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“I was so thrilled when I saw your name on the list of artists being showcased. I mean…it’s been so long!”
Licking her lips, Gabi nods, shifting back slightly so she’s stepping in closer to my side. I take her behavior at face value and wrap my arm around her shoulders, staying quiet but hopefully providing whatever support she needs.
“I know, since we finished with school,” Gabi replies. “How have you been?”
“Good,” the blonde says, her eyes flicking back and forth between us. “But I’m assuming you’ve been better? Who’s this?”
“Oh, this is…” Gabi pauses, looking up at me briefly. “Bishop” is what she eventually settles on. “My date.”
Smiling, I reach out my hand, which the blonde takes, her lips curving as she looks me up and down.
“Bishop, this is Marie. We were friends at MSA.”
“Nice to meet you, Marie,” I say, wrapping my arm back around Gabi again.
“You, too,” she says, still perusing me, which feels like the only word I can use to describe what she’s doing, her eyes continuing to trail a leisurely path along my chest and face.
“And don’t say ‘We were friends at MSA’ as if we aren’t friends anymore,” Marie continues, her eyes finally returning to Gabi. “We should go out for drinks after this if you two are up for it. We need to catch up!”
“I’m not sure we’ll have the time,” I say, trying to give Marie a sympathetic look and hoping I’m not overstepping. “But thanks for the invitation.” I turn to Gabi. “We better get you over to where you need to set up, right?” I ask.
She takes a deep breath and nods. “Yeah, we need to get moving. But it was good to see you, Marie.”
“You, too, honey,” she replies, waving before trotting off in the direction of where another group of people are standing.
“Why do I feel like I need to take a shower?” I mumble quietly to Gabi as we move through the room and over to where a woman with a clipboard stands in the corner, directing as a piece of art gets hung on a wall.
“That’s just the magic of Marie,” Gabi offers, chuckling uncomfortably. “I didn’t click with a lot of my classmates during art school. I’ve never found talking to new people particularly easy.”
“You don’t say,” I tease, and she pokes me in the side.
“Marie was one of the few people who actually seemed to make an effort.” Gabi shrugs. “So even though she can be a lot, it was still nice to have a friend, someone to talk to.”
“Is that how you feel about me sometimes?” I ask with a grin. “I’m a lot to handle, but you put up with me because you have someone to reenact your Ghost fantasies with?”
At that, she barks out a laugh and shoves me, and I can’t help but laugh, too.
“Gabriela.”
I turn, still chuckling to myself, spotting a guy in slacks and a button-up standing a few feet away, watching us with a curious expression on his face.
Then when I look at Gabi, I see that she’s frozen, staring at him with surprise.
“Garrett.”
All she says is his name, and everything inside me bristles.
I have no idea who this man is, but I know without a doubt he means something to Gabi.
“What are you doing here?” she asks, glancing at me then returning her eyes to him.
“A few of my students are showcasing tonight,” he answers. “So I’m here to support them.” He looks my way. “Apologies, I’m Garrett Hastings,” he says, extending a hand.
I take it, shaking it briefly before letting go.
“Garrett was…one of my professors. At MSA,” Gabi says, wearing an uncomfortable smile on her face.
“Interesting,” I say, turning toward him. “What do you teach, Professor Hastings?”
