“Shit, we broke it. Excuse my language,” he grumbled and pushed himself into a sitting position.
“Dang, what do you do at the gym, Father? Bench press other priests?” I chuckled.
He smiled and tossed the handle on the shelf beside him.
“I swim laps, actually.”
“Oh, cool. Do you wear the robe in the pool?”
He rolled his eyes and shook his head.
“No robe, huh? A speedo then?”
“Zoe…”
“Sorry.”
I took a deep breath and stared at the door for a moment, hoping Father Garrett didn’t notice our knees touching as we sat on the floor in defeat. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the network, then he sighed and shoved it back in his pocket.
“Nothing. Lightning must have destroyed the nearest cell tower.”
“Maybe someone will come looking for us.”
“Hopefully not Mother Ester. Could you imagine bumping into her on a dark and stormy night? It would give me nightmares.”
I chuckled and nodded. That’s when Father Garrett noticed our knees touching. He quickly scooted away from me and leaned against the shelf on the right. I gave him an annoyed look, and he gave me an innocent shrug.
“Is constant distance really necessary?” I asked.
“Yes. Especially right now. You don’t know what it’s like to be close to you, so you don’t get to judge.”
I furrowed my brow at him for a moment.
“Father Garrett, are you afraid I’ll touch you inappropriately or something?”
“No. I trust you.”
“Then why the distance? Do you not trust yourself?”
He scowled at me after that. I stared at him in confusion for a moment. His silence had meaning, and it was suddenly louder than words.
“Holy crap. You don’t trust yourself around me, do you?”
He sighed and rubbed his face in annoyance.
“It’s not like that. I’m just afraid that if we started touching, we wouldn’t want to stop.”
His words and serious gaze made my gut tingle. I understood what he meant, and it scared and intrigued me. I didn’t know he thought about me that way.
“Oh,” I nodded.
I scooted against the opposite shelf, giving us a little more distance. It didn’t feel like enough, and I liked it. Then I felt guilty for liking it.
“Wow, I didn’t think it could get more awkward, but it did,” he muttered.
“Sorry, I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable.”
“I know.”
The silence that followed was thick. The rain and wind were still beating down on the roof at a constant roar, then another explosion of thunder made me jump. Father Garrett smiled at my reaction.
“Do you enjoy seeing me terrorized, Father?”
“No. Well, maybe a little.”
“Why is that?”
“Your presence torments me. Seeing you distressed eases my torment. I don’t know why. It just does,” he shrugged.
“Wow, my presence torments you?”
“Yes. It’s not all bad. I enjoy it sometimes.”
I raised an eyebrow at him, making him grin.
“Really? What parts do you enjoy?”
“I am not going to tell you that.”
“Come on. Don’t be so stuffy. Tell me something that I do that torments you. Please,” I begged.
He sighed and rolled his eyes, and I feared he would give me the silent treatment. But, to my astonishment, he licked his lips and started speaking.
“Okay, here is one of the worst instances. A few weeks back, you were at your desk, deep in thought about an exam question. I was drinking my coffee and enjoying the many scowls appearing on your face as you worked. Without changing your focus, you removed your right shoe and scratched your big toe. Then, without thinking, you proceeded to slide your hand up your leg, over your knee, and along your thigh until it came to rest at the hem of your skirt. It was natural and sensual, and I almost dropped my coffee in my lap when I saw it. Then I couldn’t stand up for the next ten minutes without humiliating myself.”
My eyes widened, and my gut tingled as he spoke. He wouldn’t look at me afterward. Instead, he stared at the back wall as if it were fascinating.
“Wow,” is all I could muster in response.
My desire to be close to him rebounded, but I was suddenly afraid to get closer to him. My body was giving me every mixed signal it could conjure. I had to remind myself that Father Garrett was a well-respected priest at Saint De Milo College and a trusted friend, even though I didn’t know him as well as I thought I did.
“I shouldn’t have told you that,” he said a minute later.
“I’m glad you did. I want to know you better.”
He looked at me again, and I smiled, but it didn’t ease the tension on his forehead. He nodded and looked at the floor, determined to avoid my gaze.
“Garrett, when you act like that, it makes me feel like you’re ashamed of me or ashamed of liking me. I hate it.”
The look he gave me after calling him Garrett without his priestly title made me feel like I was in trouble, which pissed me off.
“Don’t look at me like that. I can call you by your first name if I want to. I’m not a child, and right now, you’re not my teacher or my priest. We’re two friends stuck in a closet, and it’s your fault if I remember correctly. Show me a little respect.”
His scowl eased after I scolded him. It was a relief and made me feel like I had a little more power over the situation.
“Sorry. I totally respect you,” he smirked.
His deviant smirk instantly erased my short-lived power trip. I rolled my eyes and looked away from him.
“Are we fighting now?” he asked in a teasing tone.
I chewed my lip to keep from smiling.
“If you want to,” I shrugged.
He laughed and shook his head.
“I honestly don’t care what we do. I love being informal around you. It makes me feel human,” he smiled.
“I’m glad.”
We stared at each other for a moment, smiling. That’s what I wanted from him, mutual affection, not regret or shame.
“Garrett, can I please sit next to you and pretend we’re normal for just a few minutes?”
His smile slipped away after that question, and I feared he would reject me again. Then, against all odds, he nodded. I smiled and quickly crawled over to him. I snuggled against his right side and leaned my head on his shoulder. I took a deep breath, enjoying the delicious scent of his skin. It made me feel warm all over. Then I moaned in contentment. It was bliss. I heard him gulp before he slowly leaned his cheek against my hair. He took a deep breath and sighed in contentment too. I closed my eyes and smiled. That kind of attention from him was incredibly satisfying. It felt like love. I knew he felt it too. I drifted into a nap soon after.
Chapter 10: Desire
An explosion of thunder woke me up sometime later. Father Garrett and I both jumped and straightened up, disoriented and startled.
“Ugh, why is my hair wet?” I mumbled as I felt a cold spot on the top of my head.
“Oops, I think I drooled on you. Don’t worry. You drooled on my shoulder, so we’re even.”
I laughed and used my sleeve to wipe the drool out of my hair. Father Garrett climbed to his feet and tried the light switch.
“Still no power,” he said and checked his phone, “and no service. We’ve been here for three hours. What is everybody doing out there? They should be looking for us.”
“No kidding. I hope everyone is alright,” I yawned.
I stood and stretched before removing my uniform jacket. It was too warm in the closet after three hours without air conditioning. Father Garrett looked at me as I pulled the tail of my blouse out of my skirt and flipped my hair over to fluff it a little. Then I straightened up and tossed my hair back before using my fingers to straighten it. His cheeks blushed as he watched me.