Chapter 16 Unleashed
The sound was sharp, a definitive Smack, as Teresa's reality shattered the moment Gabriel's lips met hers. Her mind went blank, lost in the shock of his audacity. But as soon as she snapped back to the present, she found Gabriel deeply engaged in the kiss.
Instinct took over, Teresa bit hard. Gabriel flinched, and she seized the moment to shove him away and deliver a stinging slap to his face.
Gabriel, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, was surprisingly undisturbed by the assault. Instead, he was fixated on the familiar taste of her kiss, thinking how could the taste of her kiss be so familar to him.
"Gabriel, you're despicable," Teresa spat, her eyes aflame. She launched into a frenzied attack, her blows fueled by the memory of a night she saw him as a predator.
Gabriel was momentarily stunned by her ferocity but quickly restrained her, her wrists pinned above her head. Teresa's fury was unrelenting; she bit into his arm with a wildness that shocked them both.
"Have you lost your mind?" Gabriel grunted, enduring the pain until her teeth nearly broke skin, prompting him to release her with a growl.
"Don't touch me again, or I swear I'll bite harder next time!" Teresa threatened.
With a push that sent Gabriel reeling, she stormed away, leaving him to watch her departure with an admiring smile. Teresa's usual calm had given way to a tempestuous spirit that he hadn't anticipated.
Why had he kissed her though? What had gotten into his mind?
Gabriel cleaned his wound in the restroom and concealed it beneath his sleeve before returning to the group. Liam, still buzzing from the evening's libations, immediately noticed Teresa's absence.
"Seen Teresa?" Liam asked, there was a note of concern in his voice.
Gabriel deflected with a question about Liam's feelings for her, stirring the conversation as he shuffled cards.
Kyle and Unity joined in, painting Liam as the perfect boyfriend, a sentiment echoed by their classmates. Unity's laughter resonated in the booth, while Gabriel offered her a look that held a shadow of mystery.
As Liam began to ask Unity for a favor, his phone buzzed insistently. Teresa's name glowed on the screen, and he answered without hesitation.
