lobster and I don’t suppose you fancy being tossed into hot water."
"I don’t know. If the right girl in a bikini joined me..."
"Lobsters girls have claws, not bikinis."
"A guy can dream, can’t he?"
"Gabriel, I hate to tell you this, but your fantasies need work."
"Yeah? Suggestions?"
Alice was too flustered to think straight. Every time she thought Gabriel might be flirting with her, might no longer look at her as a little sister, it turned out to be just friendly teasing instead. But every time, he got her with that glint in his eyes, and she didn’t have the faintest idea if he meant it or not.
She kicked a table leg in frustration. Suppose she just asked him? That was an option. A somewhat scary option, but suppose she just opened her mouth and asked "Gabriel, are you flirting with me, or just teasing?"
"Huh?"
Oh, Lord! She’d actually spoken aloud. She stopped herself halfway through sinking between the sofa cushions to disappear into the wastelands of dust under the sofa, and straightened her back. Why not just ask him? It was the logical thing. Definitely a thing a modern women would do. "Sometimes I don’t know what to make of you. So, just to avoid a misunderstanding: are you flirting with me or not?"
Gabriel stared at her for several seconds, then used several more to slowly empty his glass of water. Then he picked the ice cubes out of the glass and popped them in the mouth. Even more seconds passed as the room was filled with the noise of ice crunching between his teeth.
Alice rolled her eyes. "Gee, Gabriel, would you like a day or two to think it over?"
"You’re Michael’s little sister," he said slowly.
She sighed inwardly. It always came down to that, didn’t it? What was that, some stupid honor code among guys? Thou Shall Not Mess Around with Thy Friend’s Little Sister? "What has that got to do with anything?"
"I taught you to ride a bike."
"Yeah." She pulled up the cuff on her pants and revealed her knee. "See? I still bear the scars."
He stared at her knee. "I’m doing this to help you find your perfect guy, your soulmate, the one you’re going be happy with forever and be buried next to so you can be together ‘for all eternity’. Right?"
She shifted, uncomfortable not knowing if he was making fun at her. "Well, yes."
"I’m not that kind of a guy." He shook his head. "I don’t know if anyone is, but definitely not me. So, even if I flirt with you, which I shouldn’t do, because you’re off-limits for your own good, the smart thing for you would be do run in the opposite direction. Get it? So if I do – accidentally – you should ignore it."
Okay. That put her in her place.
She didn’t feel too rejected though, because there was this wistful regret in his voice, as if he didn’t quite agree with himself and his reasoning.
Maybe he’d change his mind.
Maybe she’d make him change his mind. The time they’d spent together lately had molded her crush into an intense attraction she was having one hell of a time fighting. Especially as she didn’t want to fight it.
She wanted to give in – and she wanted him to give in.
But he didn’t want to want her, did he? And if Gabriel never changed his mind, maybe one of the A-Z guys would turn out to make her heart flutter and her palms sweat. Maybe Gabriel was just one of many who had a direct link to her libido, maybe one of her alphabetized guys would also be able to melt her bones with just a look or a smile. It could happen.
"Fine. I was just checking."
"It’s not that you’re not..." He shoved a hand through his hair repeatedly and tried again. "It’s not that I’m not...." A curse flew out of his mouth and a shrug told her he gave up on phrasing his thoughts. "Sorry."
"Nothing to be sorry about." She jiggled her glass and held it out towards him, ecstatic that she’d gotten him so flustered. That had to mean something, right? "You look a bit hot, Gabriel. Want my ice cubes?"
* * *
It had been a long,
"I don’t know. If the right girl in a bikini joined me..."
"Lobsters girls have claws, not bikinis."
"A guy can dream, can’t he?"
"Gabriel, I hate to tell you this, but your fantasies need work."
"Yeah? Suggestions?"
Alice was too flustered to think straight. Every time she thought Gabriel might be flirting with her, might no longer look at her as a little sister, it turned out to be just friendly teasing instead. But every time, he got her with that glint in his eyes, and she didn’t have the faintest idea if he meant it or not.
She kicked a table leg in frustration. Suppose she just asked him? That was an option. A somewhat scary option, but suppose she just opened her mouth and asked "Gabriel, are you flirting with me, or just teasing?"
"Huh?"
Oh, Lord! She’d actually spoken aloud. She stopped herself halfway through sinking between the sofa cushions to disappear into the wastelands of dust under the sofa, and straightened her back. Why not just ask him? It was the logical thing. Definitely a thing a modern women would do. "Sometimes I don’t know what to make of you. So, just to avoid a misunderstanding: are you flirting with me or not?"
Gabriel stared at her for several seconds, then used several more to slowly empty his glass of water. Then he picked the ice cubes out of the glass and popped them in the mouth. Even more seconds passed as the room was filled with the noise of ice crunching between his teeth.
Alice rolled her eyes. "Gee, Gabriel, would you like a day or two to think it over?"
"You’re Michael’s little sister," he said slowly.
She sighed inwardly. It always came down to that, didn’t it? What was that, some stupid honor code among guys? Thou Shall Not Mess Around with Thy Friend’s Little Sister? "What has that got to do with anything?"
"I taught you to ride a bike."
"Yeah." She pulled up the cuff on her pants and revealed her knee. "See? I still bear the scars."
He stared at her knee. "I’m doing this to help you find your perfect guy, your soulmate, the one you’re going be happy with forever and be buried next to so you can be together ‘for all eternity’. Right?"
She shifted, uncomfortable not knowing if he was making fun at her. "Well, yes."
"I’m not that kind of a guy." He shook his head. "I don’t know if anyone is, but definitely not me. So, even if I flirt with you, which I shouldn’t do, because you’re off-limits for your own good, the smart thing for you would be do run in the opposite direction. Get it? So if I do – accidentally – you should ignore it."
Okay. That put her in her place.
She didn’t feel too rejected though, because there was this wistful regret in his voice, as if he didn’t quite agree with himself and his reasoning.
Maybe he’d change his mind.
Maybe she’d make him change his mind. The time they’d spent together lately had molded her crush into an intense attraction she was having one hell of a time fighting. Especially as she didn’t want to fight it.
She wanted to give in – and she wanted him to give in.
But he didn’t want to want her, did he? And if Gabriel never changed his mind, maybe one of the A-Z guys would turn out to make her heart flutter and her palms sweat. Maybe Gabriel was just one of many who had a direct link to her libido, maybe one of her alphabetized guys would also be able to melt her bones with just a look or a smile. It could happen.
"Fine. I was just checking."
"It’s not that you’re not..." He shoved a hand through his hair repeatedly and tried again. "It’s not that I’m not...." A curse flew out of his mouth and a shrug told her he gave up on phrasing his thoughts. "Sorry."
"Nothing to be sorry about." She jiggled her glass and held it out towards him, ecstatic that she’d gotten him so flustered. That had to mean something, right? "You look a bit hot, Gabriel. Want my ice cubes?"
* * *
It had been a long,
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