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| “It’s cozy and homey, I suppose, but it can feel a little too typical And…thanks so much, Gabriel! You know, everyone was saying today that you were cold and scary, but I don’t think you are at all Aislinn shifted uncomfortably on the seat until the waitress came back “I guess I don’t understand the appeal because I’ve never had any of it He was frowning, beckoning for her to come over to him With a groan, she slumped down to the sidewalk, and sat for long moments, gulping in deep breaths of air to calm her stomach Suddenly she was glad she’d gone out on a limb and accepted his offer of a ride “You shouldn’t eat things like that,” She said softly It seemed that all of her pictures were like that lately Aislinn began stuffing her sketchpad back into her backpack, while Gabriel walked around her, settling down on his bike “It’s really bad for you Aislinn wanted something interesting “You want a ride?” He asked Gabriel seemed to be listening to her intently, something that felt odd, but good “I gave it up,” Gabriel said quietly, although Aislinn hadn’t actually asked the question “Oh, well, we’re not really…I mean, that is to say, Eddie says we’re dating but…I don’t really consider him to be…we don’t really do things couples do Gabriel groaned and sat back, pulling on his helmet Aislinn crouched beside the motorcycle, a mere two feet away, and studied it closely Gabriel’s motorcycle looked strange amid all the cars Usually she worked to the very end, then got a late pass from her teacher, but there was no motivation to do so today Aislinn didn’t know how to respond “Spoken like a true artist “That would be perfect!” Aislinn exclaimed She followed Gabriel as he walked into the nearby Friendly’s restaurant In a way, he was relieved that she was gone, and yet he was also disappointed ” “Oh!” Aislinn exclaimed softly, her cheeks turning red Gabriel huffed “My parents don’t let me eat that sort of thing,” She explained The scowl on his face was not promising ” “That’s a strange assignment,” Gabriel commented, glancing around Eddie was standing on the steps of the school and he had noticed her “Yes,” Aislinn said suddenly Fortunately she didn’t have to, because the waitress was back with their food He wasn’t really sure what possessed him to speak, but before he knew it, he was talking, silently cursing his wayward mouth He was scowling at her, his expression impatient, and yet he’d just offered to buy her some ice cream? He’s as mercurial as the sea, she thought, standing up from the sidewalk For some reason she felt as though her well of inspiration had dried out Gabriel looked up from the menu at last and motioned for her to order first I’ll take her with me tomorrow because I already said I would, but after that…it’s better for both of us if I stay out of her life ” There were a few groans, a few snickers, some whispers here and there In a minute or two he’d start over here, and then she’d have no choice but to walk home with him Again, she turned to Gabriel, who was still waiting, an eyebrow raised inquisitively Eddie was watching him from the driveway of the house next door, leaning against a little red sports car with the same air of possession he’d used with Aislinn The art teacher clapped her hands sharply, twice “It’s such a bad habit, really ” Aislinn turned to hand the helmet back to him, and he had to fight a smile He was going to just leave, before she came back out, but movement at the corner of his vision caught his attention ” “Your happiness shouldn’t be trivial,” Gabriel said quietly The yard was even surrounded by a white picket fence “Today was my day off, but usually I work in the afternoons,” He explained “Well, it’s the assignment, you see Aislinn agreed that she did tend to be a bit loopy, but she was also brilliant She settled back in the booth, alternating between eating her ice cream and talking about the project her art teacher had assigned to her If she noticed Eddie glaring at them both, she didn’t show it Gabriel glanced over at her and raised an eyebrow Right now she didn’t feel like dealing with him Aislinn slid onto the bike, wrapping her arms around Gabriel’s waist and holding onto him tight So he was glad when they finally pulled up in front of her house “Why the hell are you dating a creep like that? You look too intelligent for someone like him He bent over and lifted her sketchpad, studying it for a long moment before holding it out to her It’s just something he says She looked down, swirling her spoon idly, and shrugged Our teacher wanted us to choose an inanimate object Not that I haven’t drawn things that are inanimate, but this should be something I haven‘t done before She didn’t seem overly fond of his motorcycle as far as actually riding on it went So many things that had been over shadowed by Eddie, and who knew how long that had been going on I would think he’s trying to be friendly, but he’s glaring at me like I’ve killed someone he loves, or something It seems so trivial That was the signal for the class to stop what they were doing and listen to her “Oh, I just…I didn’t feel like dealing with him today,” Aislinn replied She sat back, licking a bit of tomato juice from her lips, her expression thoughtful “Okay Her hair was badly toussled and her cheeks were red; she looked lovely ” Gabriel chuckled The only other woman to ever have earned his protectiveness had been his younger sister Aislinn was turning towards the buses when something caught her eye ” It was a mistake She stumbled off, and pulled the helmet off, shaking her hair back Art was her last period on Mondays If you really want to choose motorcycles for your project, you can visit the garage tomorrow “So, what was that all about?” He asked Maybe he was already starting trouble For the most part, when he had seen her in the morning, in the few classes they shared, and during their time together this afternoon, she had seemed so quiet and morose The way her pale blue eyes lit up, her lips curving into a smile that made her face glow…it was too much ” “Speaking of bad for you,” Gabriel said “Dress in old clothes tomorrow I’m asking for trouble with this one, he thought, sighing inwardly ” Gabriel chuckled “Nice place,” Gabriel commented dryly It felt awkward at first; the motorcycle was like nothing she’d ever tried to draw before He’d started up his motorcycle, making it a little difficult to hear, and he was holding out his helmet to her I shouldn’t be getting involved with a little goody two shoes like her Picking up her spoon, Aislinn peered at the cheeseburger You will learn everything you can about that object, you will draw sketches, you will do a painting, oil, acrylic, or water color, your choice, and you will hand in a report on everything you learned What am I doing? she wondered frantically as Gabriel sped out of the parking space He’s polite, even if he does look pissed at me, she thought “I have a healthy appetite “Good,” Gabriel said Gabriel sat down next to her and waited until she lifted her head before speaking “Although I can’t imagine eating all of that This was a strange assignment, to be sure, but maybe it was what she needed “They said it was okay,” She said breathlessly, gracing him with a dazzling smile ” Aislinn nodded “Come on, get up That left them once more in uncomfortable silence, and Aislinn wracked her brain, looking for something to talk about “I…I’m sorry…” Aislinn stammered He’s not there, she thought, unconsciously moving closer Eddie never, ever lets me order first “I work at a garage…fixing cars and motorcycles “I meant the drawing Aislinn had begun to think that Gabriel didn’t have any moods other than angry, impatient, and indifferent She stumbled back a step when she saw Gabriel, his arms folded over his chest, looking somewhat impatient “I guess I don’t pay much attention “I have a new long term assignment for you,” The teacher said “It’s good,” She said, smiling shyly He waited for her, much more patiently than she would have expected him to, and she leaned forward, taking a small bite “You should tell your girlfriend to eat more, handsome Eddie was starting to run towards them now “Just a small sundae,” Aislinn said softly That was really stupid, he thought Aislinn slid her backpack onto her shoulders, then turned on her stool to face the teacher Aislinn stared at him If she moved quickly, she could catch the bus before Eddie came and decided to drive her home “I was just…well you see my art teach…she gave us an assignment and…” She trailed off, her gaze drifting over his shoulder There was an odd sensuality to it Why should I care about that girl or her stupid project? But when she’d looked him in the eye earlier in the day, and welcomed him to the school, he’d felt a sudden surge of protectiveness There was true happiness in her expression now She practically skipped down the front walkway to wear he sat, waiting something that doesn’t move on its own and does not breathe ” He gave her an imperceptible nod then dropped his head to look at the menu I’ll get you some coveralls that will fit you, but there’s no reason to risk it The question startled her, and she turned her head to look at him “Wait here, I’m going to go ask my parents if it’s okay!” Before he could stop her she was racing into the house She wasn’t certain for a long time where they were going But he’d failed to protect her, and now she was dead With a sigh she set down her paint brush and began to pack of her things When Aislinn came back out, she seemed more alive than he had ever seen her I’ll buy you some ice cream, it will cool your stomach Aislinn was not used to motorcycles ” Aislinn blinked at him, unable to move ” “Doesn’t it bother you?” Gabriel asked But as always she fell into it, her concentration becoming so deep that she didn’t hear the footsteps that came up behind her Her parents were health food nuts and she never ate stuff like that, but it did look kind of tasty She cleared her throat, drawing Gabriel’s attention I wonder if he was kept after class or something The picture of the ballet dancers felt like it was missing something “What are you doing?” The soft, cold voice speaking behind her made her jump Aislinn sat back and studied the canvas before her Turning her head to watch Eddie become smaller and smaller as they raced away, she could feel only a thrill of excitement Aislinn glanced back over her shoulder to see Eddie striding towards them ” The waitress herself was a bit pudgy The waitress looked back and forth between them, then shrugged Just one afternoon, Gabriel thought It was interesting; cheese, bacon, lettuce, and tomato all on one burger Most of the class thought the teacher was a loony She flipped open to a fresh page and began sketching She could be that to Gabriel it wasn’t just cold metal and a motor A waitress greeted them cheerfully, and took them to a seat in the non-smoking section Something that is involved and complicated ” Aislinn was a bit taken aback by that ” “Hunny,” The waitress said, her voice slightly nasally, with what sounded like a Brooklyn accent I don’t know this guy, he’s supposedly a criminal ***** Although he’d enjoyed her company that afternoon, Gabriel wished that Aislinn would loosen her grip just a little ” Gabriel didn’t know how to respond to that, and fortunately he didn’t have to Everyone else in the class was watching her attentively, as well It was a quaint little thing in the middle of the suburbs, perfectly white washed with charming dark green shutters and flower boxes beneath the windows “That’s good,” Aislinn answered, her voice equally soft and her eyes on the placemat Aislinn skipped back into her house, humming cheerfully to herself ” “Here,” Gabriel said, holding up the cheeseburger Well, it didn’t matter, after all she was only looking She set Aislinn’s sundae down in front of her, along with a spoon, then put down the plate of food for Gabriel and a giant, overflowing milkshake “This month, from the moment I finish, until, oh let’s say…just before Halloween…I want all of you to find something, an inanimate object…i e Gabriel guessed that, aside from the flower beds in the front, there was probably a garden in the back She wants use to spend a month learning everything we can about it Just as her paints and canvas were a lot more to her than simply paint and canvas “You’re so skinny If you’d like She reached out, taking the helmet with shaking hands, and pulled it on “Well?” Gabriel asked Setting down her backpack, Aislinn retrieved a pencil and her sketchpad from it Eddie hardly even looked at her when she talked There was definitely more there than he had first assumed; intelligence and creativity, yes, but naiveté, kindness, innocence, and playfulness He never should have said it “I don’t know,” Aislinn replied, shrugging ” “We’re not dating,” Aislinn and Gabriel said in unison Now, what kind of inanimate object should I choose? she wondered “Chocolate ice cream, hot fudge, and caramel That decided him; Gabriel wasn’t going anywhere ” It was only a small hint of laughter, but it was laughter nonetheless, and it brought a smile to her face “If you like postcards,” Aislinn answered as she pulled off the helmet She took Gabriel’s order (a bacon cheeseburger and a large chocolate milk shake) then left the table What is wrong with me? But she didn’t really feel any fear Sparing a last lopsided grin for Eddie, who was still glaring, Gabriel finally started up his bike and drove away She turned to eye Gabriel Aislinn dropped her sketchpad and leapt to her feet, whirling She shifted her backpack more comfortably on her shoulders and stepped out into the cool autumn air When Gabriel finally did pull over, she felt a little sick So, tell me about this assignment of yours She was sure that if she asked Eddie, he’d tell her to draw his football or helmet or something |
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