Gabriel & Athena, Book One: Fate (A Wattpad Featured Story)

CHAPTER 5: COMING CLEAN

            "He's full of surprises.  For example, I'm no longer the only student at Sparrow High who has an appreciation for these," I joked, gesturing toward a shelf of books next to me.  "He's incredibly well-read, probably more than me if you can believe it." 

            She raised her eyebrows in mock disbelief.

            I glared at her, but my mouth formed a small smile.  "And he's very thoughtful.  When I met him for lunch today, he had gone out of his way to get all of my favorites, everything down to a strawberry smoothie."

            Her eyes suddenly widened with awe.  "Are you telling me Gabriel Valente is a romantic?  Is there anything about this guy that isn't attractive?"

            "Well, he does have a tendency to overreact," I muttered.

            "Who cares?  That just means he's passionate.  And believe me, Athena, it's time you had a little passion in your life."

            "What's that supposed to mean?"

            "It means you've been cooped up in that library by yourself for far too long.  If Gabriel Valente can speed up your return to the land of the living, I say go for it," she remarked, a mischievous smile on her face.

            "Really?  What about you?  Weren't you interested in Gabe also?"

            "Sure, I've been crushing on him just like every other girl, but that's as far as it goes with me.  You, on the other hand, already have feelings for him."

            "Whoa, easy there.  I'm not sure what I've got, but Gabe and I agreed that for now, we're just going to get to know each other better.  Anything beyond that is still unknown," I explained, reaching for some books to stock.

            "Uh-huh.  Well, whatever it turns out to be, it can only be a good thing."

            "Let's hope so," I sighed, once again turning my back to her.

            "You want to know what I really think about all of this?"

            "No," I called over my shoulder.

            "Okay, I'll tell you.  Gabriel Valente is going to be your savior and you don't even know it," she declared.

            "My savior?  Let's bring the dramatics down just a notch, shall we?" I said, rolling my eyes.

            "I'm being completely serious," she remarked.

            I stopped and stared at her.  Her arms were crossed and there was no trace of laughter in her features.  "Fine, I'll bite.  What exactly would he be saving me from?"

            "From yourself.  I think it's great Gabe's into you, and I'm pretty sure you're into him too.  So give him a chance.  I mean, it's not like it's gotta be anything serious.  Just have some fun.  You never know, you might actually like it."

            "Hey, I know how to have fun," I stated, pretending to be hurt.

            She came closer and placed both of her hands on my shoulders.  "Athena, spending all your free time with imaginary people is not fun.  It's a cry for help."

            I glared at her.  "Ha ha.  I know this is going to be a hard concept for you to grasp, but I like reading.  In fact, I can't think of anything being more fun."  I shrugged her hands off my shoulders and started to walk towards the back room.