I supposed it was hard not to learn a few things about her, just from being around when she socialized with others.
It was obvious Avery’s mom was trying to help dispel the awkwardness too, because she immediately became super chatty with Serenity, more than happy to do all the talking for our little group of five.
“So you’re a police officer, aren’t you?” Michelle asked, revealing that Avery must treasure every little piece of information she could get from me, since I’d only mentioned that one time — two years ago. And it also indicated that she likely talked about me at home more frequently than I would have initially thought.
“Detective,” Serenity corrected her, beginning to share a little about her job.
I stopped listening pretty quickly though, because a well-dressed guy came in then, the scent of his hormones rising as he approached to get in line. Knowing Gabriella was kind of hidden behind me, and very visible to this man, I stepped to the side and wrapped my arms around her shoulders, pulling her into a brief hug, before slipping behind her. She was obviously really confused that I was showing any kind of affection in public, especially under these circumstances, considering the gesture didn’t go unnoticed by Avery who was kind of angled away now. However, one look at my expression tipped her off.
That, and her seeing the guy in the corner of her vision as he walked up.
Certainly, there was nothing I could do about the guy’s gawking, but after our bad experience in the mall, I wasn’t wanting to take the chance of this man getting too close to Gabriella, pretending like he didn’t notice he was almost touching her.
And even though I didn’t look at him at all, since I could hear and smell him, he seemed to pick up on the slight defensiveness in my posture, because I began smelling faint agitation as well. It only lasted a few seconds though.
He had a great view of Serenity, Avery, and her mom, all of them hot enough to be models.
How in the hell had I ended up surrounded by such attractive women anyway?
Just luck?
I mean, it obviously had to be luck with Serenity, but now I was wondering if my hypnotic eyes had anything to do with Avery’s attraction toward me, despite the fact she’d never seen me transformed. Because she was objectively the hottest girl in school, even if she didn’t hang out with what was considered to be the ‘popular’ crowd.
Like, she was in track instead of being something like a cheerleader, though I wasn’t sure how she ran with those huge tits — probably a really tight sports bra. And she’d also refused any advances to date guys who might have otherwise propelled her to the pinnacle of popularity.
Popularity for high school, at least.
I was well aware that no one gave a shit about that kind of thing in the real world — outside of a school setting. Unless someone was choosing a career as a politician, musician, or actress, no one gave a fuck about something like popularity.
And as far as I could tell, Avery knew that too, not seeming to care about how popular she was, even though she undoubtedly had a shit ton of friends. Or at least had a shit ton of people who wanted to be her friend, minus most of the cheerleaders and the girls who thought they were the hottest.
Really, they were the snobbiest and most shallow.
Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait much longer before the older guy was finally satisfied, the teller looking relieved to have him go. However, when Michelle realized it was her turn, Avery didn’t budge, seeming to finally work up the nerve to turn more fully toward Serenity and Gabriella, a pleasant smile on her face.
The guy behind me was still shamelessly looking them all over, but I did my best to ignore him, staring at the wall so that it seemed like I wasn’t engaged in the conversation.
“So,” Avery began, her tone sounding more cheerful. “I’m not sure I caught your name?”
“Gabriella,” she replied politely. “And I think Kai forgot to introduce me,” she added, briefly giving me a chastising look over her shoulder, though I suspected it was for show.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Avery continued, sounding sincere. “What high school do you go to? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before.”
Even if I didn’t already know my classmate was a genuinely nice person, it was obvious from her tone, expression, and overall demeanor that she was being genuine. She’d always been like that, always wanting to make others feel welcome.
Honestly, I was certain there wasn’t a mean bone in her thin body.
Granted, she didn’t necessarily go out of her way usually, like she did with me, but when forced into an unpleasant situation, like if a group of cheerleaders tried teasing her, she was always nice. Although, in this particular situation, she didn’t have to talk to us. She could have just gone up to the counter with her mom…
Which made me suspect that her obvious obsession with me, and curiosity about my life, were pressing her onward.
To get any opportunity to be near me, even if that meant socializing with my girlfriend.
Shit, what would she think if she realized Gabriella was actually my fiancé?
Gabriella had hesitated briefly, before responding, actually seeming a little timid. Which surprised me, even though I knew she’d previously claimed to struggle being confident around strangers. So then, I supposed I was seeing a new side of her.
She cleared her throat after a second. “Umm, well, I’m actually not in high school. I graduated two years ago.”
Avery’s blue eyes widened in shock, her expression instantly dropping. “Oh. Then…” She seemed to be struggling to continue. “Are you in…college? Like a sophomore or junior? Or something?”
Damn, I hadn’t even considered that Gabriella was old enough to be a sophomore in college. It kind of made her feel older than two years for some reason. Maybe because I still had the perception that college girls were a lot older than me, even if I was old enough to be starting college myself.
Gabriella quickly shook her head. “No, I have a cosmetology license. I work at a nail salon.”
Avery regained her composure some, perking up a little. “Oh, which one?” she wondered, sounding interested now.
Normally, I wouldn’t have cared too much if Gabriella shared, but the guy behind me had slowly drifted more to the side, giving him a better view of all the women. And the last thing I needed was for him to learn where my fiancé worked and decide to stop by.
Call it paranoid, but I had reason to be.
Gently, I rested my fingertips in the middle of Gabriella’s shoulder blades, as if I was just going to rub her back a little, prompting her to stop midsentence as she began with, “Oh, over on–”
Avery immediately noticed, focusing up at me with wide eyes, though I kind of wondered if the expression was due to the fact that I was finally making eye contact with her again.
I gave her an apologetic look. “I’ll tell you about it at lunch on Monday. It looks like your mom is done.”
And thankfully, she was just about done, not seeming to have needed much of the teller’s time, already accepting what looked like a deposit slip receipt from the woman. Avery continued to hold my gaze for a couple of seconds too long, before slowly nodding. She didn’t even bother verifying that her mom was really done, seeming to trust that I was being honest with her.