The CEO's Favorite

Chapter Thirteen

I take a deep breath before knocking on the door. Belle had seen me coming up here and she'd winked at me. I flipped her off.

I knock on the door again when I don't hear any response. Still nothing. Frowning, I try the handle, but it doesn't budge. It's locked. Did he go home when he told me to see him after work?

Stepping back with a sigh, I am more than ready to leave and go home to Lucas when I hear the click of the door. Following the sound, the door opens and Gabriel steps back for me to enter.

I take a good look at him. He looks exhausted like he has had a long day at work. I watch him as he walks to his couch and falls animatedly on it. I take a hesitant step inside.

"Lock the door behind you."

My mind automatically drifts to Shawn, but I quickly shake the thoughts out of my head. Gabriel isn't like that. He won't force me to do what I don't want to do.

Deciding to trust him, I lock the door before approaching him. "Gabriel?"

His lips twitch in a tired smile. "It's Mr. Hernsburg, sweetheart."

"It's Aria, Gabriel." I mock and he doesn't say anything else, taking a deep breath instead. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I called you up here to ask you the same question."

"I'm fine." I wave dismissively, but he's not satisfied.

"You weren't fine. You were being unusually rude and snappy. Did something happen in the cafeteria?" He asks, standing up and walking toward me.

"No, nothing happened." I lie because I can't tell him the reason I got mad.

"Liar," he whispers, standing right in front of me.

I blink in surprise. "What?"

"Liar," he repeats without hesitation. "I saw you before that. When you locked eyes with me? You were fine until you weren't. Tell me what happened."

I don't know what is in his tone. I don't know if it is because of the way he is looking at me right now. I don't know if it is because of his ability to seek me out in a crowded room, but something compels me to talk. "My friends were just being annoying."

His smile is a bit wider than the last. "I'm very happy you've finally found friends here. But I don't think I like them very much if they're going to be putting you in a mood." He steps closer, making all rational thoughts fly out of my brain at our proximity.

Even though his eyes look dull and tired, they're still the most beautiful pair I've ever seen. My eyes trail across his face. Being this close to him, I notice there's a faint scar on his face. It's not huge, so it's not noticeable. It merely runs from his cheek to his chin.

I can't help myself. I bring my hand up to his face and touch his scar. It's inappropriate, I know that, but I don't find myself stopping. He leans into my touch and closes his eyes, as though he's savoring it.

"Aria," he breathes out, making me realize my actions. Even worse, the consequences of my actions if anyone is to walk in on us right now. He steps back when I pull my hand away and shakes his head. "Stop distracting me. We were talking about something."

"It's nothing. It's just friends being their normal selves." I tell him, quickly taking the opportunity to change the subject and act like I wasn't just caressing his face.

Gabriel chuckles and leans back on his desk, watching me as he says. "You've been working here for quite a while now and as creepy as this sounds, I watch you a lot. I can tell when you're lying."