Worst Impressions

Chapter Twenty

Gideon kept a firm grip of my fingers, and I hoped that they weren't getting too sweaty against his palm. It was strange that he could make me feel so self-conscious. I'd never cared about that sort of thing before. Crushes were bizarre, and I didn't know if I liked them. It was all good fun to imagine that I could be an item with an older guy like Gideon, but knowing that it was impossible kept such thoughts firmly in the realm of fantasy. But when the reality was all hitching breath, light-headedness, burning cheeks and a worrying amount of perspiration, I had to wonder if I ought to have let my thoughts wander to him so frequently as I had of late.

Gideon wasn't as familiar with the house as I was. Once we were in the hall, he was at a loss. The garden would be quiet, what with October bringing colder nights, so we walked to the little wooden gazebo which was happily situated amid the immaculately kept flowering shrubs. I perched upon the rail and Gideon came to rest beside me.

'What did you want to talk about?' I asked, not wanting to bore him with anything that might be on my mind. I wanted to get to the point so that I could quell the fire of hope and passion still flickering away in my heart.

'I thought I saw you... That is... I wondered if you were friends with the boys we saw earlier.'

'William and Charlie?' I asked. So much for some romantic interlude. He wanted to talk about the other students. 'I like Charlie, but William's annoying. I mean, he's so up himself, you know? He's looked down on me since the moment we met. If it weren't for Jenny and Charlie, I wouldn't so much as look at him. Why?'

Gideon smiled. He looked relieved. I didn't quite get why until he said, 'I've known Will for years.'

'Seriously? But he glared at you before.'

'Yeah, we don't get on. My parents worked for his, and we had a house on their estate. When my parents died in a car accident, his Dad let me live in the house and gave me a good education. He's a good guy.'

'He sounds it. Does that mean William's adopted? Because I really can't see him doing that for anyone.'

He laughed. 'No, unfortunately, he's a biological child. I think he was just a bit jealous. He was used to being the little master about the house. When his father died, I think he resented having another male figure around.'

'That's still no excuse to be a total dick,' I said. 'It's not like you asked to lose your parents. And he should have understood you a little better if his own Dad died.'

'Kids are hard to understand sometimes. His Mum let me go to school and then paid for my university education. I got along with her, and with Amanda. That's his older sister. She's nineteen now. Amanda's a good kid.'

'That's not really a kid, is it? She's only a year older than me.'

'Well... No, maybe not. I guess I just feel older now that I'm working and studying all the time.'

'William needs to get over his issue, though. I mean, how long is it since all this happened?'

'Well, we're far more sensible than he is. William's childish, but he'll grow out of it. Still, he did go out of his way to get me thrown out of my last teaching position.'

'What? Why?'

'Spite would be the why. The what... that would be that he accused me of stealing.'

'Stealing what?'

'Money, naturally,' Gideon sighed. 'I was lucky enough to get a job at his old boarding school. I was there a month before he saw fit to accuse me of stealing from the school's funds. What with his mother being who she was, they believed the story. So, I had to look for a new job, and William got his revenge. Believe me, when you're accused of being a thief, it's next to impossible to find an employer.'