sent her spiralling into a nightmare; far beyond anything any horror film or book could be ever conjure.

Losing the companion she had been born with had been hard. Realising she had let him down had been harder and facing her family's accusatory silence was the hardest thing she had faced. It was never spoken but it had been the pink elephant in the room. Why didn't you see it? Why didn't you stop? How could you have let him do this?

How did you recover from that? Natalia didn't for a long time. Teaching and sharing her passion for science; moving abroad where no one knew her as a twin, where she could figure out who she was without him; and telling her toxic family where they could stick it, had all been part of her rehabilitation. At barely 21, she had learnt life's hardest lessons. It made her closed off, distant and ever more protective of her heart.

There was an all staff meeting starting at eight in the morning. It happened once a month and everyone was present in the one conference room they had in the school. Natalia had submitted a summary of her activities to Mark, the Science Head of Department earlier in the week and sat with the other teachers from her department for the meeting. She didn't have much to do and used that time to indulge in zoning out with a deliciously blank mind. As an avid overthinker, it was an opportunity that didn't come around that often.

Gabe arrived fashionably late for the meeting, he had some colour in his face and looked much better than he had that morning. He gave her a cautious smile, which Natalia returned.

Next came in Agnes, who plopped herself right next to Gabe, ignoring her Math colleagues. Natalia's hackles rose immediately, sharing eye-contact with Porsha as if to say, 'are you seeing this shit too?'

Natalia wasn't usually a jealous person, she was easy-going but she got bad vibes from Agnes on their very first day of meeting.

Agnes had a triumphant smirk on her face, as if Gabe was some sort of prize and not a human man that ate, shit and slept just like the rest of them. She could see her fingers make contact with his and linger for longer than was polite when the agenda and minutes sheets were passed down.