New Leaves, No Strings (25 page)

‘After this morning I just … shit
his timing just really sucks.’

‘Gabe, what time were you supposed
to be at practice yesterday?’

‘It doesn’t matter.’

‘It does to me and you told me you’d
never lie to me,’ I said fixing him with a firm gaze under which he wilted.

‘Ten ’til twelve,’ he sighed.

‘So you missed it to meet me then?’
He nodded. ‘So that’s why you kept ignoring your phone. Why didn’t you suggest
meeting me later?’

‘I got the feeling that you didn’t
want me to stop on Saturday and I didn’t know if it was just going to be a
lunch date yesterday. I just wanted to make sure I got to spend as much time as
possible with you.’

‘Gabe, I told you that there are
certain things in my life that I won’t give up for anyone. If we’re going to do
this, I need you to be the same about the things that matter to you.’

‘You still want to do this?’ he
asked, looking surprised.

‘Yes and if this is going to work, I
don’t want either of us to resent each other for not letting the other do what
makes them happy.’

‘Ok.’

‘Ok?! You’re agreeing that easily,
no endless debate?’

‘I’ve learned this morning that
it’s not a good idea to ignore advice that you have given me, so yes ok. I want
this to work, so I won’t skip any more swimming practices.’

‘Or stand Doug up for the gym?’

‘No, I won’t stand him up again.’

I looked at him debating kissing
him, but it was too soon. I still wanted him, but I was still a bit uneasy over
his declaration, so I pushed him in front of me through the doors. Lexi’d taken
my usual chair leaving me to form a barrier between her and Andrew, I gave her
a frown and she shrugged at me.

‘Haven’t you told him it’s off yet?’
I whispered.

‘No.’

‘Lexi I’m not doing it for you. So anyway
what about Doug?’

‘What about him?’

‘Feisty and foxy eh?!’

‘Shut up,’ she said scowling at me
again.

‘He likes you.’

‘Shut UP.’

‘He’s cute,’ I teased.

‘He uses the word dude. That went
out like … I don’t know, before I was born.’

‘He’s tall like you,’ I observed as
I unpacked my bag.

‘So? You saw him talking out there,
it was a complete train wreck.’

‘It’s endearing.’

‘No it’s not,’ she said quickly.

‘He’s dark haired, which you like.’

‘Soooo?’

‘He must be a pretty decent guy if
he’s best friends with Gabe, whom you did admit to liking this morning.’

‘Whom? Will you ever learn to speak
like us normal folk. As for liking Gabe, that was in confidence and was agreed
upon that we would never speak of it again.’

‘He’s a swimmer and gymer too Lex,
odds are his body’s totally ripped too.’

‘God you know you’re right,’ she
exclaimed sitting upright and looking at me. ‘Let’s go wedding dress shopping
immediately. I know, how about we make it a double wedding date? Next week, me
and Doug and you and Gabe, how about that hey? Mrs Mia Austin, nice ring to it.’

‘Touché, I shall zip it on the
subject.’

‘Highly unlikely, now shut up some
of us are here to study.’

I kept taking quick glances at Gabe
throughout the lecture, occasionally catching his eye and looking back down
embarrassed as he smiled at me. I had to just let him feel how he wanted to
feel and not let it affect me. Just because he said he loved me, didn’t mean I
had to say it back. I was still in control, I could still walk away if I wanted
to, I just wasn’t sure that
was
what I wanted. I looked up at him again
and felt that flip in my stomach. God he was so hot, I wanted sex with him again
so badly. So much for concentrating on studying, he was so distracting with his
good looks and smiles.

As the lecture ended Lexi went to
stand up and I pulled her back down and stood up myself, placing a restraining
hand on her shoulder.

‘Not until you tell him you’re done,’
I whispered.

‘
Mia.
’

‘No Lexi, I always end up with them
coming to me. Why didn’t she call me Mia? Why’s she avoiding me? Not again, not
here. We’re turning over a new leaf remember?’

‘You can talk. Why won’t she love
me Lexi? Why won’t she sleep with me? Why did she break my heart? Why, why, why
all the bloody time,’ she stood up again resisting my pressure to stop her. I
grabbed my bags and books.

‘You’ve only had to deal with about
6 of mine. I’ve had over 20 of yours. Do it,’ I said as I forcibly pushed her
back down into the chair and made a hasty beeline for the exit where Gabe was
waiting for me.

‘What was that all about?’ he said
nodding over at Lexi.

‘I’m making her tell Andrew it’s
not going to happen. She normally just ignores them and hopes they get the hint.’
I swung my bag over my shoulder and winced and he picked up on it.

‘What’s wrong?’

‘I’m feeling the effects of our
weekend workouts. Do you know any good Pilates classes around here? I really
need to get back to it.’

‘I think they do it in our sports
buildings.’

‘We have a sports building?’

‘Yes where do you think I go to the
gym and take my sports science classes and have swim practice?’ he laughed.

‘I didn’t even know you were doing
sports science.’

‘I feel hurt that you’ve not
already memorised my schedule. It was a toss-up between English and Sports,
both of which I love. So I choose an open degree so I could do both.’

‘So where’s this building?’

‘I’m heading there now. I have swim
practice 6 ’til 8, come with me. You can have a look what classes are on offer
and come and see me do my thing.’

‘I thought fucking was your thing.’

‘My other thing. I love it when you
say “fucking” though, say it again,’ he commanded as he put his arms around my
waist. I could feel he was nervous as he gently pulled me to him, I was too.
Not just after his declaration, but to have his body touching mine again, I
felt myself tremble at his proximity.

‘Fucking,’ I whispered as I looked
at him shyly and he grinned from ear to ear. I heard the doors open behind me
and I turned around expecting to see Lexi, but out came Milo. He looked
surprised to see Gabe and I holding onto each other.

‘Milo. Hi, how are you? How was
your weekend?’ I asked as I released my arms from Gabe’s neck. I noticed Gabe didn’t
let me go, but simply let me swivel around so he was standing behind me, his
arms wrapped around my waist.

‘I buried myself in study, it went
quickly. Hi again Gabe.’

‘Milo,’ he said, with a total lack
of warmth.

‘So how was yours Mia?’

‘Great thanks,’ I smiled, thinking
of all the amazing sex and orgasms.

‘Sorry I don’t mean to be rude but
I promised to meet a couple of guys for a few drinks and to shoot some pool.’

‘Have fun then, see you soon,’ I
replied.

‘See you both,’ he said as he
walked off.

‘Well that wasn’t at all
uncomfortable,’ I said as I pulled myself out of Gabe’s clutches and gave him a
look.

‘What did I do?’ he asked looking
surprised.

‘Nothing at all, you could’ve cut
the atmosphere with a knife.’

‘I didn’t say anything.’

‘I know you didn’t. You could’ve
been a bit more friendly.’

‘What was I supposed to say?
Besides I don’t like the guy, he fancies you.’

‘He’s my friend so you’re going to
have to get on board with that and make an effort Gabe. You didn’t give him
your look again did you?’

‘What look?’ he asked indignantly.

‘The other night in the club. He
said you looked at him like you wanted to crush him like a cola can.’

Gabe laughed. ‘He said that? Good
then he knows he where he stands, I feel better already.’

I sighed and shook my head and
turned around as Lexi finally came out.

‘Christ, what a palaver,’ she groaned.

‘How did it go?’

‘It’s hardly breaking up when we
only spent two nights together, but it was seriously awkward, I’ve never had to
do that before. So what’s the plan?’

‘Gabe has swim practice at six and
wants to know if we want to go down and see the sports buildings and watch him
swim. They have a gym and exercise classes too. I’d like to see if they have Pilates.
Want to come?’

‘And see half naked men in speedos?
I don’t need asking twice,’ she grinned as she played on her phone while Gabe
led the way.

‘I think we need to discuss
schedules as I like to plan and I’ve some pretty heavy commitments on the
physical fitness front,’ he said.

‘What schedules?’ I asked.

‘Of when I’m allowed to see you
next?’

‘O, ok.’ I looked at him as we
walked, feeling confused again. Whilst I didn’t want to rush things or give him
false hope of more, the thought of not seeing him again later made me really
uncomfortable. ‘Well will you be too tired to hang out tonight when you’re
finished? Maybe we could talk about it then?’

‘No, but I don’t expect you to hang
around for two and a bit hours and wait while I swim.’

‘Well how about you show Lexi and I
where the spectator section is? We can stay a while and then go and check out
the classes on offer and head home. You could come over when you’re done?’

‘I need to shower and head home to
eat something first, so it’d be after nine if that’s not too late?’

‘Do you have any lectures in the
morning?’ I asked.

‘No, you?’

‘No I’m free too.’ I took a deep
breath. ‘Bring an overnight kit and stay.’

‘Seriously?’ he sounded shocked.

‘Yes, it that ok?

‘More than ok with me, but I don’t
want to push you.’

I looked at him and saw the concern
on his face, understandable given my freak out this morning.

‘I wouldn’t have asked you if I didn’t
want it Gabe,’ I reached for his hand and clasped it.

‘So I’m going to be wearing my
headphones again tonight am I guys?’ stated Lexi without even lifting her head
from her game. Gabe and I grinned at each other.

We exited the main campus building
and worked our way down some meandering paths littered with bushes and trees to
a large two storey building.

‘Here we are,’ Gabe said as we entered
and he showed us around. It was huge. There was a fully modernised equipped
gym, exercise class rooms, a café, basket and netball courts and an indoor
football pitch.

‘Where’s the pool?’ asked Lexi.

He took us up a flight of stairs
and down a corridor, lined with lecture halls and offices, then pushed open a
set of double doors. They led us onto a suspended gangway which linked the
building we’d just walked through with another up ahead. As we reached the end
of the walkway and pushed through the next set of double doors, Lexi and I
gasped. We stood at the top of rows of tiered seating that ran around two sides
of the top floor overlooking a huge pool. It was so large you could hear the
echo of voices reverberating around the space.

‘Gabe it’s so much bigger than I
expected,’ I said in awe.

‘There’s a phrase I bet he’s heard you
use before,’ grinned Lexi, making me blush and elbow her.

Gabe told us it was a 50 metre 8
lane pool, which wasn’t Olympic sized, but it was one of the largest swimming pools
for any Uni in the UK. At the far end were some really high sets of diving
boards and to our left, there were floor to ceiling glass walls to take advantage
of the natural daylight. He took down a flight of stairs to our left and there
was more seating below and he pointed out to where the changing rooms were and
told us that there was also a sauna, steam room, ice therapy room and massage
area. He directed us to the front row and quickly kissed my forehead again
before heading off to change. We hadn’t kissed since this morning and I
realised he was going easy on me, trying not to push me. Lexi and I sat
chatting while we waited for them to come out.

‘I didn’t know he was doing Sports
Science as part of his degree.’

‘Neither did I until today. We
still have an awful lot to learn about each other. It’s a flexible degree as he
couldn’t make his mind up between English and sports.’

‘Wow.’

‘What?’

‘I’ve just googled his course. It’s
not all just playing pool or playing in the pool you know.’

‘What is it?’

‘Learning about nutrition,
psychology, physiology and more.’

‘Nutrition and psychology?’ I
laughed.

‘Hmmm, what’s so funny?’