my moment to learn, grow, and shine.
Time to enjoy the evening.
"Why are you up?"
I paused in my attempt to be as quiet as possible, almost reaching the door of the fridge, only to be caught midstride, an inch from the large silver appliance.
Slowly looking over my shoulder, I noticed Gabriel's questioning look, deep frown and all. He was wearing white-framed glasses, the new addition to his look giving him a more sophisticated appearance.
Lowering my gaze, I realized he was wearing a white t-shirt, but I couldn't see if he was in boxers or pants from how he sat on the red velvet couch.
I lowered my lifted leg to the floor, turning around to answer.
"I'm hungry."
"It's three in the morning."
"I know."
He arched an eyebrow at me, but after a long moment of staring, he sighed. "Fine. Enjoy scurrying through the fridge. Just don't cook anything. The aroma of food makes Keru sleepwalk."
Now that was intriguing.
"Did you say Keru sleepwalks when he smells food?" I inquired.
"That's exactly what I said," he replied. "Which is another thing. If you see Keru walking through the house at night, don't startle him awake. Let him do his thing unless he gets out of the house somehow. Then follow him and make sure he doesn't do stupid stuff in his sleep."
"Okay. Does he know he sleepwalks?"
"Ya," Gabriel replied, his eyes returning to the book he held in his hands. "Doesn't do it often, but I figure seeing as we're all dorm-ing together for a full year, you should know that."
"Thanks for the heads up."
I'd never seen someone sleepwalk before, and the idea of triggering it with food made me think cautiously of what I could eat.
The unintentional reminder of us staying together in this place made me wonder what others would think about me being the only girl in a dorm of all guys.
Dad would probably freak out, but then again, he knows I'm living with them, doesn't he?
I was pretty sure it wasn't a big deal, and I brushed the thought away and reached the fridge. Opening the door and scanning the contents inside, a tiny smirk graced my lips as my eyes landed on a good food choice to have that wouldn't make Keru sleepwalk or even wake Westley.
Checking to make sure Gabriel was more focused on his book than what I was concocting, I finished as quietly as I could, until I was standing in front of where Gabriel was still nose-deep in his book.
He hadn't even noticed my arrival, his gold eyes scanning the sentences at a swift pace while looking almost lost in whatever story he was reading.
From the exterior of the book, it had to be a story of some kind that he was reading out of enjoyment, versus a book of material we'd need to study or learn for this semester.
Presenting the white plate in my grasp, Gabriel tugged his eyes from the book to notice the circular surface that held what he'd asked for after the sealing ceremony.
"Vanilla fondue with sprinkles and chocolate sauce?" He lifted his head to stare into my eyes, confusion and joy bouncing back in forth in his expression.
"You did say I owed you," I quietly reminded with a small grin. "Keru helped me order it before you guys arrived back with groceries, so it's not old or anything."
When they had arrived, we took care of groceries, so they could change and wind down from the journey before we made our first dinner together.
To be realistic, it was a quick make of Mac and Cheese. All of us were a bit too tired to stand and cook something to feast on. The first day of school had been overwhelming, and now that we could finally relax for the rest of the evening, it felt right to just eat something quick and retire for the night.
I didn't think I'd be awake and unable to sleep, but since Gabriel was here, maybe he was struggling as well.
He looked at the plate once more, and I could see him trying to contemplate whether it was worth the risk.
"If you're worried about your teeth, you can always brush them after you finish eating," I reasoned.
He gave me a look, but his hands closed the massive book in his hold and lowered it onto his lap so he could accept the offered plate.
"Thanks." His word of gratitude was quiet but was less stern in comparison to his usual rough responses.
Nodding in response, I decided to sit on the white