The Loneliest Stars || EDITING

Chapter 4

He knew it was wrong to look, but he couldn't help himself.

He had a direct line of vision into her bedroom and she hadn't gotten around to getting a thicker set of curtains.

He could see the silhouette of her figure, the exaggerated hour-glass curves. Generous hips, nipped in waist and palmable breasts. His imagination filled in the rest. Like the exact shade of brown of her skin, the beads of water that she was drying away and how soft her skin had felt under his fingertips the other night when he had saved her from her possum woes.

He laughed at the memory of the debacle with the possum, as he got ready for training with his team. He hadn't laughed that much in a while. The big city girl being knocked down a peg or two by a little creature, he loved to see it.

Gabe was easing his football team back into the new season and wanted to see how they had kept up with their conditioning and fitness over the summer. He hadn't imposed a strict training plan or done a summer camp, the team weren't there yet and he still wanted them to enjoy the game, for the game.

"C'mon y'all, nobody gets off the field until I  have 50 push-ups."

"Coach, please. We're done."

"Should have laid off them burgers all summer long and maybe gone for a run or two, Lance," Gabe snapped back. "Ten more, just for that."

They whined and cried, some puked. Gabe sighed, knowing that he had his work cut out for him this year. With some of his strongest and most athletic players graduating last year he hoped someone would step up and fill their big shoes. They'd be lucky to win even one game in their current condition.

He was starting to regret not doing a summer camp. He'd just have to push them extra hard, and hope to God nobody cracked.

Dismissing them into the showers, Gabe made his way through the winding hallways of the school and into his office.

It was next to the Teachers' Common room and the Science Faculty office.

The school was generally quiet but a few staff members were around getting their teaching materials and their rooms together before the start of the term.

The door to the Science room was ajar, with what sounded like hip-hop music coming from the room. Intrigued, Gabe stuck his head round the door to see who it was.

She was in there, shaking the hell out of what her mama gave her, as she photocopied reams of papers. The music was loud and the lyrics were rapped really fast in a...British accent. Weird, but not entirely disagreeable.

She startled easily, Gabe realised as she jumped when she noticed his presence and clutched her heart. He almost felt bad for scaring her.

She switched the speakers off and turned to face him. "Do you believe in knocking? Is that a thing in the great state of Texas?" she said slightly breathless. She was fresh-faced with her hair in a messy curly bun, dressed in some baggy calf length pants, a fitted white t-shirt and sandals.

"Your door was open. You should close it if you want people to knock."

She scowled, anger maring her pretty features. "What I can do for you?"

"Nothing, just came to see who was playing that awful music," Gabe said lightly. He was joking, mostly.

"It's Kano, I won't have him slandered in my presence," Natalia responded, absentmindedly. She was rifling through the packs she had been making, not making eye contact when she spoke to him. He didn't know why that bothered him so much.

"Mmm, maybe you'll learn what real music is during your stay in Texas."

"I already love Dolly Parton," Natalia shot back with a smirk.