Page 17 of Substitute for Love

“Sorry, the sun was in my eyes,” he said, as Avery’s face came into view. All he could do was stare. How was she prettier than yesterday?

She bent down and picked up his binder and handed it back with a smirk plastered on her face. Gabe wasn’t sure if it was a good smirk or a bad smirk.

“Thanks. Now you’re coming tomyrescue, huh?” he said.

She snickered. “Something like that. Actually, can you tell me where the choir room is? Doris told me, but…”

“Doreen.”

Avery nodded. “Doreen. Sorry.”

“I’m headed that way. I’m teaching band today.”

“Oh,” she said as she fell into step beside him.

“Hoping I’d be far away from you today, huh?” he blurted without thinking.

“Oh yeah. In fact, I think we should coordinate our sub jobs to be on opposite ends of campus.”

Wait, was she flirting with him? Avery had seemed so annoyed with him yesterday, so this was unexpected. Her open invitation to flirt back would be hard to resist. He tried not to smile too obviously.

"Coordinate sub assignments?” Gabe asked, then smirked. “Well, that would mean we would have to exchange phone numbers. Sure you're ready for that?"

She coughed.

Score.All right, so despite his better judgment, he was flirting back. Gabe would make sure to keep it professional and NOT let it lead to anything. Protect the heart.

He stopped at the choir room door and waited for her to unlock it. She looked up at him with narrowed eyes as he reached for the door handle and opened the door for her.Being a gentleman was still allowed, wasn’t it?Gabe justified lingering a minute or two longer.

“Nice shoes,” he said. “They’re… bright,” he added with a double hitch of his eyebrows.

Avery blushed at his teasing, and his heart leapt a little too much. “After those wedges yesterday, I thought sensible shoes would be a better option. But, as it turns out, all they had left at the back-to-school sale was Dora the Explorer or these.”

“Hey, don’t knock Dora. She’s an expert adventurer.” What should he say that was professional but not super flirty? “They, uh, complement your outfit.” What was he saying? Toeing his shoes, he looked at the ground to hide his awkwardness. Gabe held the door and let her pass. Her long brown hair wooshed and he caught her scent. She smelled like warm vanilla. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to smell it longer.

Avery turned on the lights, surveyed the room, and headed straight for the piano.

“Do you play?” he asked.

She started playing something familiar, but he couldn’t place it. “A little,” she said, switching to a more complicated classical piece. “Ten years of lessons.”

It took every ounce of willpower not to stay, to sit right by her and listen. But students were already pouring into the room, and unfortunately, he had a class to teach, too.

“I’ll be next door,” he called to her. “If the students get too rowdy.” He pointed at one student who was probably going to be the valedictorian.

“Hey!” the student replied. “I’m never rowdy!”

The kids laughed.

“I won’t be good,” the kid’s friend said. “Because we want you to come back.”

Avery stopped playing and glanced at Gabe, who laughed it off and left. He ran his fingers through his hair and headed toward the band room. Yes, if the kids were too rowdy, she would need him again. And it was nice to be needed.

Gabe went back and sat at the band teacher’s desk, reclining as far back as he could, his feet resting on the edge of the desk. The bell rang and he welcomed the students, though his brain was in a bit of a trance. He mindlessly threw a stress ball back and forth while staring ahead.

“Don’t forget, Desert Scorpions,”a voice blared over the loudspeaker.“This weekend is the first dance of the year. Grab a date or come with a group of friends. Hope to see you this Saturday at the Fall Fling.”

The students buzzed with excitement as they chatted about the dance. Gabe’s brain buzzed with… something. Gabe wanted to go to that dance. One of the best parts of his high school experience was dances—he could be around a ton of people in an energetic way. But, he wasn’t a student anymore. He shook his head and opened the sub binder.

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