The Love Pentagon - Marissa Cattoi Cattoi (management books to read TXT) 📗

Annie was always that girl

. The girl every guy wanted and every girl wanted to be. The difference between her and others her type is that she didn't care.

In fact, she never really noticed any of the attention. With her long, curly brown hair and her intelligent, expressive blue eyes, she was extremely used to the attention that surrounded her daily, but she didn't let it affect her. She could have been the queen bee of her school, but decided it was better to have a few genuine friends, than a lot of fake ones. Now before you get this idea in your head of the typical girl next door, I have to set the record straight: Annie was NOT perfect, nor was she your average 17-year-old teenager. Annie tended to be very sarcastic. She never missed out on an opportunity to surprise you with a witty retort. She was also very smart. She was the type of girl that never tried in school, but got perfect grades. Lastly, she never missed out on an opportunity to speak her mind. She was very confrontational and thrived under pressure. Overall, Annie was not all apple pie and smiles. She had a fire in her. A fire that nobody really understood. Though she exuded a graceful confidence, secretly she felt alone. Every night, she would lay awake wondering when she would actually meet a person that would challenge her. She needed someone to set the fire inside her ablaze. Her last thought every night before finally drifting off to sleep was that she was completely and utterly bored.

Annie woke up with a feeling that something would change today. She couldn't explain it, but she felt that it was going to be a good day. With that thought, she got changed, did her makeup (she had an affinity for blue eyeliner), and raced down the stairs. One other fact about Annie: she lived alone. Though most people would hate it, she thoroughly enjoyed having the rule of her house. After a cup of coffee she grabbed her books, and prepared to drive to school. She was about to start her car when she had a strange inkling to walk. Deciding that she lived pretty close to the school, she got out of her car and decided to “be green”. It was a beautiful day out and she enjoyed the sunshine as she walked. All of a sudden, she found herself being tackled to the ground. She let out a yell as she hit the grass getting mud all over her clothes. After taking stock of herself to verify that there was no damage, she turned to face her attacker.
“I am so sorry!” a man with piercing blue eyes said, though he sounded as if he was going to burst out laughing any time.
“Yes, it sounds that way,” I replied sarcastically. I tried not to let the fact that this man was devastatingly attractive in any way affect my anger level.
“Well if you could see yourself right now, you would have a hard time keeping a straight face too,” he breezily retorted, unperturbed by my anger.
Realizing what he must be referring to, I took stock of myself. I did look pretty ridiculous. I was COVERED in mud and I almost laughed. Almost because I still felt a need to get back at the handsome stranger. After a seconds thought, I decided on my form of revenge. Without warning, I jumped forward and tackled him. He was certainly taken by surprise and I got the pleasure of seeing the chock flit over his face before he hit the mud. I looked at his face and found that anger and amusement were fighting for dominance. Eventually amusement won out and he let out a barking laugh.
“I'm Gabriel,” he said airily.
“Annie,” I replied, equally breathless. I looked into his icy blue eyes that were almost an echo of my own and suddenly we were too close. It was like I could feel a connection with him that I had never felt. It alarmed me. As quickly as I could, I scrambled off of him and turned to help him up. Seeming reluctant to get out of our previous position he took the offered hand and got up with me. “I have to go change before school,” I said as an excuse to get away from this man that made me uncomfortable with his intensity.
“You are already late. Why don't you just skip with me? It will be fun, I promise I don't bite,” he said with an overly dramatized wink.
I looked into his eyes and found myself saying yes before I could stop myself.. “I do have to change though. Do you want to walk with me?” I wasn't sure why I was practically asking him to come to my house. It was just that he was so different.

“I would LOVE to,” he replied with so many double meanings I couldn't even wrap my head around all the hidden implications. We walked in comfortable silence for a few blocks until he decided to break it, and he seemed rather reluctant to. “So, it's beautiful out, isn't it?” he started, seeming very unsure of himself for the first time since I ran into him. I let out a laugh.
“Are you really trying to make small talk?' I asked incredulously. In my defense, he really didn't seem like the type.
“Well isn't that what normal people do?” he asked, once again unsure.
“It may be what most people do, but I really don't feel the need to fill the silence with meaningless dribble to make myself comfortable. I mean, if you don't have anything of substance to say, why say anything at all?” I said all of this very matter-of-factly and it seemed to confuse him further.
“Are you always this weird,” he asked, seeming to be sincere.
“Are always this blunt,” I countered.
“Always,” he said in a tone that was a little frightening for a reason I couldn't rectify. He met my stare head on and I unflinchingly stared back. What seemed like hours, though it was probably only a minute or two later, I realized we had stopped moving. I was about to say something about it when his look silenced me. He looked...hungry. A kind of hunger that took my breath away. Slowly, as if testing the waters, he leaned in. I knew what he was going to do and surprisingly, I had no urge to fight it. The second I told myself that I wanted to kiss him, I decided that I wouldn't be passive about it. While his approach was slow and calculating, I took him completely by surprise and kissed him so forcefully I actually took HIS breath away. As soon as he realized that I was not the type of girl that lets the guy do all the work, he kissed me back with so much forcefulness and ardor that it seemed like I had known him for months instead of hours. His kissing was rough and raw and so full of emotion that it made me reciprocate in kind. I couldn't believe that kissing could hold so MUCH emotion! As we both ran out of breath we pulled apart, staring at each other in wonder. We had another one of those immeasurable staring contests and this time I looked away. As I did, I realized we were actually at my house. I turned to him and made a snap decision.
“I'm not going to invite you in right now,” I blurted. I knew if he came in that we would not stop at just kissing.
“I understand,” and he seemed like he actually did. “How about dinner tonight. I will pick you up at 7,” he stated, didn't ask.
I didn't like his tone. I have never been one to do as ordered and I wasn't about to start. “How about I pick YOU up at 8,” this time I stated, didn't ask.
He seemed amused by the turn of events and seemed to be making a decision. “I will pick you up at 7,” he stated with a tone of finality. Not giving me a change to argue, he shot me a smirk and walked away. “And wear something pretty,” he yelled as he left leaving me fuming, and for the first time in a long time, utterly speechless.

For some reason, as I looked into my closet, I felt like an average teenage girl. And by that I mean I had NOTHING to wear! I actually wanted to look pretty for him I decided. The thought was kind of scary. Eventually, I picked a suitable outfit, put my hair in its signature curls and looked at myself in the mirror. As I was trying to decide if my appearance was acceptable, there was a knock at the door. He is 30 minutes early! I put on a calm face and coolly walked, not ran, to the door.
“Are all of your clocks broken because I would have lent you one if you would have told me,” I sarcastically teased, though it didn't have much bite to it.
“Actually, I was kind of hoping to catch you off guard, though I see that I was unsuccessful,” he seemed disappointed. “You look stunning, if it wasn't obvious,” he murmured in a way that scattered my thoughts so much that I couldn't even come up with a reply. God he looks good! His suit fits him sooo well and his eyes are so blue. That kiss earlier was so intense. I can't wait to do it again. I mean LOOK at his body! I bet he has a six “Annie. Annie!?!?” I heard finally and tried to clear my thoughts.
“Huh?” was my oh-so-articulate response.
“I said: are you ready to go?” he restated sounding more than amused, he sounded like he knew exactly what I was thinking.
Refusing to be embarrassed, I met his gaze and said, “Oh! I'm sorry. I was distracted by how hot you look in that suit. And yes, I