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Dylan only sighs, rubbing his hand over his face like he’s gone through this before. “You’re just being lazy. Swear, you’re nothing like this at work. Always stuck up when you’re on the clock.” He stops to watch her, arms crossed over his chest.
“You’re stuck up all the time so I don’t wanna hear it,” she retorts, popping out her hip and placing her hand there.
Veronica quips in from the sidelines, hand turned upwards with tiny sparks of electricity shooting from her fingers. “If you two don’t behave then I swear I will zap you both and don’t think it won’t affect you too, Frankenstein. I will personally zap the muscles in your arms so you can’t go to the gym for a week!” she threatens but Carolyn ignores her.
“It’s too far to even get to the crosswalk, you’re not human, you don’t understand,” she whines and playfully punches his shoulder. “Look, even Gabriella understands. She’s human too, you know!” She points and walks over to me, grabbing me by the arm.
She dramatically places the back of her hand to her forehead, slumping onto me. “You don't understand our pain,” she says but she can’t hold in her laughter. I giggle with her but she quickly composes herself when Dylan just shakes his head.
“Why did I get stuck with you of all people as my partner?” He shakes his head and bends a bit at the knees. “Just shut up and climb on,” he says and Carolyn is all too happy to oblige.
She cheerfully climbs onto his back and he stands up, essentially giving her a piggyback ride. He rolls his eyes. “If you just didn’t want to walk you could have just said it.” He laughs and carries her the rest of the way there.
A couple of days go by and I spend most of my time at the cafe attending to the very few customers I get. Mayor Wendall is one who comes in quite often. Today he’s wearing a cloak and all the snakes on his head are limp, as if they're too tired to bother hissing at anyone.
“The usual?” I ask as he comes up to the counter.
He nods and takes off his hood. “You know, I’m glad you humans prefer to keep enclosed spaces closed. Most of these monsters can’t stand it but personally I can’t deal with the heat. I mean look at this.” He grabs one of the snakes and shakes it, only getting a slightly irritated hiss in response.
I laugh as I get him his iced coffee. “I guess you’re having a bad hair day.” I giggle and his face turns a bit more red.
“Not everyone can look as beautiful as you in this heat,” he compliments and for a second, my mind blanks. I regain my composure and roll my eyes. “Nice try. Don’t forget to tip,” I mumble and he just laughs and takes a sip from his drink.
The snakes on his head shiver and begin to perk up slowly. “Are you feeling better?” I ask as he puts a couple of dollars in the tip jar.
“Much better. Have a nice day,” he says and smiles.
As the days go on, Chet tries to spend time with me by inviting me out but I keep turning him down, saying I’m tired or that I’m going with Carolyn to certain places. I can see the disappointment in his eyes but I’m doing him a favor and giving him space. I’m an independent woman and I’ll be damned if I become a burden to him. I do still really like him but it’s for the best, for both of us.
9
CHET
Gabriella still won’t go out with me. I swipe my hand over my face and try to erase the embarrassment of rejection. I hate to think that Fred was right. I mean, the man can’t even have a conversation without half of his jaw falling off.
“Meh. Friend Zone.”What a stupid phrase.What the hell does it even mean? “It’s just another damn wall people put up when they don’t appreciate what is in front of them.” I’m talking to my bathroom mirror. Not only do I have no way to talk this through with Fred, he already said what he needed to say. There was no reason to pick the little brains he has floating around in that rotting skull of his.
I splash some cold water on my face and shake it off. The chill washes over my skin and gives me a dose of reality. If she doesn’t want to be with me, why should I force it? But, also, how do I lose feelings I caught so unexpectedly?
I set off for my store and let the sunlight brighten my mood if only just a little. Gabriella Perez does not need to invade my every thought, I think smugly. My smugness extinguishes as I realize that the idea of her even just seeped into my own attempt to untangle myself from her.
“Damnit.” I pull the keys from my pocket and jingle them as Veronica waits patiently at the door. Her long blonde hair is braided lazily over her shoulder as she leans on the door frame.
“What up, Bossman?” Her smile widens as I come in closer. I’ve tried to give her keys to my joint, it’s not like I don’t trust her, but she swears she keeps losing them. I think she just likes to wait for me in the morning. She likes the routine. She’s too damn smart not to be organized.
“Nuthin,” I respond. My tone gives me away, and I avoid her eye contact as the keys fumble in my fingers. Her scrutinization prickles against my wolfy senses, and I’m in no mood. “No.” The grumble slips from my mouth without my permission, but it’s a good indication of my current mood.
“No?” I can feel her features shift, and her survey of the situation deepens.
My eyes roll as the door finally unlocks. I pull on the handle and open it, allowing Veronica to walk through first. She flips the lights on, and we move through the store, following our habitual dance for years.
“You know, I’m a good listener,” Veronica calls from the front of the store.
I audibly groan. Then stop. Veronica is a woman. She will have a woman’s perspective for sure. I pull back the excitement clawing through my chest and let a huff loose. Then, I make my way to the front of the store.
Veronica leans against the counter with her brows perked. Her braid swings back and forth. “Stop,” I say. “It’s hard enough as it stands.”
Her smile widens. She’s enjoying this far too much. “It’s nice to see you get all worked up over a lady. That’s all.”
