Page 32 of Hate That Blooms
She is mine. I’ll make sure of it.
With a heavy silent sigh, I turn away from Gabriela’s sleeping form and quietly exit her room, leaving the door ajar. As I slip out of the front door and into the silent street, I can’t help but feel a pull to go back to her. To strip myself bare and crawl under the covers with her. I may have left her physically untouched, but the emotional scars I’ve left behind are immeasurable. I climb back into the truck with the darkness surrounding me and drive away.
Chapter19
Gabriela
Iknow it’s him.
Joaquín is the unknown number that texts me. He is the guy that danced with me and left a hickey on my neck. It’s him.
It’s Joaquín that says I’m his queen.
* * *
I lay across my bed, scrolling through the text thread with the unknown number. The words on the screen penetrate my heart, making it beat faster and faster. It was Joaquín who whispered the filthy words into my ear at the dance.
“If I want to touch my pussy, I will. Whether or not you want me to. So let me make this clear, Reina. No one touches your pussy, this perfect ass, or these lips. Better yet, not an inch of your skin should be touched by someone other than me.”
He was possessive of me even while he tormented me. Come to think of it, I see it now so clearly. Anytime Nate would try to do something sexual toward me, he would immediately put a stop to it. He cares. Even though he tries to hide behind an unknown number, he fucking cares about me. I don’t know what to do. Do I confront him and try to work through all the bullshit to see if we can be salvaged?
Do I let him continue to hurt me, hoping my pain heals him somehow?
I don’t know what to do. I could call Cora and ask her for advice. But at this point she hates Joaquín and I don’t think she would understand my feelings for him. I wish I had my mom. She could give me advice that I could trust.
“Mom, what am I supposed to do? I think I love him. I think I’ve always loved him.” The words are a whisper into the darkness, hoping that she can hear me.
Chapter20
Gabriela
“That bio quiz was intense, don’t you think?” My gaze meets a pair of blue eyes looking down on me as I put my quiz on the professor’s desk.
“Uh, not really. But I stayed up studying all night after I got home from work. So maybe that was my advantage.” I shrug, then flick my gaze to him with a playful smile.
“What’s your name?” His voice follows behind me as I exit the class and head toward the library.
“It’s Gabriela.” The hallway is crowded, and part of me hopes he gets lost in it behind me.
He doesn’t. Moving ahead of me, he spins around, walking backwards so he can talk to me as we make our way out of the building. “I’m Christian. I’ve seen you around campus with your friends.”
Pushing through the double doors and stepping into the quad, I let out a breath. “Nice to meet you, not to sound like a dick or anything, but I have a table reserved in the library to study, so I’ve got to go. I’ll see you in the lab.” I take off and hope that he catches the hint.
“I need to study too! Mind if I join you.”Yes, I mind.
I quicken my pace, hoping to shake off Christian, but he matches my stride effortlessly. “Actually, I do mind,” I reply curtly, hoping my bluntness will deter him. But to my dismay, he doesn’t take the hint.
“Come on, Gabriela, we can study together. It’ll be more fun,” he insists with a charming smile. I roll my eyes when he looks away. I highly doubt that it will be fun to have this guy stare at me while I try to study for my lab test.
“I work better alone,” I retort, trying to make it clear that I have no interest in studying with him. Yet he keeps trying…Where is Joaquín when I need him?
Here I am, wishing my bully was here to scare off a guy. That’s a new low, Gabby.
“Well, I can be quiet and focused, I promise,” he says as his voice drops low and attempts to be seductive. I let out an exasperated sigh, realizing that I wouldn’t be able to shake him off. Just suck it up for a little bit. Maybe when he sees what a bore it is to study with me, he will go away.
“Fine, but no distractions,” I finally concede, hoping that he’ll at least adhere to that. We entered the library together, and I led him to the table I had reserved. As we settle down, I can’t help but wonder if this study session will turn out to be more than I bargained for.
* * *
