Her face is lit by the glow of her own screen, her plump lower lip pinched between her teeth and her brow furrowed in thought. I will those espresso eyes to lift and meet mine, but they remain intently focused on her work, seemingly oblivious to my stare.
My phone vibrates against my desk again and I look down at it as Gia’s responsive message flashes on the screen. No words, just a sad face emoji.
Damn.
Gia is attractive, kind, and seems to actuallylikeme, so why am I forgoing a night out at the local bar with her in favor of sitting in the dark with a girl who despises me?
If anyone were to ask me that, I’d say it’s because I’m dedicated to my work, but I know the real answer is a lot more nuanced.
Blair and I have been working together in the hunter taskforce for an entire week now, and we’ve actually accomplished a lot in that time, despite keeping our communication to a minimum. I’ve been respecting her boundaries and playing by her rules, but that doesn’t mean I’ve given up on my efforts at establishing a friendship. I’m just slow-playing this, hoping she’ll warm up to me with time. Persistence always pays off. Cam eventually came around, and he was a lot meaner than Blair at first brush.
She probably doesn’t even realize how much progress we’ve already made. I feel her watching me sometimes as we work– at first, she glared with animosity, but over the past few days, those looks have shifted to curiosity. I swear there’s even been a few times where she seemed tempted to strike up a conversation.
I’ve been watching her, too, mostly because it’s hard not to. All the women here are undeniably beautiful, but Blair just has a specialsomethingthat sets her apart from the rest. Maybe it’s because she’s different, with her gothic style and sharp tongue. Maybe her broken pieces call to my own on some deeper level. Whatever it is, she’s captivated me without even trying, to the point where I’ve begun to fantasize about her whenever I’m alone.
What can I say? I’m a man, and she’s hot.
I’m constantly wondering if that raven hair of hers feels as soft as it looks, my fingers itching to run through the strands. The way her lips pout and twist as she concentrates sends my mind drifting off to filthy places, especially when she absently chews on the end of her pen as she works. Blair has no idea what she does to me– or perhaps she knows and just enjoys puttingme through the torment. That’d track, actually. She doesn’t seem like a girl who misses much.
Blair yawns, and I glance down at the clock on my screen. It’s getting late. Cam and Avery left the command center hours ago, but I resolved to stay until the last task on my list for the week was ticked off– and though we didn’t plan or discuss it, Blair seems to be doing the same. The overhead lights are on a timer, so they went out long ago. Neither of us got up to flip them back on. I guess we’re both content to sit in the dark behind the glow of our monitors, hiding from the world.
She must use work as a distraction, too.
My phone vibrates again, a Snapchat notification lighting up the screen this time. I pick it up and double-check that my volume is off before swiping to open it, a video of Gia in a skin-tight dress filling my screen. I watch the short clip play, Gia taking a shot and dancing with her friends, then blowing a kiss at the screen before it abruptly ends. My thumbs hover over the keyboard as I debate how to reply, but then Blair yawns once more, stealing my attention.
I flicker a glance in her direction, taking advantage of the few seconds that her eyes are closed to appraise her. Blair and Gia couldn’t be more opposite. Aside from their dark hair, there isn’t a common thread between the two girls. Gia likes me, but… I likeBlair.
Her eyes pop open, and I quickly avert my gaze and look back down at my phone, closing out of the Snapchat app without replying and setting it back down on my desk.
“If you actually took your job seriously, maybe you wouldn’t still be here,” Blair comments as she focuses back in on her monitor.
I just grunt in response, resisting the urge to roll my eyes.
Blair doesn’t know it, butshe’sthe reason I’m still here. I finished up my last task twenty minutes ago. I’ve just beenkeeping busy since, cleaning up my files and re-organizing my desktop icons. I could easily leave now and go meet Gia at the bar– I’m sure she’d be glad to see me. Instead, I’m lingering in solidarity, patiently waiting for Blair to call it a night.
It doesn’t seem right to leave her all alone here. We’re supposed to be partners, even if shehasbeen giving me the cold shoulder since we met.
It’s after midnight when she finally starts packing up her stuff, shutting off her computer and pushing up from her chair.
“Heading out?” I ask, glancing up at her.
“Mhmm,” she hums in acknowledgement, avoiding making eye contact with me as she slings the strap of her messenger bag over her shoulder.
“See you Monday, then?”
She dips her chin in a barely discernible nod, turning on a heel and strutting toward the door.
I watch her disappear through it, then wait a few minutes before shutting down my own computer and tossing my things into my backpack. Slipping it on, I exit the command center and make my way through the darkened hallways of the squad complex to the dorms.
It’s unusually quiet tonight, everyone either asleep or out having fun somewhere to kick off the weekend. Again, Icouldgo meet Gia… but there’s something else I have in mind. Something that involves less clothing.
While shifters and humans are more alike than I ever realized, their comfort with nudity is something I’m still struggling to adapt to. They never bat an eye at getting naked, and though I’m not puritanical by any means, the shower situation here is awkward as hell. One side of the locker room consists of a dozen showerheads along the wall– no stalls, no curtains. Everyone just showers together out in the open, andbecause I can’tnotblush when I see a naked woman, I choose to shower in the middle of the night, when nobody else is around.
It’s less than ideal, but far better than the embarrassment of popping a stiffy in the shower at the sight of boobs. I learnedthatlesson the hard way.
After stopping off at my dorm room to gather a change of clothes, I make my way down to the locker room, confident it’ll be vacant since it’s after midnight. When I push open the door to enter, however, I’m greeted by the soft echo of running water. The overhead lights are off, the interior lit only by the dim wall sconces that are difficult to see by. I squint through the darkness, unable to discern whether anyone’s there from my vantage point.
As I move further inside, I make out the shape of a small figure huddled on the floor beneath one of the showers. Her back is against the wall, knees pulled into her chest and a curtain of dark hair hiding her face.
