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ZARA
“Idon’t know why you wanted to join the workforce so badly. Seriously, it sucks. Mooch off me. Be lazy for a while longer. I think you’ve earned it.” Ruby is sitting across the bar from me, repeating a conversation we’ve already had a half dozen times.
I started working at Paul’s Tavern last week. Ruby’s been stopping in to say hello during my shifts. She never comes when it’s busy, but once the crowds die down, she slides onto one of the stools at the bar to talk while I wash glasses and clean up.
“She’s sick of wearing plaid pants and Milli Vanilli t-shirts, Rubes,” Rhys replies as he passes behind me, his hand sliding over my lower back in the process. Is it because there’s limited space behind the bar, or because he can’t help but touch me? I have no idea.
Rhys has been here every time I’ve worked. I haven’t had the courage to ask if he only scheduled me during his shifts, or if he’s coming in extra to be here when I’m working. Whatever the reason, I’m not complaining. Except, all of my days at the bar have been filled with those little touches. Brushes of his skin against mine that could be intentional or could be an accident. I know he’s attracted to me. We made out in his apartment and then again in the closet at Miri’s house. But since then, he’s been a complete gentleman.
I want to scream in frustration.
“The way he phrased that is not at all accurate, but I do want to be able to buy my own things. You shouldn’t have to share your clothing, shoes, food, or home with me for nothing in return. I need to be able to support myself. Plus, I can’t sit at home and watch any more docudramas, Ruby. I just can’t. Those people are messed up, and it makes me sad for humanity. And that’s saying a lot, because I grew up in Fae, and talk about fucked up.”
Ruby fights a grin. I already know she wants to defend her love of weird crime documentary shows, but she’s also really excited that I just swore. She’s been trying to get me to curse in casual conversation at least once a day. It’s not really something I feel strongly about, but it makes Ruby smile, so I try to give her at least one bad word a day.
Her purple hair has faded to a lighter shade, and it’s pulled up in a messy bun on top of her head today. I know we look alike, but now she’s Ruby, my sister, and she only looks like herself. I can barely see any parts of me when I look at her these days.
“You can wear that little plaid mini skirt again, though. Any time you want, Zara,” Rhys quips as he walks behind me again, his hand brushing over my ass. Okay, was that an accident? Or did he just touch my butt on purpose?
Ruby rolls her eyes and pushes her empty glass of root beer toward me. “I’ve got to get to work. Maybe I’ll quit my job and you can support me, because I think laying around being lazy all day sounds awesome.”
Rhys is back at my side, his hands braced on the bar in front of him while he gives Ruby a sideways look. “I doubt you could sit still for more than twenty, no ten, minutes.”
“I’ve laid on my couch for much longer than that before.”
“Hangovers excluded, there’s no way you could sit and do nothing for more than a day. You’d go crazy.”
“Fine. You’re right. It had to happen once in this lifetime.” Ruby pushes away from the bar and leaves with a loud goodbye tossed over her shoulder.
“Do you think your personalities were ingrained from birth, or do you think growing up in two different places made you so different?”
“I bet Ruby was born screaming.”
“Are you up for a little magic tutoring after your shift?” Rhys moves to lean against the back counter, his arms and ankles crossed casually. He’s wearing a faded dark gray t-shirt with a logo on the front. The way his arms are crossed makes his muscles bulge and flex. His black hair is extra messy today. He could probably put it back in a tie, it's getting that long. It makes me want to run my fingers through it, and truly make a disaster out of it.
“Yes.” My response is far too breathless for his question, but the anticipation of being alone with him has my heart racing. We haven’t been alone since Miri’s house. The bar always has people in it or there are other employees. We had another movie night at Ezra’s, but I tried to dream walk. The anticipation beforehand was distracting and afterwards I could barely keep my eyes open.
Once Greta arrives at the bar to take over for the night, Rhys ushers me back into his office. The small room is cramped with merchandise, serving as an extra storage space. There’s a small metal desk with a laptop that’s currently closed and set off to the side.
There’s not much on the walls in terms of decorations. There’s a calendar that's set to the wrong month, hanging over a filing cabinet. It has a picture of kittens wrestling over a ball of yarn on it. Rhys sees my smile and follows the direction of my gaze, grinning back at me.
“Ezra.” That’s all he says. And there isn’t much more that needs to be said.
After spending time with this group of friends, I’ve learned that their personalities are vastly different. Yet underneath it all, there’s a sense of humor and a playfulness that can only come from long and solid friendships. It’s a strange feeling to be the outsider who’s slowly assimilating into their longstanding relationships.
Not that they haven't been welcoming, because they have. More than I could’ve ever imagined. I just don’t have the history the rest of them do. That will take time. Surprisingly, I don’t doubt it will happen. I’ve never been someone who is overly confident. I’ve spent my time hiding in the shadows, attempting to stay unseen. Now I have all this freedom to figure out who I am. It’s energizing and yet frightening at the same time.
“What did you want to work on today?”
Rhys shuffles through a stack of a paper until he pulls out a small notebook with a flip top. The paper crinkles as he flips through the pages until he finds what he’s looking for. His expression is sheepish when he looks up at me.
“I had Lena tell me what magic I’m supposed to be able to do, so I could write it down. Enchantment, which apparently means I can change the appearance of something, or a glamor if I’m feeling fancy. I can also curse or hex someone, but that’s not really a skill I’m interested in practicing. Unless we’re going to hex Anthony or Colton, then I don’t see a reason to bother. Although, I wouldn’t mind making all my dad’s hair fall out.”
“Maybe we should work on enchanting objects before we graduate to curses.” I take a seat in a spare chair across from his desk. Rhys frowns at the only other seat, which is behind his desk, but sits in it.
“You can do more than change the appearance of an item.”
“Like what?”
