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I flashed him a dirty look at took a drink of my wine instead of saying something in response.
“Why are you two like this?” Carmella interrupted our insults, waving a finger between me and River while she frowned at us. “Is it foreplay?”
“Carmella!” I shouted, almost spitting out my wine in the process.
“I think it’s their names.” Chad’s voice was slow and slurred, and I whipped my head around to look at him.
“Our names?” I spit out, and Chad nodded, his eyes glassy.
“River. Sky. You’re both elements. Or pieces of elements. I mean, don’t you think it’s weird that you two have names like that? It’s like you were made for each other. You could have babies and name them Ocean and Star.”
He started cracking up, like his suggestion was the funniest thing he’d ever heard. Apparently, it was because Carmella tried to stop from giggling, but couldn’t.
“Ocean and Star. HA!” he said again, and they both laughed, each one holding their stomachs.
“Okay, Cookies and Cream, I think you’ve had enough,” River said with a pat to Chad’s back, and that actually made me snicker in response.
“Don’t get pissed at me because you haven’t landed her yet.” Chad pointed at River, and I knew in that moment that they’d talked about me at some point before we checked into the hotel.
I had pretty much expected it, but it was still a little unnerving. Assuming something had been discussed versus it being confirmed that it had were two totally different things. River had talked about me to Chad. And told him that we never hooked up. Of course he had said that. It was the truth after all. River might be a man-whoring pig, but he didn’t lie.
I guess the guy has one redeeming quality.
“You two act like you hate each other, but you don’t. At all. You want to bone each other’s brains out. But you keep lying about it. To yourselves. To everyone. But we all see it. The secret looks. The lust. Like Carmella said, it’s all foreplay.”
I rubbed at my temples, hoping that drunk Chad would stop talking. “You’re severely delusional. The hatred is very real on my end.”
“Not that anyone even knows why.” River sounded annoyed and a little excited. Like he’d wanted the chance to talk about this, but never had the opportunity before.
I attempted to glare at River from across the table, but I was a little buzzed and wasn’t entirely sure that my face was doing what I asked of it. I probably looked tired and uncomfortable instead.
“Why do you hate me? I’ve never even done a damn thing to you.”
“I’m entitled to my opinion,” I said before taking another drink of wine. If my mouth was full, I couldn’t put my foot in it.
“Opinion based on what? You’ve hated me since the day we first worked together,” he explained, like this was news to me, but I only nodded.
“Yep.”
“Before I even opened my mouth and said two words to you, it was all dirty looks and huffs and bad body language,” he continued, his mouth forming a snarl as he said the words.
Apparently, he didn’t enjoy my initial reaction toward him. I figured he never gave it a second thought after our shifts ended. I went to open my mouth and push his buttons even more, but Carmella beat me to the punch.
“One of us probably told her to.” Carmella raised her hand in the air, and I watched as River focused on her. “I’m sure someone did.”
“Told her to hate me?” he asked, sounding offended and baffled.
“Well, I mean, not hate you per se. But we do tell all the new girls to stay away from the pilots. And to definitely not date them.”
“I thought that was just a rumor,” Chad said, stumbling over the words.
“Nope.” Carmella emphasized before adding, “But it’s not like they listen, so it doesn’t even matter.”
River waved a hand in my direction. “She listened.”
“Then, she’s the only one,” Carmella fired back.
“Can you two stop talking about me like I’m not here?” I said a little too loudly.
