“I didn’t say anything.” He snickered.
“You didn’t have to. He just doesn’t like talking on the phone.” I snapped.
“Okay.” He glanced at me with a cocked eyebrow. As we passed under a streetlight, his mismatched eyes flashed brightly. I actually kind of liked them. They fit him. “Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked.
“What do you mean?” I looked away quickly. My cheeks felt warm despite my normal cold body.
“I don’t know. You’re being weird.” He accused.
“Am not. Get over yourself,” I muttered. The rest of the drive was silent. He pulled into my complex and parked in front of my building. Only then did I give him another glance. “Thanks.”
“Yeah, sure. You uh, want my number?”
I blinked. What? It was his turn to be embarrassed. His eyes went wide, and his soft face instantly darkened. “In case you need a ride to work tomorrow. Because your car is still there.”
“Oh. Yeah, okay.” I pulled out my phone, and we exchanged numbers.
“I can have Arsenio call you when I get back to his place.” He offered as I opened the door and began climbing out of his car.
“I wouldn’t bother. He’ll just text me anyway. Thanks for the ride. I’ll see you tonight.” I quickly turned and rushed up the stairs and to the safety of my apartment.
It was only after soaking in a hot bath and letting my brain relax and go through all the events of last night did I realize why Desiderio intrigued me so much. His eyes. They were deceiving. His face said adorable, but he was trouble, much like his friend—my boyfriend Arsenio.
5
“You need to go pick up your girlfriend’s car.” I snarled, storming into Arsenio’s office. He looked up from his desk in surprise and then furrowed his brows.
“Who? Scout? What’s wrong with her car?”
“Yes, Scout. Do you have multiple women in your bed?” I paced the floor, fingers digging into my pockets. I felt for my deck and tightened my grasp around it. Arsenio slammed his hands on the desk and stood.
“Of course not. What are you talking about? Is she okay?”
“I had to take her home. She tried to call you. Why didn’t you answer?” I turned and stopped.
He shook his head. “I was still working downstairs. I don’t take phone calls when I’m down there.” He pulled his phone from his suit jacket, pushed some buttons, and then brought it to his ear. He glanced at me and waved me off. “I’ll take care of the car. Thanks,” he muttered.
I turned promptly and practically fled to the guest room where Arsenio had so kindly let me stay. What was wrong with me?
I was playing with fire, giving her my number. Taking her number in return. I stripped and showered, getting the smell of popcorn butter off my skin. Throwing on a clean pair of boxers, I climbed into bed and reached for my phone. My fingers went straight to my contacts. I stared at her name and number. Just then, a text came through.
From her.
Scout: Thanks for getting in touch with Arsenio. He’s helping me with my car.
My stomach felt as if a weight had been dropped on it. I did the right thing, I reminded myself. I had gone back and forth about it the entire way home. While I enjoyed the thrill of being alone with the beautiful girl, I knew it was wrong. Me taking her to work wasn’t appropriate. She was dating my good friend. I shouldn’t treat her any differently than any other person. I debated not replying. Giving her the cold shoulder is what I needed to do. But I texted her back anyway.
Me: NP. Glad it’s getting taken care of.
Why did that take me so long to send? I needed to go to bed. Dylan and Adam, the only other night shift crew members, invited me to a movie before our shift tonight. While I wasn’t usually friendly, I needed to take my mind off things.Off her.
I shut my phone completely off to remove all options of staying up all day overthinking things.
When my alarm went off in the evening, I got up and stretched. Living in the age of technology, my hands went straight to my phone. I remembered then that I had turned it off. I swallowed and turned it back on. I let out a breath of relief when I saw that she hadn’t tried to keep texting me.
Putting on my standard band tee, worn jeans, and boots, I went downstairs to see if Arsenio was around. I needed to apologize.
I found him in the kitchen, pouring himself a hot cup of blood from an ivory teakettle. Everything in this house was either white or gold, making his drink's deep red stand out. He turned when I came in and flashed me a wide smile. Despite his grin, I couldn’t help but notice his tired red eyes.
