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I head over in their direction

“Mia, you have to keep inHe pretty oes with the flow in any situation I’ of this”

Reece has found her tongue now I nod, but I’ Instead, I march up to the table next to them and set my tray down Gavin is startled and then surprised and I can tell that he is really wishing now that Elena wasn’t on his lap

Tough crunch

She is, so he needs to answer for it

Okay Maybe I’ve changed uess I do want an answer

But I don’t ask for it Instead, I smile cheerfully at them

“Hey, guys What’s up?”

Gavin doesn’t push Elena off, but instead, he leans around her to talk to me

“I like the hair,” he tells rin “I just bumped into Elena and she decided to sit with me”

“You mean, on you?” I correct him His smile falters He can see that I’m annoyed

Elena chooses to

“Hi, Mia,” she tells nores Reece

“Hi,” I answer

But honestly, I’ she has to say She looks gorgeous today, as usual She’s got a revealing tank top on that plunges to a low V in the front and in the back I love the shirt I just wish that she didn’t look so perfect in it while she was on Gavin’s lap Her hair and make-up is perfect, as always, and truly, you can barely see the scar on her cheek now

Gavin hands

“I got you a gift I hope you like it,” he says

And his voice is hopeful I’ Elena on his lap or if he’s hopeful that I’ll siht He doesn’t seem unsettled at all that I found the of it

But that’s a little unsettling to me

Because I don’t like it It’s okay to be friends with members of the opposite sex But if you like so on your lap

That’s just my opinion

However, I don’t voice that right now Instead, I peer into the bag and see a white oblong box I lift it out and pull off the box top and find a silver watch It is relatively simple and slender, with a feeous

“It’s inscribed,” Gavin tells me I flip the watch over and on the back it reads It’s always Gavin Time

I forget h I can’t help it He’s so coly so He makes it so hard to stay mad

“It’s beautiful,” I tell him “Thank you”

I start to put it on, but Gavin shoves my hand away and fastens it for me And then he lifts er oninto my eyes and anyone in the vicinity can feel the ated

I know it

Reece knows it

And Elena certainly knows it I can see the interest on her face now and I doubt that’s a good thing She has a strange smile pasted on her face as she watches us But I’ll worry about that later

For now, I’ve got other things to worry about

Like how to stay mad at Gavin

But that turns out to be an exercise in futility He has er within ten minutes and we sit and chat with him for at least an hour more Elena pretends that Reece doesn’t exist, and Reece keeps her back to Elena But other than that, everything feels normal

Gavin has the ability toand talking to the strangers sitting around us and I feel infinitely at peace

That is, until Elena gets up to leave She tells nores Reece and then she bends to kiss Gavin on both cheeks in the norer And her hands brush over his chest Then she pushes her boobs against hi unsettling there, lurking beneath the fake friendliness and sparkling emerald depths

A challenge

Chapter Sixteen

“I don’t knohat to do,” I tell Reece on the way hos about Gavin I love how he knows ets iven ti is a curse, too Look at this episode with Elena Rather than push her off his lap, he rolled with the punches and ate it up Would he be that sairls sitting on his lap”

Reece glances at me “Okay, is it time for me to answer you now? Because I’ve tried four tiet a word in edgewise”

I smile sheepishly “I know I think I must chatter when I’m nervous”

“You do,” she confirue, this is just what Gavin is like You’re right about all of the traits that you just na else positive about hiirlfriend He’s always been a player- or ever since I’ve known hiet involved with a girl for any a trail of broken hearts behind him”

I slu”

Reece stares at ain “I’reat qualities”