The group barely avoided speaking in unison like a cartoon.
"Professor?" was murmured by all. The confused friends did nothing to faze the two staring at each other. Collins extended a strong hand to pull her upwards and Gaby's own slender one was enveloped in it. She stood well under his height and looked decidedly younger next to him. They looked each other up and down, wearing curious and confused smiles. When their eyes finally met, both smiles multiplied into laughter and they embraced.
"It's been so long!" Gaby exclaimed, muffled into his coat shoulder.
"Too long!" Collins agreed. "What are you doing in New York?"
"I've been here for…well, ages, actually. Since I left." A corner of her mouth jerked up with distain, then dropped back into her smile. "I work at the Cat Scratch with Mimi. Since when have you been here?"
"I lived here before MIT. I can't believe you're at the Cat Scratch! I always guessed there was a wild side to you! I just can't believe it. Small world, huh?"
"That's the truth!"
Collins grabbed her in another hug and the two were laughing happily. Roger was the first to break from his baffled coma and speak.
"What the…?" he stammered, looking between them.
Collins and Gaby exchanged looks and glanced back. "She was a student of mine, up at MIT. My prized computer genius, actually. Brilliant at most anything she did – don't even try to debate that, Gaby, you know it's true – and one of the sweetest people I've ever known."
"Professor, you're being way too nice! At least tell them what a stellar teacher you are! Staying after class with anyone who needed it, helping anyone in classes other than his own, fostering a love of classical music in me. Anything and everything to help out those who sought help."
"It is a small world!" Mimi said. "Gaby, I can't believe you went to MIT! What happened? Why are you stripping, of all things?"
The joy behind Gaby's smile melted away, leaving only muscles forced into a façade. "A lot happened. It just wasn't my calling."
Collins quickly changed the subject. "What were you doing lounging on the floor at this hour, Gaby?"
The breath she had unconsciously been holding jumped out and the warmth returned to her grin. She playfully glanced at Mark, who still crouched where her ankle had been. His eyes were unfocused in her direction but, noticing her glance, smiled with a wince.
"Mark pushed me over." She said this to Collins, but her gaze did not move from Mark. One eyebrow cocked, daring him to challenge. "I told him that his camera was dumb, he got mad and pushed me over. It's a good thing I wasn't near the window. I guarantee he would have defenestrated me, given the chance." Mark's eyes widened, and then squinted in understanding.
"She's right. I couldn't take her anymore and I had to do something. She declined to mention, though, that she threw my camera on the ground first."
Neither dropped their stares. The sides of Mark's mouth twitched, then dropped down again; all traces of Gaby's smile had vanished.
"It was really just my frustration towards his scarf. The colors look horrible together."
"I only pushed her because she acts like a monkey, hanging from railings and whatnot. The camera was just a good cover."
"Your hair is too pointy."
"Your shoes are ratty. They probably smell."
Roger, Mimi, and Collins looked between themselves disbelievingly. What exactly were they doing? They were obviously lying. They were also acting ridiculous, for no apparent reason.
"Yoo hoo!" called a voice from the doorway. Collins had shifted from his place at the door to the kitchen near Mark, exchanging hugs with Mimi and Roger along the way. A curvy figure had replaced him. She wore jeans with overly bright green star patches and a shirt resembling a painting. One arm leaned on the door and the other gave a tiny wave. Kinky dark hair fell around her shoulders. "What's going on here?" All of their eyes jumped up to Maureen; none of them spoke. "Guys? What?"
Gaby was the first; her stern expression erupted in a fit of giggles. Mark, then, started to chuckle and, soon, everyone was laughing. Everyone, except Maureen. She stood, pouting at the joke she wasn't a part of. Joanne came walking up the stairs behind her, carrying several armfuls of groceries that Maureen had apparently had no intention of helping with. Used to strange friends, she pushed past her girlfriend, past Roger and Collins, and set the bags on the counter with a groan. A chuckle escaped her lips when she looked at her pouting Honeybear.
"Pookie! Guys! Stop it!" she protested.
Roger calmed down for a moment. "I guess it's about time you met Maureen, Gaby. This is Maureen; Mo, this is Mimi's friend Gaby from work."
Gaby extended a hand and Maureen scanned her up and down before returning the gesture. "Hello!" she said brightly, "How are you? You work at the Cat Scratch?" she cooed. One finger lightly ran down the front of Gaby's shoulder and she took a half step forward. Gaby staggered a half step backwards in response.
Joanne waved from the kitchen. "Maureen? Honeybear? I'm standing right here, remember?" She had finally gotten used to Mo's flirtatious ways; of course, it didn't hurt to remind her to be good occasionally.
Maureen's smile shifted from Gaby to Joanne. "I was just being friendly!"
Roger walked over and dragged Mo by her wrist to the kitchen. "That's very nice, Mo, but you're out of luck. She's straight." Gaby shrugged uncomfortably at Maureen.
"I knew that," she murmured uncertainly.
"Sure you did," Roger whispered, poking her lightly in the side. "Hey Joanne, whadya bring with you?"
She began rifling through the bags on the counter. "I figured you could use some food. How about an early lunch?" The group started to chat happily in consensus and moved towards the kitchen.
Mark had started watching everything from his still-crouched position but found his eyes wander over to Gaby soon after Maureen had arrived. Everything she did entranced him. Her smiles were infectious; even her embarrassment at Maureen's passes was undeniably adorable. In his eyes, she was perfect.
After the bohemians started to shift around, Gaby glanced down at the fair haired man at her feet. She caught him staring and grinned when he turned red and looked away. He looked back cautiously and felt the increasingly familiar dropping of his stomach. She kneeled down to where he was. Her head dropped to one side and she looked at him curiously. Something was strange about him. No one looked at her like he did. He studied her, wanted her, admired her. The men at the Cat Scratch didn't look at her like that. Somehow, however, she couldn't piece it all together and was oblivious to his loving her.
Mark was ready. The sound from the kitchen hardly reached his ears, drowned out by the pounding of blood in his head. This was his only chance. They were somewhat alone and it was probably going to be the only time that night. He had resolved to ask her out that very day and this was his chance. Just as he was about to open his mouth, he heard Gaby do the same.
"You know, I really do like your scarf. Purple is my favorite color and that scarf's pretty close," she said with a wink. She rose to standing and headed into the kitchen.
Mark could hear her exclaiming something about the chips Joanne had brought, but it sounded far away. He had lost his chance. Mark let himself roll backwards and he sat on the floor, knees bent.
"Do you want to go to dinner?" he murmured in Gaby's direction. She didn't a word he said.
A/N: I am SO sorry guys! I know this took forever! I have the entire story figured out, so my delay wasn't for lack of plot. I just had the skeleton of chapter and no idea how to flesh it out. I also had no time to write. Today I actually had the impulse to write. Of course, I have two papers due within the next week and rather than work on them, I wrote this chapter. I was also planning on writing a new chapter for my Miracle but I don't have the time at the moment. Soon, though, I promise!