34 | Man proposes, God disposes

**SIENNA**

The deal I struck with the doctors and nurses were for two days. For the next forty hours, I had to be the ideal patient, taking those nasty pills without complaints, and they would sign off on my release on the third day.
To be honest, it was not a bad deal.
I could not wait to go back to Gabriel’s place (if that’s what I can call) and stay there. He had assured me time and again that I would not have to go back home, and it was all the solace I could find.
Dad would have just hired a nurse and confine me to my room, not bothering to pay a visit or care enough to inquire. I did not need such hospitality even in my home.
Mount Carmel would be different. Gabriel would be there, and even though he would just boss me around, my heart has warmed up to him. The bigger question was, did his heart warm up to me as well?
Sometimes, I think he did. But the fact that he was a priest with a vow of celibacy, there were limitations. There were lines even he could not cross, and even though I was dying to tempt him to come to the darker side, I did not know if it was the right thing to do.
My future was tied to the Abbott family, a noose that was only getting tighter every day. As soon as I finish my term at Mount Carmel, there would be a ring on my finger.
I would officially become Zak Abbott’s property. In every sense of the term.
The thought disgusted me as well as frightened me. But I knew that I could not escape the future.
Only, I wanted to live in the moment. I was selfish in falling for a man thirteen years older than me to make him want me when he should not. It was in moments like these I wanted to laugh at the ironic games that God played with us, mortals. He tempted us with the sweetest fruits of Eden and expected us to show restraint.
*How in the name of fuck was it possible?*
Whoever said God has divine plans, I’d say he just likes to play chess with us.
When Gabriel told me that he would bring me back to Mount Carmel, I did not know it was in the rectory right beside his. It was a bold move, even for a priest of a parish and headmaster of a school, but no one dared to voice their question.
He rolled me out in a wheelchair, despite my vehement protests, and brought me into the room. It looked exactly like his, with a bed in the centre, a small wooden chair and table and a cupboard with utilities. A crucifix hung in one of the walls above the bed.
Gabriel, without warning, leaned down and scooped me up in his arms as I gasped and struggled a bit. “What are you…Oh, my God! Put me down!” But immediately, my body hurt with the sudden movement, making me wince in pain.
“See, this is why I tell you to keep quiet and listen to me,” he scolded and slowly deposited me on the bed. Surprisingly, the mattress was softer and nicer than the one I was used to.
“Well, you are just too bossy,” I muttered, earning myself a narrowed look from his end.
“I have moved only the essential things from your dorm. In case you need anything else, you will let me know,” he mandated.
I patted the mattress, silently inviting him to join, and he did. His arm draped over my shoulder, pulling me closer to his body as I closed my eyes and sighed contentedly. “This…feels like home.”
“I am glad because you need to be comfortable.”
He was still talking mechanically as if this was normal. It wasn’t. Anything between us was not normal. Gabriel and I were living in a happy bubble for now, but I could tell the worst was coming for us.
“Have you ever done this before?” I asked, breaking the pregnant pause.
“Allowed a student to stay in one of the rectories?”
“What do you think?”
“Then, why me?”
“Do I need to answer this?” He countered, kind of avoiding the straight answers.
I was tired of this game of questions he played and shook my head. “Forget I asked.”
I was just about to roll away to find a pillow and curl up when Gabriel grabbed me by the nape and brought his face closer to mine. His lips were inches away from brushing against mine, and whatever little thoughts I harboured melted away under his heat.
His ability to take away my thoughts, pain and senses were astonishing. “You are special, Sienna. Is that what you need to hear from me?” Thick baritone husked. His finger tightened around my nape as if he was fighting hard to control himself. “It already kills me to think that this had happened to you in my absence. I can’t let anything happen to you again. Never, ever,” he vowed.
“You got that right. And yes, I wanted to hear from you,” I breathed. “I know it’s silly, but your words make me feel special. You make me feel…alive.”
It was a soul defining moment for us, and the way I trembled against him and parted my lips, the line between sacramental and sacrilege blurred. It blended and fused into something new and whole and singular, and we did not know how to bear the weight of this. We were so close that we were sharing the same breath, literally, our hearts beating in the same dizzy rhythm.
In spite of our relationship, a teacher and student, this moment somehow felt more intimate, more vulnerable, than anything we’d shared. Everything else had happened while we were pretending that God was not watching, but this? There was no pretending now.
But you know how they say: *Man proposes, God disposes*.
A sudden knock on the door surprised us, and the impact almost wedged us apart. For a few seconds, we could only stare at each other, not knowing what to say or what to do.
Between him and me, he was first to recover as he retracted his touch. “That should be Harper,” he whispered for my ears and then modulated his tone. “Come in.”
The door swung open, and an excited Harper rushed inside, pulling me in for a tight hug. “Ow!” I winced involuntarily.
“Oh, I am so sorry!” She pulled back. “Did I hurt you?”
“No, no, it’s ok.” I laughed. “I got your little gift, by the way. Thank you.”
“It’s the least I could have done.”
Gabriel stood up. “I will let you spent some time now. But Harper, make sure you don’t miss any more classes after lunch, and you—” He pointed his finger and gave me a mock-stern look with his narrowed stormy eyes. “—you won’t be leaving the bed until I return. Harper will stay with you until then.”
“She is my friend, not a babysitter,” I shot back.
“Harper, you remember my instructions?”
“Yes, Father,” she answered obediently and parroted, making me roll my eyes. “I won’t leave her side until you return, and I will immediately inform you if she doesn’t listen to me.”
“Good.”
I swatted her arm as Gabriel left before giving me a discreet smile.
“You are worse than Brutus! Shakespeare could write an entire novel on you both,” I accused.
“I am sorry, Sienna. I am really sorry!” Harper apologised for no reason. She did that pretty often, shouldering the entire weight of the universe as if anything bad happened that around her was her fault.
“For what? You are not the one who pushed me down the stairs case,” I joked.
Her profile froze as she gaped at me incredulously. *Oh, shit. I am bad, a friend.*
“Wait, someone pushed you down?”
“You didn’t know,” I muttered.
“Who was it? Did you see it? And when…”
“I wish I knew.”
Harper was lost in thought for a moment, chewing on her bottom lip. “So, Father Sullivan knows. Is that why he was asking whether I saw anyone around the first floor? Oh, my God! Sienna, this is terrifying.”
“Gabriel thinks it’s either Eva or Irene.”
“Gabriel?”
I waved off it off with a chuckle and a wink. “Oh, I do that to piss him off.”
“Of course.” She smiled. “Eva or Irene—it’s a possibility. They hate you and also threatened you. Did you tell him that?”
“I did. But without proof, it will be difficult to point. Besides, neither of them are going to come out and spill the beans.”
“What if they try something once again?” She asked.
“With Gabriel around, the chances are slim.” Shit, I just don’t seem to wrap my head around the title ‘Father Sullivan’ anymore.
Harper nodded. “He will protect you, no matter what.”
I winced as I adjusted my body against the pillows and laughed heartily at her simple-minded religious beliefs. “Well, you put too much trust in God. I am sure the old man is pretty busy in heaven.”
“No, I meant Father Sullivan,” she refuted. “He cares about you…differently. He won’t let anything bad happen to you.”
The world stopped spinning for me.
I did not know if it was a bad thing or a good thing that Gabriel’s care and concern were visible to others. But I was terrified to know that if Harper could see it so clearly, then someone else with sharp eyes and a keen sense would easily pick up the clues.
*Will that land him in danger?*

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**What will happen when the Abbott family comes for Sienna? Do you think Gabriel will be able to deal with them and maintain his priesthood?**