The Loneliest Stars

Chapter 23

"You're hobbling like a pigeon. Damn, that white boy really did a number on you," her laughing voice took up the whole corridor.

Luckily for Natalia it was empty and no students could hear the contents of their conversation. Natalia briefly wondered if she was walking funny. Muscles she never knew existed were sore and achy but she was sure she wasn't waddling.

"It's 8 am, do you ever rest?" Natalia hissed pushing Porsha into her office. She was on her way to Porsha's office to catch up before their weekly staff meeting. The last time she had seen her was the day of the dance.

"In short no. By the way I hope you're using all your British wits to come up with ways to make it up to me because I do not appreciate you disappearing on me at the dance or in the middle of a storm."

"Wow, I'm sorry?" Natalia knew that she had messed up, she hoped the jovial tone in Porsha's voice meant that forgiveness was around the corner.

"You're forgiven, but only 'cause homeboy found you and clearly spent all weekend giving you the work. Give me the deets, bitch."

"I don't kiss and tell," Natalia smirked.

"Wow, I take it back. You're not forgiven," Porsha complained.

"Yeah? Even if I've brought your favourite coffee and muffin?" Natalia presented the offerings she had been hiding behind her back.

Porsha sniffed dramatically pretending to think about it. Before nodding her head to the table. Natalia took her normal seat in Porsha's office and started to relay the contents of the weekend starting from that infamous Thursday night at the dance leaving out the more salacious bits.

"Well damn," Porsha said when she heard the full story. "I'm going to beat her ass."

"No, she's not worth it."

Porsha mumbled something unintelligible under her breath in response but dropped the topic as they walked to their staff meeting.

They were running a little late, having been caught up in their chat, most people had arrived. It was just a few stragglers that they were waiting for.

It had just been a few hours ago that she had been wrapped in his arms but she missed him already. He sat on the opposite side of the table, with a cup of the disgusting coffee he liked to drink as he paid attention to the meeting.

He must have felt her eyes on him because he gave her a wink that turned her insides to liquid. She looked away hastily, not trusting herself to not make a fool of herself if she kept staring. She felt a hot blush engulf her face.

Natalia didn't know men could be beautiful, she always thought that was specifically for women. But Gabe was beautiful. Looking at him made her heart ache in a way that she couldn't quite understand.

With his sculpted jawline, full lips, straight nose and tall, muscled figure he could easily grace magazine covers, but she loved his imperfections. His crooked smile, the faint silvery scar on his forehead that ran down to his eyebrow. His bright green eyes. The muted freckles dusting the bridge of his nose. The slight makings of crow's feet at the corner of his eyes.

The meeting was over and she hadn't heard a word. She had been lost in a Gabe-filled daze. She couldn't wait for the day to be over so she could indulge herself in him.

He deliberately brushed past her towards the door, his whole body pressing against her for a split second. "Miss Burton," he said lowly, mostly for the benefit of those around them.

Natalia stifled a moan. He wasn't playing fair at all, "Captain," she whispered back, delighting at the flaring of his nose and the provoked darkening of his eyes in response to her newly coined nickname. He gave her a sardonic smile that implied she was going to pay for her stunt. How she looked forward to her penance.