Chapter 21

I can feel him stiffen as he stares at me, his green orbs flashing with worry. I expected him to do so, but I'm curious as to why. "So, you were aware of that." He sighs and rubs the back of his neck while running his hand through his hair...again. "Are you not an h-human?" As I watch his head snap up, I ask. "It's fine if you aren't; I'm fine with dating an...alien."
He locks his gaze on me for a long time then did something unexpected. He leans back in his chair and bursts out laughing, the rich, husky voice echoing off the quiet room's walls. When he draws me forth and putting me on his waist, straddling him with my legs along both side of his hips, I frown at him. I concentrate on him, ignoring the seductive sparks that dance joyfully on my skin. "No, Amanda, I'm not an extraterrestrial. I can guarantee you that I am a living being." He chuckles but doesn't say anything else.
That kind of hurt, to be honest. I'm not stupid enough to dismiss it as nothing; I know there's something wrong with him, several secret he's trying to hide; deflecting. The guy growls and then his eyes change dark green to black then to red and finally to gold! If that doesn't pique a girl's interest, I'm not sure what will. Instead, I smile and nod, as if I've accepted his response. I observe that he sighs, and the pressure and tension in his features that was visible just few moments ago has dissipated. It's almost as if he's relieved that I'm not asking any more questions. Oh no, Gabriel Silva, I'm not done with you yet.
He picks me up and carries me up to my room after turning off the television. I stood and walked into the closet, changed into some comfortable nightwear, consisting of a pair of navy boy shorts as well as a long white top that hits just below the knee.
As I walk out the door, I hear a soft sigh that causes me to stop dead in my tracks until Gabriel shows up just front of me. When I look up, his eyes had also darkened once more and are now fixed on my exposed legs. He clenches his fists and closes his eyes firmly then opening them afterwards. When I notice that they have returned to green, I refrain from interrogating him. "I... I should go." He mumbles something lowly while scratching the top of his nose.
"Okay." I nod, perplexed by his odd reaction to to see me in my pajamas. He gives me a firm kiss on the forehead before saying he will text me then walking over towards the window which leads out to the garden behind. What in the world is he up to? I thought to myself as I take a step forward and watch as he expands it and then jumps out. I exclaim and dash over, gazing downwards to see him drop perfectly intact on the ground then turning to face me.
While he waves at me and then leaps over the huge wall, vanishing into the forest, I can make out a faint smirk on his lips. I step back first from window and close it before closing the curtains. My heart races in my chest, and photos of him leaping out and landing on the ground, without cracking any bones or injuring himself race through my mind. "Wait, what was that?!?" I yell and whisper to myself as I look around the empty room, as if the answers to everyone of my questions are printed on the walls. I groan and turn off the light before settling into my bed and pulling the bedsheets up to my chin. This is something I really need to sleep on.
***
The following day.
The next day, I walked into my final class, Art, and smiled back at Ron, one of the friends of Ryan's and Gabriel's friend. I position myself upwards on the stool next to him after putting my bag down. My mind is racing with Gabriel-related thoughts, and I haven't been able to shake them since I got up for school. My head is having a field day, flooding my mind with images and forcing me to reflect on last night. Ron nudges me, causing me to raise my head and look around, perplexed. "Are you all right?" He frowns at me with concern as he whispers.
I nod, a feeble smile on my face, but it doesn't seem to help him relax. Sighing, I concentrated on the work at hand and listened to my teacher excitedly describe what we would be doing today. I splash various color combinations onto my palette, then bring it to the table with two brushes in hand, after placing a canvas just on the easel. I almost drop my paintbrush in the midst of the lesson as Theo snatches my palette before taking up both bags and yanking me out of class. On his way out, he nods towards the teacher, who appears to have seen this earlier and is quite OK with it. I'm amazed, on the other hand, because she has no issues with kids leaving class just before the bell sounds. Ron walks me out of school and then towards the rear, past the running track and the yelling coach, shouting directions to the players along the way. He pushes me to sit just in front of him, his hands folded together on the table and a grimace on his lips, while he lays our bags on one of the wooden tables.
"Let it out." "You've been drowsy and distracted all day." He inquires, his voice hard, as if challenging me to lie. Of course I do, since I'm quite a rebel. "Nothing is wrong, I —" "Stop with the nonsense, Amanda." He huffs and crosses his arms in a commanding manner. "Does this have anything to do with Gabriel?" He inquires quietly, lowering his head to meet my gaze as I ponderously gaze down at the table. My eyes widen and my head snaps up in response to his remarks. "Are you of the same mind?" "Think of what?"
"He isn't n-normal in any way. Last night, he leaped from out of my window and—and afterwards walked away! He snaps and his eyes change color, despite the fact that he hasn't been scratched-" "Hey," Ron says quietly, as he approaches me and wraps his arm around my shoulder. "Gabriel is a regular. Okay, when the time is perfect, he'll tell you everything, but when he does... I simply want you to have a clear mind and not flee before he has a chance to explain everything." "Is he normal?" As he nods in response, I croak and glance at him suspiciously.
Even though I don't believe him, I nevertheless nod. When the bell sounds, we get up and walk back inside to retrieve our books before heading home. As he enters inside one car and drives away, I wave farewell before moving over to Kelvin, who is awaiting me with Linda. Elizabeth has invited me to supper today, and I'm all set to gorge myself. We strap each other in and travel over towards the Valentine's location, singing along to the tunes that blare from the radio. I and Kelvin both sing the high tune before he coughs, which makes me chuckle. I change the channel, patting his back, and grimace when Linda screams loudly as her beloved performer begins to sing.