10.2 | Sixty Seconds

**GABRIEL** 

Sleep eluded me for some reason, and no matter how hard I tried to meditate, it had never worked on me. Prayers brought momentary relief, but the devil still resided within me. Asleep, yet alive. Back in my early twenties, I would pump in so much energy and exhaust them rapidly that I was fast asleep by the time I hit the bed. 
It was easier not to care about anything in the world and be driven by passion until reality hits you hard. The world comes crashing down, and you are left to pick up the broken pieces of your devastation. 
I lost count of the nights I had stayed awake and prayed for penance, and someday, the sun would rise on the horizon while I still knelt beside the bed with the rosary in my hands. No amount of salvation touched my soul. 
What would it take to be at peace? I sighed. 
Unable to bear the restlessness, I unlocked the door to the balcony and stood there clutching the railing. There was something about this old structure that always appealed to me; the part reason I insisted Father Lucas use this part of the building as resident chambers for teachers and other faculty members. The balcony on the third floor overlooked the untended garden—stark, wild, and raw beauty. The moonlight brought a comforting feel to the graphite night. 
And then something else caught my eyes. A sharp ray of light flickered over a path before it was dropped on the ground. I was absolutely convinced of someone’s unsolicited presence. 
Was there an intruder? 
I squinted and observed from the shadows before I heard the soft feminine cooing sound breaching the silence. It was a girl, in all probability a student, and if I had my intuitions right, it was her. 
Sienna. 
Only she would dare to stroll around in the darkness after the curfew hours and venture into unchartered spaces. 
A deeper need to punish her pulsed in my chest, to teach her a swift lesson that my rules were not meant to be broken at her whim in every turn. But above all, I wanted to know why the hell would she wander around in the dark? 
Unlike her, I didn’t need a penlight to find my way down the stairwell as I practically dashed towards the old garden in the backyard. Only a handful of people knew of its existence because the entryway was either blocked or restricted. The cleaner must have forgotten to lock the door when I had told him to cut the grasses earlier. Fuck. That’s a huge goddamn oversight on my part. 
Sienna did not see me, or anyone, coming from a mile away. She was so absorbed with the little animals, retreating to the other side one after another, that her entire mind was trapped in there. 
Ever since her arrival, it was the first time that I had encountered her in a good mood, probably because she wasn’t deliberately disobedient or conscious of my presence. She was in her truest self, enthralled with the mewling kittens, and even in the hours of darkness, I could see how easy and relaxed she was. 
I paused at a safe distance while she stood facing the old wooden door. Waiting and contemplating. My head screamed to know what was going through her mind, whether she would take the risk or not.
Seconds ticked into minutes.
I *waited*. 
She held her breath. 
And right when her nibble fingers touched the lock, I charged at her with lightning speed. 
“Don’t you dare open it.”
Sienna froze on the spot like a deer light in front of headlights.
“Turn around!” I snapped the command like a whip, making her flinch, but she obeyed.
Even in darkness, barring the silvery moonlight, Sienna Emerson was a sight to behold. Young, vibrant and utterly forbidden. All the more reasons, she commanded a pulsating, destructive and deep hunger inside of me. 
Jesus Christ. She was every shade of damnation and inappropriate desire I could afford in this pious life. 
Sienna Emerson was nineteen while I thirty-two, a whopping thirteen years of taboo, for crying out loud. And if that was not convincing enough, I was her teacher and a priest. 
I was supposed to guide and mentor her, not itching to spank that sass and brattiness out of her ass. And most definitely, not fantasize about her mouth around my cock. 
“Look. It’s not what you think.” She tried her best to calm her nerves, but her tight fists at the sides gave her away.
“Really?” I ambled towards her, crowding her space until she found the strength to take a few steps back. “Tell me what I am thinking.”
With a ragged inhale, she blinked up at me. “There were these kittens, okay?” Her voice stuttered as she looked around the darkness. Anywhere, but not at me. Sweet and evasive. “I…I made way for their mother, but I believe one of them was still mewling outside. I just wanted to help them, and that’s all.”
I caught her jaw, forcing her eyes on me. “I expected you would be equipped with a better lie.” 
“I am not lying. It’s…just…” Unable to escape from the incisive gaze of mine, she shut her eyes. 
Whatever else I was, the dominant layer was like my second skin. I wore it without reservations. 
“Did you not read the complete Handbook?” I snapped. 
“Yes, I did, but—”
“Did you, by any chance, missed the chapter where it is specifically written about dinner and curfew hours when the lights will go out?”
“Yes, and—”
“Did you skip the rule where it was mentioned that no student would set foot out of the campus after dinner?” 
“Yes, I said—”
“Then, why will—”
“Argh!” Sienna stomped her foot on the ground, glowering at me as her fiery side sprang forth. Damn, this girl was no pushover. She only needed a little encouragement. “Goddamn it! Will you let me finish?” Her voice boomed with impatience, but the very next second, she caught herself.
That sweet mouth opened and closed in a matter of seconds, and she tried to stumble backwards. Christ, her fear fed the dominance in me. I wanted to punish and protect her at the same time.
“Shit, sorry.” Sienna gasped. “I didn’t mean to shout at you.”
I let go of her jaw and stood with my arms crossed without giving her an inch of space.
“Sixty seconds. Say your piece.” 
“I don’t have a watch with me.”
My voice hardened, quipping her sarcasm. “Now the count is fifty seconds.” 
“Seriously? I know ten seconds isn’t a lot, but there’s no way it will just whoosh past—“
“Forty seconds and you are losing time.” I cut in. 
Sienna let out a hasty breath as I noticed her shoulders slumped in minor defeat. “Okay, you are right. The kitten story is not completely true, but I was not trying to slip out either. I just…I just wanted to step out for no good reason. I sound like an idiot. And I know I broke the curfew rule, but I really couldn’t sleep for two days. All I needed is some fresh air. And because I am terrible with directions, I ended up here. So, you can’t blame me—”
I held raised a palm in front of her face. “Time’s up.” 
“Huh?” 
“Come with me.” 
“C’mon!” Her arms snagged mine, stopping me. “You can’t be mad at me for this trivial thing. I am practically standing here in my night suit. I mean…who the hell hatches an escape plan in a night suit?” 
That was moot. “Fine. Keeping talking, and I will add on to your tab of infractions. Unfortunately, Father Lucas wouldn’t come to your rescue this time.” 
Sienna pushed her lips out. “I don’t need saving.” 
“What you need is a firm hand to redden your ass.” Shit, I didn’t mean to say that, but she has a way to push out the dominant in me rather than being the disciplinarian.
“You are not going to beat me, are you?” Wide eyes gaped at me. “Look, I wasn’t sleepy, and I simply wanted some fresh air. You might be a caveman about mental health, but in the twenty-first century, it is a real thing.” 
“You suffer from insomnia?” 
The question put her in an uncomfortable place, silencing her sass as she quickly averted her gaze. I knew that she was going to lie to me even before she opened her mouth. 
“Not really,” came the incoherent mumble. “But…some nights, I find it difficult to fall asleep.”
It was more a fib than a blatant lie, but I would have plenty of opportunities to pry out the truth later. 
“Alright.” I sighed. “I believe you.” 
“You do?”  
“Yes, Sienna, I will give you the benefit of the doubt for now. And since you were honest about your problem, I will see what I can do about it.” 
She bit her lips, confused and a little clueless. “So…umm…I think I should go back to—”
I cut her off, hooking her elbow. “Come with me.”
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