I followed him slower and watched through the tall glass windows as he peeled out of the parking lot.
“Where is he going?” Aleida asked from the counter. I shot my eyes over to her. She was cleaning her nails, a stick from a sucker hanging out of her mouth.
“I assumed you knew since you know more about him than I do.” I turned around and went back to my office.
A few hours passed, and when Aleida went for her break, she came to my door. I had left it open. She leaned against the frame and popped her gum loudly. I looked up from my laptop.
“Whatcha doin?” She offered. I took a second to really look at her. We couldn’t be any more different.
She was a pale, pretty blonde. Her legs were long, and the rest of her was curvy in all the right places. Much more defined than mine were. I almost felt like a boy compared to her.
Today, she chose to wear a black leather skirt and a lace bustier under a black leather jacket. I was an off-brand vampire, and she was couture.
I looked back at my screen. I had a dozen different tabs up for potential colleges around the country. “Just scrolling the web. What’s up?”
“Just wanted to see if you were okay. When Desiderio left, he seemed pretty angry.”
“He’s like that all the time. That’s just his face.”
“Are you mad about the other night?” She crossed her arms under her ample chest and stood up straight.
“Which night?”
“When you went home early. I know Desiderio is my boss, but like, I doubt Arsenio cares.”
“What are you talking about?” My blood began to boil. I tried to think about the details. That night had been insane. My thighs clenched, and I flinched at the pain from his bite. It had healed a bit but was still very much there and not great looking.
Aleida giggled and grinned. She stepped away from the door and moved toward my desk.
“Okay, so this stays between us girls. We’ve been kind of flirting back and forth since, like, the day I got here. But he kept saying you’d be mad if we hooked up. But then I saw you with Arsenio and just decided to go for it.”
I blinked. “Go for it?”
She bit her lower lip and nodded. She reached out and put her hands on my desk. Her eyes went to the ceiling, and she groaned. “God, he’s delicious. Isn’t he?” She looked back down and wiggled her eyebrows. “Oh, you don’t care. I mean, I get it. Arsenio is an Adonis. Desiderio has this broody thing about him that makes you just want to get on your knees right under his desk for him.”
I pressed my lips together and took in what she was saying.
She and Desi? Right after we—he?
I gulped. I was going to be sick.
“Why are you telling me this?” I asked sharply.
“I don’t know. I just want us to be friends. We work together. Plus, I’ve been dying to tell someone other than Una about it. She’s my girl, don’t get me wrong, but I seriously need more friends.”
“Look, Aleida, I’m happy for you and—him. I was kind of in the middle of something.” I motioned to the laptop. “Can we talk about this later?”
She puffed out her lip and scrunched up her nose. All I could think was how Desi probably thought that was adorable. I wanted to punch it right off her face. “Sure. Maybe we can have a drink sometime. I’ve got my new apartment set up, and I’d love to have you over. I can give you all the juicy details.” She giggled and left.
“Hey, can you close the door on your way out? I really need to focus on this stuff.”
She did, and it took everything in me not to scream. I reached for my phone. I clicked on Desi’s name but froze. What could I even say? Instead, I opted for throwing it as hard as I could against the wall.
Fuck. Him. Hard.
I snapped my laptop shut. I cringed, hoping I hadn’t just broken it. I stood up and left my office, heading toward his open one. I glanced inside and considered going in and throwing all of his stupid movie knickknacks on the floor. Instead, I shut it and went out into the theater. I looked at the clock. I still had three long hours left to my shift. I headed outside, the cold air hitting my cheeks and bear arms and legs. I reveled in it. I could feel something other than rage.
I looked up at the floodlights hanging on the building. Using them as a guide, I walked around the building. Not wanting Una or Aleida’s eyes on me.
