“I don’t want to mix types. It tastes gross.” He stuck his bright red tongue out and grimaced. I rolled my eyes.
“Then get the fuck away from me.”
“You got it, Little Boss.” His eyes lit up as the grin spread onto his face.
I straightened and slammed my pencil down. “What did you just call me?”
He put his hands up in feigned innocence. “I just thought that’s what I was supposed to call you. Considering you got the smaller office.”
“And you’re doing all the work,” Adam added. They fist-bumped.
“Don’t you have something to do? You, go stock something. You go check on the movies.” I pointed to them and ordered them in different directions. I stayed up at the counter until they returned to take over. Then I went back to my office. Just as I was shutting my door, I spotted Desi passing by. I paused and followed him to the break room.
“Yes?” he asked, not turning around to look at me as he opened the fridge. I crossed my arms under my chest and leaned up against the wall. I watched as he looked at the various options for sustenance. There were only the four of us here who needed blood, so there wasn’t much. He pulled out a glass milk quart and set it on the counter. He then went to the cabinets for a cup.
“You having a good work day?” Sarcasm was thick in my voice. Still refusing to turn my way, I saw from the corner of his face that he was laughing.
“Great. You?”
“Fantastic. You know we could use some help out there. It’s Friday. We’re about to get slammed.”
“You’ve gone this long without me. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” He poured blood into a mint green coffee cup and turned to me. Staring at me, he brought the cup to his lips and took a long drink.
“Arsenio brought you in here to help us. If you’re a co-manager, then you need to be out there just as much as I am.”
“So be out there less, then.” He shrugged and turned back to refill his cup. He put the quart away and cup in hand, started back to his office.
“This is bullshit,” I shouted to his back. He paused, but only for a moment. “What do you even do in there all night?” I demanded, following him down the hallway. He didn’t stop me when I went right into his office after him. He sat down at his desk, and I stopped short. I wasn’t sure what to do from here. I looked around.
He had decorated.
When?
“One-day shipping is a phenomenal thing, isn’t it?” He chuckled at my reaction.
He had placed an olive-colored rug over the faded red carpet. The walls had been lined with shelves, and said shelves had all sorts of stuff. Miniatures, games, framed pictures. All horror movie related. I stepped toward them without thinking.
“You got all of this online in a week?” I asked, skeptical. His laugh was low, and it annoyed me. His nonchalance about everything was driving me insane.
“No. The one-day shipping came from a friend digging in a storage unit I have. Since this office wasn’t being used, Arsenio said I could put whatever I wanted in it.”
“Why don’t you put this stuff in your house?” I asked, picking up a signed DVD of the original Glass Children movie.
“Gotta have one to put stuff in it.”
I turned with the DVD in my hand. “Where do you live?”
He shrugged and took a sip of his cup. “Here and there. Staying with your boyfriend right now.”
“For how long?” I cocked my eyebrow. That was almost unheard of. I’d been dating Arsenio for almost two years, and we still didn’t live together. Now he’s opened up his home to this guy?
“I dunno. Until I leave, I guess. Jealous?” He cocked his own eyebrow, and instantly, my walls went back up. I set the movie down a little harder than intended and stepped away from the rather impressive collection.
“No. We choose not to live together.”
“Is that so? Independent woman and all that?”
“Fuck off,” I said and left him laughing. Again.
