by Sophia Reed
“Nice to meet you, Gabriel.”
His cheeks got a little darker, and it was one of the cutest things I’d ever seen. I’d never seen a guy blush before. “I was going to say you can call me Gabe, but the way Gabriel sounded when you said it was so good. I’d like to stick with that.”
It was my cheeks that I felt warming now. “Gabriel it is, then.”
His hand flocked to the back of his head to rub with nervousness, which was flying around his aura like a swarm of bees. “I also must admit that I’ve never done yoga before, or exercise of any kind, really.”
I ticked my head to the side. “I find that hard to believe.” Gabriel’s eyes widened, and my hands slapped against my mouth. “Oh my god, I’m so embarrassed. I did not mean to say that out loud.”
Typically, I found flirting with men difficult, but I was suddenly challenged by keeping myself from flirting.
Gabriel put his hands up in surrender. “Hey, I’ll take that kind of compliment from someone like you any day.”
It was all so easy, like playing a match in a sport we were both skilled at. I’d only been in the same room with this man for less time than I’d spent in a fast-food drive-through, yet I felt like I’d developed a better rapport with him than most of the people I’d met in my life.
“Well, should we get started?” I asked, desperate to ground myself in something that was supposed to come naturally to me.
“Yeah. Sorry in advance for sucking.” Gabriel walked back over to the mat that Sam had no doubt laid out for him. I followed him closely, walking directly into the waft of a woodland cologne he was wearing, making me fuzzy. He stood atop the mat and turned around, jumping a bit when I was right next to him. “Oh, there you are.”
I smiled. “Yeah. You said you never did this before, so it’s probably going to have to be guided yoga.”
“Guided,” Gabriel repeated. “As in you will touch me.”
“As long as that’s okay. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Gabriel scoffed. “Yeah, no, it’s just I’m already acting like such an idiot, so fair warning, I’m probably going to stop speaking in full sentences from here on out.”
I laughed. “You’re not as bad as you think you are.”
Things were a bit awkward at first. Gabriel was not flexible. More than that, my attempts to get him to do what I needed him to were made even harder by the fact that he’d committed himself to keeping his eyes on me at all times. He was often knocking himself off balance by looking to the side or backward to look at me when I needed him looking forward or down. Eventually, though, he settled into it. His body seemed to be relaxing a bit, allowing it to shift and mold, and I could feel the tightness in his back and shoulders releasing bit by bit.
“You know, you’ve got a lot of tension all over your body. Yoga is a great way to release the tension, but you should look into getting a massage, too. And keeping up yoga if you can,” I suggested.
“Do you offer massages, too?” Gabriel asked, and there was a playful smile on his face that made me hot.
I’d give him a massage.
“No. That’s not a service we offer here, but I have some affiliates I could recommend.”
Gabriel looked disappointed. “Okay.” It was like a child pouting.
“I can get you discounts if you want to sign up for a multi-session yoga plan,” I explained. “I swear I’m not just trying to sell you on something. I think it could really help you.”
Gabriel groaned as I twisted his body to the side in a warrior pose. “I’d love to do that, actually, but I don’t know that my…job would allow it. It’s lucky I got these few hours as it is.”
“What do you do?” I asked, and despite it being an innocent enough question, Gabriel’s whole body seized up under my hands, and the aura hanging about him went dark and cloudy.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Was that not an okay question?”
He side-glanced me. “What?”
“It’s just, you got all dark when I asked about your job. I’m sorry if that wasn’t an okay question. You don’t have to answer.”
Gabriel shook his head. I was used to the confusion some people experienced when I was able to read their moods with signals they didn’t even realize they were giving off. “I, uh, own a business with my brother. Well, all of my brothers, but two of them recently moved to California, so I guess it’s been a little more stressful lately.”
“Ah, that makes sense. I recently moved here from a small town in New York to run my business. I had my parents’ support back in my hometown, but when I moved here all alone, it was stressful.”
Gabriel tilted his head to the side. “Did you drive all the way here from New York?”
I recoiled a bit. “What?”
“Earlier. You said you came straight here from your parents’ place. You drove here from New York?” He was looking at me with quizzical innocence.
I was shocked. I’d never had someone listen to me that closely before. “Oh. No. They moved here. They actually just got here today. I was just finishing up helping them unpack when your sister-in-law called. I came here from there.”
“Oh.” Gabriel nodded with understanding. “Will they help you more now that they’re here?”
He shot straight for the heart, asking a question I’d barely considered myself. I loved my parents, but they did things differently than I did. It was nice having their help back in Woodstock, but I’d been on my own for six months and had found that I liked not having them lording over my decisions.
“Sorry,” Gabriel cut into my thoughts. “Seems like it’s me asking the bad questions now.”
I was skilled in reading body language and auras. What had he picked up on in me? “No, it’s okay. I don’t think I will, actually. I love my parents so much, and they were great back in my hometown, but I’ve liked doing it on my own.”
“Haven’t found a way to break it to them yet?” Gabriel asked.
I shook my head. “I don’t want to hurt them.”
“Well, you should tell them soon.” I looked at him, and his eyes were less open than they were when I first entered the studio. Steely and full of some experience he wasn’t sharing. “I know better than most how bad things can get when you stand on the sidelines.”
I didn’t ask about his relationship that had prompted the advice he was giving me. I got the sense he didn’t want to share. Whatever had happened to beautiful Gabriel Varasso had left a long-standing scar. Not on his physical, tan and freckled skin but on the flesh that most people don’t see—that of his spirit. It wasn’t my place to delve, but as Gabriel turned his eyes away from me and his mind drifted off to a place I couldn’t get to, I was curious at just how serious the truth really was.
5
Gabriel
I had been dragging out the end of my yoga session for the past forty minutes. I knew it was only meant to be an hour and a half long, but I got along with Stacy better than I’d gotten along with any woman I’d ever been with. Plus, she was a stunner who was hard to walk away from. Every time she tried to bring things to a close, I’d pick a different area of my body and ask her if there was a good stretch for it. She didn’t deny my fake curiosities. In fact, if I was reading the situation right, she was just as relieved as I was every time I asked another question.
It had been less than a couple of hours, but the chemistry between us was strong. There was no denying it. The more time pressed on, the more I considered just taking the plunge and asking her out. The only thing holding me back was the fear of rejection. If she said no, I could never come back to this studio. At least if I didn’t push it, I could just continue coming for yoga whenever I had the chance, and maybe something would blossom more naturally.
“I would recommend doing it first thing when you wake up in the morning,” Stacy concluded after showing me a pose that would help with my hips. “Before bed is good, too, but if you overwork yourself, it can be tough on your body when you’re sleeping. At least if yo
u’re waking up for the day, your body can work out any kinks if you hit them. I’d say morning until you’re comfortable, then you can switch to both if you think it’ll help.”
“Okay. Thanks. I know I have a lot of questions. I guess I didn’t expect it to help so much. I just want to have a full arsenal.”
She smiled at me, bridging the silence that now existed between us. She’d concluded the last few moves by starting to walk away, but now she just stood still, eyes flicking everywhere but at me.
Finally, I said, “I’ll pay you for the extra time. I know we went over.”
She shook her head. “Oh, that’s okay. I don’t mind dragging out a session, especially for someone who needs it.”
“Still, your time is valuable, and I’ve wasted about an hour of it.”
The summits of her cheeks got a touch darker. “Not a second of this has been a waste of time.”
The way she said it washed over me like a rush of invisible energy. She was so fucking beautiful that I couldn’t stand it. I didn’t want to leave.
“Well, thanks for everything.”
Disappointment flashed across her eyes, too. “Yeah. Hopefully, I’ll see you again soon.”
“Definitely.” Could I honestly walk out of this studio and never see this perfect person again? Not a chance in hell.
I grabbed my water bottle, phone, and wallet, and started to walk towards the door. My motions were slow, dragging, like trudging through mud. Each step further from her that I was, it was like there was a high-grade magnet behind me, and I was wearing a metal plate on my back. I pulled out my phone and sent a quick text to Luca.
Hey, would I be able to take
the night off to ask out this
girl?
I expected a refusal. That would be excuse enough to just continue out of the studio and look forward to the next time I could come and do yoga, but as I set my hand on the door to leave, a text came back, and it shocked me.
If she’s hot you fucking
better.
She certainly was that. If Luca saying no was excuse enough to leave, then by all logic, him saying yes was excuse enough to stay, right?
I flipped around. “Hey, uh, do you have any other sessions today?”
Stacy was rolling up the mats and looked up to meet my gaze. “No. You were it. Did you need more advice?”
I took a deep breath and tried to muster up some of that Varasso confidence my brothers all seemed to possess that had missed me. “No, I was thinking about cutting the crap and just asking you out.”
That definitely sounded like Marco. It was odd coming out of my mouth, though. It almost sounded like I didn’t enjoy the past two hours, which couldn’t be further from the truth.
“N-not that I didn’t enjoy this, because I did, a lot.” Fuck. I was floundering. I should have just left it. “But that last forty minutes or so was really great, so I could spend a little more time with you.”
Now you sound creepy, Gabriel. Stop talking.
“I’ll go.”
Stacy jumped up, laughing. “No, wait.” She doubled over for a second before getting upright again, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “You’re not good at this, are you?”
“What gave me away?” I said flatly, and she laughed more. It was a melodic, joyful noise. Something I could fall asleep to at night.
“That first line was a good one, but then you just kept talking.”
I threw my hands in the air. “I knew it!” I groaned. “I didn’t want you to think I was just here for that. The yoga really helped.”
Her laughter subsided, but a gentle grin remained. “That first line wasn’t really you, though.”
It sent chills down my spine. Had she really figured me out so much in just a couple of hours? “It sounded like something my older brother would say, and he always did great with women.”
Stacy walked across the studio until she was standing right in front of me. I had to repress the urge to kiss her. She agreed to go out with me, but we weren’t there yet. “Just be yourself, Gabriel. You’re pretty great.”
I was ice cream melting under the warm embrace of the afternoon sun. Stacy glowed like it, too. “Thanks. Drinks?”
She nodded with a giggle. “Drinks sound great.”
I typically liked to put a little more effort into my dates when I planned them, but spur of the moment seemed to be working with Stacy, so I decided to ride that train until the wheels fell off. After changing into a spare suit I always kept in my car for emergencies, I followed her to her house and waited outside while she got changed. She lived in a modern-looking home with a flat roof and tons of windows.
I couldn’t keep myself from doing a slow scan of the neighborhood while I waited, checking to see if she had any neighbors around our age. If I were a guy living across from Stacy, I’d almost certainly turn into a creep. I had no right to stop anyone from looking at her, but if I gave them an evil stare, it wouldn’t hurt, right? I need not find out. After about twenty minutes, all I’d seen were elderly couples and a few families.
When Stacy came back out of the house, I was tempted to drive off. She’d left her earlier sundress behind and had changed into a flower crown of black roses and a black and blue bohemian chiffon dress that hugged her shoulders, chest, and stomach, then flared out in a train at the waist, giving me sweet shots of her legs as she walked. She topped the ensemble off with black wedge-heel sandals and a circlet around her right bicep.
“Fuck,” I hissed out loud.
I wanted to believe she was at her max back at the studio, just the kind of woman who likes to look her best always, but her earlier appearance was just a work-out persona. Dressed-up Stacy was a bullet to the face. She climbed into the driver’s seat, filling my car with a sweet scent of milk and honey.
I grumbled. “You have to get out. I’m not worthy.”
A brief look of shock faded into a chuckle. “You clean up pretty nice yourself there, Mr. Varasso.”
It was downright unfair. How was every single word out of her mouth electrocuting me? What was I thinking, asking her out? I could barely be in a completely professional situation and not make an ass of myself. I was going to ruin the date for sure. I felt a hand on mine and looked over. She had a crook to her smile, and her sea-green eyes were dead set on mine.
“It’s okay.” She shook her head. “I can damn near see you writing doubt on your forehead. I wouldn’t have agreed to go out with you if I didn’t want to go. Just relax.”
My heart was pounding, cracking my chest cavity more and more with each beat. “Thanks. Sorry. I swear I’m not new at this.” That wasn’t entirely true. I’d been out with women before, but I’d never been out with a woman like her.
“I believe you.” She pulled her hand back and set it in her lap. “Where are we going for drinks?”
“There’s this great place outside of Philly. It’s got a more,” I said and fumbled for the word, “natural vibe. I think you’ll like it.”
The small grin on her face curved into an impressed smile. “It sounds like I will.”
“Great. Let’s go.”
I drove Stacy to the place I’d told her about on the outskirts of Philadelphia. It wasn’t just that it had an atmosphere I felt like Stacy would enjoy, but it had the added benefit of being about a thirty-five-minute drive. All the more time to spend with her. We chatted nonstop on the way to the bar, and then once we’d collected drinks and found a table, our conversation continued like we were old friends. Only after there was enough liquor in me was Stacy able to drag me to the dance floor, where minutes faded into hours.
The dance floor was packed, but for as much as we knew, we were the only two there. Upbeat songs had Stacy shaking her hips and swirling around me like a pro, manipulating her body in ways I didn’t know were possible. The flashing, multicolored lights danced over her pale skin and made me want to move wherever she did. I wasn’t a dancer, but that night I was. For Stacy, I’d dance nonstop. If not the
n, then certainly when the songs crawled into slower melodies that pulled Stacy against me, swaying her hips under my hands that were allowed to rest there. That alone was worth the price of admission.
“I could have sworn you told me you don’t like dancing,” Stacy mocked when we finally returned to our table in search of food. “Couldn’t tell.”
“I couldn’t either,” I admitted. “I blame you. You looked like you were having so much fun.”
“I was.” She shrugged. “I still am.”
She tore her eyes from mine to look down at the menu, and a tiny, unreasonably adorable squeak popped out of her.
“What?” I asked.
“They have vegan pizza! I’ve been searching for a place since I got here.”
“Vegan?” I asked, and Stacy’s eyes shot up to mine. “What?”
“Vegan. No meat, no dairy. Basically, nothing made from an animal.”
My eyes drifted up as I considered how many pieces of bacon I put away a day alone. “I am not vegan.”
Stacy laughed. “I gathered. Technically, I’m not either, yet. I’m trying.”
“Why?” I asked with grime to my voice that was judgemental and rude. “I’m sorry. That came out rude.”
Stacy shook her head. “No, it’s okay. I don’t understand myself, sometimes. I just can’t give up cheese.” She chuckled at herself as she looked over her menu, and I found myself just staring at her. “I assume you’re going to get regular pizza then?”
I didn’t respond, so she looked up again. “Gabe?” I pulled back a bit, and Stacy shook her head. “Sorry, Gabriel.”
“Nope. As it turns out, Gabe sounds good, too.” I laughed. “And yes, I’ll be getting pizza with meat like a normal person.”
Stacy giggled. “Hey! If it’s cooked right, it tastes good.”
I boldly reached a hand across the table and rubbed Stacy’s cheek. “Okay, gorgeous, sure it is.”
“You have to try it,” she replied, leaning into my touch. “Just one slice.”