Page 31 of My Treasured Obsession

CHAPTER 7

No More Time Wasted

Hunter

Inever realized that once I had a singular taste of my obsession, the need to touch her again would continue to surmount inside of my core like ivy, climbing through the rungs of my bones and weaving tightly around my skeleton like a caressing lover, needing the warmth only my addiction could provide.

It’s what drove me this Monday morning to rush through my routine, eager and so very elated to be in the same vicinity as Gabriela. She was warm, the sun personified, and I felt cold and lonely without her presence, like the Earth at night. If I wasn’t careful, this girl would construct herself into the depiction of my goddamn ruin.

And like a fool, I would let her.

She already had me wrapped around her pretty, manicured fingers. The kicker was that she had no idea how ruled I felt by the need to pursue her, to be near her.

Meanwhile, she’d actually friend-zoned me Saturday night.

“Okay, good! It was just a kiss and it meant nothing because we’re friends, right?”

Her text gutted me. It was more than just a kiss for me. I was tempted to tell her that friends weren’t supposed to know the way you taste. But I bit my tongue, not wanting to scare her with my intensity.

It took a lot of courage to put myself out there, to talk and flirt with her freely when I rarely did that with anyone. My life was meticulously composed of school, football, and my friends and family. I didn’t have time for distractions or girls.

But I was making time for Gabriela, who’d been marathoning inside of my skull from the second I laid eyes on her four hundred and twenty days ago.

My dad always told me that when you found a woman who spoke to something deep within your foundation, it was your duty to hold onto her, to make her realize you were the man to treat her right, and to rearrange the world in a way she desired and needed.

I wanted to be that man for Gabriela.

My nerves were ever present, but my excitement blanketed most of them by the time I pulled into the driveway of her childhood home at exactly 10:00 a.m.

There was also a grain of guilt tumbling in my system due to the fact that I lied to her.

Firstly, I wasn’t supposed to be in the West Side this morning. In fact, I was in my apartment downtown and drove all the way back here just to give Gabriela a ride. She didn’t have a car and I wanted an excuse to see her again.

Secondly, I didn’t have the same Horror & Cult Classic Cinema class with her…until she sent me her schedule Saturday night and I frantically logged onto the university’s portal before the drop deadline and found an open seat. It was the only way I could mirror her schedule, even for a day, without compromising all my core classes.

I was so desperate to be near her that I’d subject myself to a genre of movies I otherwise avoided. And now that I knew she wouldn’t be living across from me, courtesy of the break-in situation, I had to improvise ways to constantly be in her orbit.

Sharing a class and driving her to school every Monday was one way.

I’d spent so much time thinking about Gabriela. I only wished that now, with my efforts, I spent even just a small fraction of that time onhermind. Beggars weren’t choosers, so I’d take any morsel of attention she threw my way.

I shot Gabriela a quick text that I was outside and placed my phone back into my pocket.

Seconds later, Gabriela emerged from the front door.

I swallowed at the sight she created as she descended the porch steps like a little prima donna, her usual short height hiked up a few inches by her booted heels.

A little black dress that was suited for a business meeting was poured over her body, sheer stockings with tiny black hearts covered her legs, gold jewelry was layered on her person, red lipstick was painted on her mouth, black cat-eye-shaped sunglasses were perched on her dainty nose, and a black velvet headband dotted with pearls sat over an immaculate side part, while the rest of her long red hair billowed freely behind her like a flag.

Fucking hell.

She was stunning.

I ran a hand over my mouth, utterly mesmerized. So much so that I forgot to step out and open the passenger side door for her.

Gabriela opened it herself, popping her head in the car first, her mouth curled in a big smile like she was so happy to see me. “Good morning, pretty boy.”

Whenever she called me pretty boy, I melted on the inside.