“Yeah, pretty much in agreement with you there,” she said softly.
“Why does it make you sad, Gabrielle, because I’m not. I wanted to see you again after the gala. I tried to find you.”
“I’m not sad,” she said softly.
“You are. I see can see it in your eyes. But you don’t have to be.” I brushed a strand of hair back and tucked it behind her ear.
She froze when I touched her, a current of energy snapping between us.
She held my eyes this time. “It’s mostly that I’m so ashamed of my behavior with you at the gala. That’s the honest truth, Ivan. If that night had never happened then I imagine our first meeting would have gone down much differently.”
She felt shame for her reaction to me in that storage closet? I didn’t like that idea because shame had nothing to do with it. She’d done nothing shameful by being with me. Which left me with one conclusion as to why she was ashamed. Somebody had hurt her badly in the past and taught her to feel that way. She was far more fragile than I’d ever imagined.
I didn’t like that idea, either.
“Let’s walk.” I held out my arm. “The lake is pretty at night with the moon and stars shining.”
She eyed me and thought about it, standing there mouthwateringly gorgeous with her dress moving softly in the night breeze, holding her drink with both hands.
“It’s okay; I’m completely calm and mellow right now. At your suggestion, I’ve been reading up on my notes from Being a Human 101.”
She laughed, transferring her glass to one hand and taking my arm with the other. “I hope it helps.”
“It probably won’t, but I’m sure you’ll tell me when I need to brush up on the main points.”
“It is pretty out here. You were so right,” she said, looking up at the full moon making the night quite bright for the lateness of the hour.
“In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous,” I quoted.
“Aristotle, right?” she asked, still looking up at the sky.
“Correct.” I brought my hand up to the back of her neck to steady her as we walked the footpath toward the lake.
“I had to study the classics at university much to my dismay.”
“And you hated it?”
“It just didn’t interest me at the time, but there was value in it I suppose. Like this lake at night with the moon and stars shining overhead.”
She looked out at the view and studied it for a moment. Her beautiful face and body framed like a portrait against the night. My hand stayed put on the back of her neck, my thumb rubbing tiny circles just behind her ear.
“It is something of the marvelous, Ivan,” she whispered up at the sky.
“I know.”
She didn’t even realize I was referring to her…and not the view of the lake, or the celestial night sky.
Another moment later she leaned back against my hand, and tilted her head toward me. She looked right at my lips.
I’d never look a gift-horse in the mouth, not in a situation like this one, and with Gabrielle’s beautiful face turned toward mine, with an expression of desire reflected in her eyes, it was enough of a signal for me and I took it. I took her mouth.
My hand at her neck tugged and pulled her to my lips.
I heard the crash of her drink glass hitting t
he deck, and felt her fingers weave their way into my hair. I didn’t stop. And I don’t think anything could have made me stop.
I was never going to stop kissing her.