Stopping to look at her, I made sure my responding impression was just as cynical. “Wow, you’re dramatic. Five thousand miles,” I laughed. “I don’t want to see him. He’s actually the last person I want to see today.”
She giggled. “I don’t think he’s here for your sake.”
“Well, let’s go anyway, just in case.” I was sure that he came to track me down. I headed in the direction of Myra’s house, pulling her behind me.
I could hear her heels clacking against the pavement behind me. “Slow down, Ves. What’s your problem? What else is he supposed to do today?”
“Sleep in his coffin?” I spun around to face Myra behind me, forcing me to walk backward. “I really don’t want to see him,” I said through my teeth.
Hitting something solid, I stumbled backward.
“Don’t want to see me?” I heard Damien’s voice as he broke my fall, cradling me in his arms. My heart slowed to a normal pace. It felt so... normal.
“Let me down,” I demanded.
“Don’t leave on my account,” he said. His voice was enchanting.
“The world doesn’t revolve around you. We have to be at work,” I scoffed.
His amusement broke out into loud thunderous laughter. After he managed to halt his laughter, I heard him whisper under his breath, “You have no idea.” He then rubbed his eyebrow with his thumb.
I stared at him, trying to figure him out. “Well, if you will excuse us, we need to go.” I pushed my way past him, slightly shoving his solid chest. My body jolted.
“The bar doesn’t open until later.”
I turned around and walked back up to him, annoyance boiling inside me. Of course, now that he worked with us, he knew that we wouldn’t be able to get into the bar until four at the earliest. Why had the universe done this to me?
I pushed past him, “I told Joe that I would come in early and help out… with some… stuff.” My voice dwindled to a hushed whisper as I finished the lie. I was a horrible liar.
Just as I had cleared his mouth-drooling body, arms reached out and locked onto my hips. The fact that his hands could almost wrap around my entire frame contributed to my body quivering with ecstasy. Of course, the fact that he had his hands on my hips contributed to the many tiny explosions within.
Without speaking aloud, he said, “You have always been a good liar.” Did he just use telepathy? Is that even a real thing? “Stay.”
“Weird,” I thought.
He leaned into my ear and said, “Please.” His breath on my neck was tantalizing, but so right.
“Come on, Ves, can’t we stay for a little while? We just got here; and may I remind you, we had to walk a really long way to get here.” Myra was going to win this battle because I wanted to stay, which I would never admit.
I eyed Myra for a dramatic effect, “Fine, whatever, but you owe me a souvenir shirt.” I stormed past them and stomped my way back toward the parade. A secret smile surfaced as I sensed him watching me. My storm-off softened into a sashay as I made sure to add an extra swing in my step for his pleasure.
Then it happened! I was mortified. Not only did I trip over my own feet, but I skidded across the gravel, landing in the middle of the street. I looked up to see Demien standing over me, arms crossed over his chest. From the ground, he came across even larger and more terrifying. Endorphins completely flooded me, along with embarrassment and stupidity.
“Oh, goodness, are you okay?” Myra appeared more panicked than the situation really required. She was such a drama queen.
“She is fine,” Demien answered for me. He held out a hand to help me up. I accepted, dusting my butt off on the way up.
I glared at him. “How do you know? I could have been really hurt,” I huffed and turned my back to him. Without a doubt, I should’ve stopped acting so immature, but I was feeling too childish to really care at the moment.
He emitted a low, scruffy laugh, causing me to fruitlessly fight back a smile. “I know,” he mumbled.
I rolled my eyes and said, “Well, whatever.” I stalked off toward Myra. Apparently, she had snuck off during the squabble.
Jogging back toward me, I noticed a bag in her left hand. “Hey, I got us shirts. There wasn’t much to choose from.”
“Thanks.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine. My ankle hurts a little, but what do you expect after fallin’ in high heels? I have a few scrapes, but I’m okay.” I knew she was asking more about my interaction with Demien than about my physical state, but I opted to ignore that entire state of affair.
She gave me the puppy dog eyes.
I refused to give in. “I’m fine. I promise. Can we go now?”
“Fine, we can go. I won’t push anymore.” She replied, clearly disappointed.
On our way to work, we stopped at the Ghouls and Witches Underground, aka Rt. 66 Subs. The restaurant changed their name, menu and general décor to coincide with the current holiday event. The open sign was changed to say “Come In If You DARE”. The menu was black with glow-in-the-dark print. I ordered the Witches of Salem Combo, and Myra had the Cheerleader’s Psycho Mom Combo.
The interior lights were turned off, providing only strobe lights to guide the way. Behind the counter, thin runway lights outlined the work areas so the employees could see to function, without taking away from the
