Between the Lines (22 page)

Gabe – 34

I owe
Mateo big. He got that Ellen couldn’t return to her apartment right now, not
that she’s actually explained to me why. But, if it helps with her anxiety,
she’s more than welcome to stay. I also knew he wouldn’t care that she stayed,
but when he asked if he could crash up there, I couldn’t believe it. He claimed
it was so she could listen to her music and he could sleep, but I know it was
more. He wanted to give me some privacy.

“Are you
sure you don’t mind. It’s such an inconvenience,” Ellen says.

“It’s one
flight up. If I need anything, I’ll be back down.”

“Is it
safe?” she mutters almost to herself.

“What?” I
ask.

Ellen
blows out a breath. “I’m being irrational, I know.”

“You can
tell yourself that a hundred times, but it isn’t going to change the way you
feel,” Mateo says with understanding.

“Why
don’t you think it’s safe?” I ask her.

“There’s
no place to go if something happens.”

“Like a
fire?” Mateo asks.

I know
she isn’t thinking about a fire, but bad guys instead.

“Something
like that,” Ellen finally answers. Neither she nor I have told Mateo what is at
the root of her anxiety.

“It’s
only a floor up. Nothing’s going to happen to me, but it’s not that far of a
drop either,” he assures her as he grabs the door handle. “Just relax and get
some sleep, Ellen. It’s all good.”

“He’s
right,” she says after Mateo is gone.

“Mateo
will be fine,” I assure her, for what good it does, but at least she isn’t
panicking. Not like last night. “It’s getting late. You should get some sleep.”

She nods
and gets up off of the couch. “Crap. I didn’t grab anything to sleep in.”

As far as
I’m concerned, she doesn’t need to sleep in anything, but I’m sure the last
think Ellen needs or wants at the moment is to have sex. “I’ll get you a
t-shirt.”

“Thanks.”
She smiles weakly at me.

I grab a
clean one out of a drawer and toss it to her. Ellen ducks into the bathroom and
I strip down to my boxers and crawl into bed.

A moment
later she returns, but leaves the bathroom light on and cracks the door. I
usually need it pitch black to sleep, but if she wants every light in the
apartment on, I’ll let her have it.

She grabs
my tablet as she gets in bed. “Do you mind?”

“Of
course not.” I anticipated her wanting to listen to the ballet anyway. Whatever
Ellen needs, I’ll give to her.

She
starts the music but turns it down so we can barely hear it, sets it on the
nightstand before snuggling against me.

I like
this and not sure I want to sleep without her again. We fit, perfectly. Whether
we are making love or just cuddling. It’s as if she was designed just for me.

When the
hell did I get so sappy?

But, I
can’t help it. Ellen makes me feel all kinds of things I’ve never experienced
before. “Do you think it’s possible to start falling in love within hours of
meeting someone?” My hand is caressing her arm and I’m trying not to hold my
breath, waiting for her answer. What if she isn’t feeling the same thing I am?”

“At one
time, no.”

My
heartbeat increases. “And now?”

I can
feel her grin against my chest. Can she hear and feel how hard my heart is
pounding? “I think so.” She tilts her head back and looks up at me.

“I know
so.” I kiss her forehead, afraid that if I kiss her lips it will be all over
for me and I’ll be making love to her. That’s not what Ellen needs tonight. She
needs rest. “I’ve fallen in love with you.”

“How can
you be so certain?” There are worry lines between her eyes. Maybe it isn’t the
same for her.

“It’s
between the lines. Not in what you say, but in your touch, in what you do, in
your eyes and more specifically, how I feel in here.” I put a hand over my
heart.

“Are you
sure it isn’t how you feel here?” She lays a hand on my cock. It’s hard and
aching and has been this way before we ever got into bed.”

“That’s
only secondary and a reaction to everything else.”

Her brown
eyes darken. “I do believe I’m falling in love too, if I’m not already there,
Gabe.”

My hands
slide up her rib cage and my thumbs caress her hard nipples. “No words are
needed when I’m with you.” I kiss her. This is a bad idea. I want to make love
to her, more than anything, but Ellen needs rest, I remind myself and I remove
my hand and smooth the t-shirt over her body.

She takes
my hand and slides it back under her shirt. “I want you.” Then she gives my
cock a gentle squeeze. “And, it’s clear that you want me.” Ellen pulls herself
up my body and leans in close. “Let’s see what you can read between my lines.”

Ellen

I can’t
remember being so forward in my life, but I knew if I didn’t make a move, Gabe
wouldn’t either. I get that he’s concerned and wants me to rest, but I need
something more. I need him. He’s falling in love and so am I. I can’t just go
to sleep now. Not when his body is right next to mine and he’s hard, wanting
me. I’m aching, deep inside, needing him.

“Are you
sure?” He asks.

“I’ve
never been more sure.”

He rolls
to his side, facing me, before taking my lips. Like the kiss earlier, it’s
gentle and loving and his passion is just under the surface, as if he’s trying
to remain in control. I like this gentleness.

His hands
slowly explore my body, different from the one time we were together.  My blood
heats, and his fingers burn a trail along my skin. He shifts, sitting and pulls
the t-shirt from my body and I don’t try to cover anything. Not anymore. Gabe
accepts me for who I am and loves me.  His blue eyes darken as he rakes his
eyes over my body. I can feel his cock against my thigh and I tug at his
boxers. I want him as naked as me. As soon as he has them off, he tosses them
on the floor and pulls my panties down my legs. Soon, there is nothing between
us. Even the sheet and the blankets have been pushed to the foot of the bed. He
sits back on his heels, studying me.

“Where to
begin?” he asks in a hushed whisper.

“Here?” I
hold out my arms. My intention was to pull him to me. Instead, he takes a palm
and presses a kiss to it, then my wrist, where he licks at my pulse

Goodness,
heat shoots through me and start getting damp. I wasn’t really aroused before,
I just wanted him. But, he’s waking up every nerve in my body.

Gabe
kisses his way down my arm, stopping to lick my inner arm, right at the elbow,
and making his way to my neck. I try not to squirm, but the anticipation of
what he will be doing next is building. My boobs swell and nipples tighten and
he isn’t even there yet.

He bites
my neck gently and I push my fingers through his hair, holding him close. I’ve
had sex before and fucked, but this is the first time I’ve felt like someone is
making love to me, worshipping me and I want to do the same to him. I need Gabe
more than he could possibly need me. I just wished I knew how to show him.

He bends,
taking a nipple into his mouth and I arch, crying out and pleasure shoots to my
groin, I reach for him. Wanting to touch whatever I can reach and grasp one of
his nipples between my fingers, inching.

He takes
my hand away and looks down at me. “Let me love you.”

“I want
to love you too.”

He
chuckles. “If you touch me, I won’t last.”

I have
that much of an effect on him?

“Let me
do this right, please.”

I simply
nod and he bends again this time taking the other nipple in his mouth. I thread
my fingers back through his hair and hold him close my heart melting further as
my body heats.

His hands
skim down the planes of my sensitive stomach and his fingers find the folds of
my lower lips. He sinks in, finding my clit and draws my moisture forward,
circling in. I can’t help it, and raise my hips off the bed, reaching for a
release.

Gabe
doesn’t take the hint, or intentionally ignores my silent yearnings, and slowly
circles, bringing me close to the peak and easing off, then back again. I arch,
a silent scream lodged in my throat as he gives way and lets me explode,
letting me ride the waves and keeping just enough pressure to drag out the
longest orgasm in my life before backing off the moment I become too sensitive.

While I’m
lying there panting, he rolls to the side opens a drawer in this nightstand and
takes out a condom.

“I’m on
the pill and safe.” I haven’t been tested in six months, not since my last pap
smear, but I haven’t been with anyone other than Gabe either. And since I don’t
do drugs, if I got anything, then it’d have to be something airborne.

He tosses
the condom aside. “I am too.”

Gabe
rolls over and settles between my thighs, bracing himself with his hands. I
tilt my hips and he thrusts forward.

I can’t
help but sigh. I need to feel him in me more than I needed that amazing orgasm.

I pull
his head down so that our lips can touch. Any passion he might have been
holding back is unleashed and his tongue thrusts just as his cock fills me
again. Our mouths are melded, tongue tangling as I lift and meet his thrust
over and over.

I didn’t
think it was possible to come again and urge him to the brink. He shifts,
reaches between us and rubs my clit. I’m practically already there again and in
just a matter of moments my body explodes and tiny spark flash behind my
eyelids as he groans and buries himself deeper than I thought possible for
anyone to be. He pumps into me, filling me before collapsing beside me,
breathing heavy.

I’m not
sure my heart will ever return to normal. Even if the beat slows, I know it no
longer belongs to me, but the amazing guy right beside me.

Gabe – 35

Without
opening my eyes, I reach out and try to find my phone, grasping it from the
nightstand. I crack an eyelid and recognize Mag’s number. Ellen is still asleep
so I whisper when I answer. “Hello.”

“Good
morning,” she chirps.

I glance
at the clock. It’s already nine.

“Sleeping
a little late these days, I see.”

I scrub a
hand over my face. “Late night.”

“When can
you be here?”

My eyes
blink open and I’m suddenly awake.

“I can
come back to work?” I was so afraid that in the end I’d lose my job. I know Mag
told me I’d probably be back, but there are no guarantees.

“On
Monday you can return to classes,” she assures me.

“Then why
do you need me today?”

“So, you
can give Ellen a tour.”

“Are you
sure?”  I honestly thought she’d change her mind and not let Ellen back when
she couldn’t learn anything about her.

“You
don’t see the harm and Mateo seems to think she’d understand better than most.”

Surely he
didn’t go to Mag about Ellen’s panic attack. I didn’t ask him to keep it to
himself, but I just assumed he would. “What did he say?”

“I just
asked him about her, and he said he knew enough to think she wouldn’t bring any
harm to Baxter or the kids. That if she was going to write an article, he
didn’t think there’d be anything to worry about.”

I
shouldn’t have doubted Mateo for a second.

“After
lunch?” I suggest.

“Sounds
good. Just check in with me when you get here. I want to talk to her first.”

That, I
should have anticipated. Mag might still grill Ellen before she lets her go
further. But, it’s up to Ellen what she tells my supervisor, not me
.

Ellen

“So,
you’re my babysitter?” I ask Gabe as we step into the plantation house. Mag might
have agreed to let me return, but she wants to talk to me again. I’m not
exactly looking forward to that conversation since the woman clearly does not
like me.

“Escort,”
he corrects with a laugh.

“Same
thing,” I grumble. She probably still won’t let me talk to the kids, so I doubt
I’ll find out anything anyway. I’m also not prepared. Even though I planned on
doing more research and listing out my questions after the last visit. That
didn’t happen because so many other things did.

A
secretary or some kind of office assistant meets us just inside the door.

“Miss Mag
wants you to show Miss West what she may have missed during her last visit,”
she says to Gabe. “She’ll meet the two of you, with your journalist students,
by the willow trees when it’s time for that class.”

He frowns
and then nods his head before turning to me. “So, Ellen. What didn’t you see?”

A lot, I
assume. “The gallery, theater and dance area, I think.” I don’t know what else
there is, but I know Baxter has those and I didn’t see them yet.

He stops
first at the gallery. There are paintings, photographs and sculptures and none
of it has an amateurish quality like you’d normally find in a high school. Not
that I haven’t seen some amazing works of art in high school, but a lot if it
is also lacks depth and detail, because so many are still learning. Not with
these pieces though. Many of them could rival what I’ve viewed at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art. Maybe I can talk the curators into a Baxter
exhibit. That would certainly raise funds for the school, if it turns out it is
a good school.

More and
more I’m beginning to doubt the truth of what that girl said. At first, I just
assumed that Gabe just didn’t know anything, but Mateo is a counselor, with a
psychology degree and I got a real good vibe from him. Maybe the problem was
with her and not the school, yet, I can’t just ignore what I heard because of
two guys who seem to have genuine hearts. It’s not fair to her and certainly
not fair to the rest of the students stuck here if her accusations turn out to
be true.

“These
are amazing,” I finally say, gesturing to the artwork as a whole.

“It is an
art school,” Gabe chuckles. “On to the theatre,” he suggests as we leave the
gallery.

“The
production opens tomorrow,” Gabe says as we step through the doors at the back.
It’s not an overly large theatre, and probably seats two hundred to two hundred
fifty people, but I’m a bit perplexed. If they open tomorrow, where is the set?
I just assumed there would be one. Maybe they don’t have the funds.

“What’s
the show?”

“Can’t
remember.” He shrugs and I roll my eyes as we walk down the center aisle. One
of the students I recognize from his English class is stepping onto the stage. Gabe
steps into a row and I follow, both of us taking seats. Another girl steps onto
the opposite side of the stage and I immediately know the show as soon as their
dialogue starts. It’s
Our Town
, and right now the mothers are rehearsing
their lines while pantomiming making breakfast.

They’re
good. Real good.

When
they’ve finished, the director calls her cast together and I strain to listen.

“We’ll
continue to work on these individual parts, but we’ll run the entire show from
beginning to end, costumes, makeup, and all, for our final dress.”

The
students are nodding.

“Your
dinner will be at five tonight. Finish quick and get here so you can get into
makeup and costumes for the run.”

Again they
nod.

“Now, who
has something they want to work on before next class?”

A kid in
the front row raises his hand. I can’t hear what he says, and Gabe leans in.
“Do you want to come see it tomorrow night?”

I grin up
at him. “I’d love to.”

He winks
and then stands, leading me out of the theatre. “On to the dance studios.”

My
heartbeat picks up. After the art work, and watching those two actresses, I can’t
wait to see the dancers. “What kind of dancing?” Please let it be ballet.

He
shrugs. Does Gabe know anything about the school he teaches at?

“I know
they study all kinds.” He smiles down at me. “But the main teacher is a
ballerina.”

He was
holding out on me. I give him a gentle punch in the arm.

“I
thought you said you didn’t hit people.” He rubs his arm.

I know
damn well I didn’t hurt him. “Well, I didn’t until I met you.”

He laughs
and opens the door for me. I pause and listen. From further down the hall I
hear the music. I close my eyes and let it wash over me. “Coppelia,” I whisper.

“Coppelia?”

“The
ballet,” I answer and follow the music until I find the room and step inside.
It’s a large studio and five girls are dancing, learning the part of Swanilda,
the lead, who is in love with Franz. It’s a difficult piece and the teacher
starts the music over and over demonstrating the movements. I learned this
once, not that I was ever good enough to play the part, but I know the dance
and if I weren’t wearing heels, I’d be tempted to join them just to see what I
remember.”

“Are
there only five students?”

“No,
there are more.”

“Any
guys?” It’s hard to have a full ballet without males.

“Yep,”
Gabe answers, as if he’s not sure. “There’s another studio across the hall.”

I step
out and cross to the other door.  There are twelve other students in here, all
rehearsing the same steps. Six guys and six girls, learning the way to properly
lift. My heart swells again, wishing I could once again be part of the ballet.

A bell
rings and the music across the hall shuts off and the students in this room
start grabbing their stuff.

“Well, I
guess it’s time to meet with Mag.”

My
stomach tightens and once again I’m thrust back into reality, away from my
happy place of the ballet.