He might be too good for me, though. Like, too pure. Too...nice. And I can’t bring myself to date him. I’d only end up hurting him once I got bored. Her thoughts were indeed still on Toby, and they were thoughts full of doubt. I listened for a little longer. I want a guy I won’t feel guilty for dumping later. But...I suppose...maybe...maybe he’s the guy worth breaking the cycle over? Oh wow, who’s that hottie?
I adjusted my position, so I could see who she saw. Sure enough, a young man stood directly in front of her, his back turned as he looked at the pond as well. He was taller and far more muscular than Toby, though in a lean way. An athlete, for sure. His dark hair had streaks of blue and green mixed throughout. Yes, he had more of what I considered to be Desi’s type when it came to physical qualities.
Then she groaned. Why was she groaning?
“Rodney,” she whispered into her coffee cup.
No, she had to be mistaken. That man could not be the same Rodney from the office. The one who liked to torment her with constant interruptions while she tried to work at her desk. Didn’t he have black and red hair? When he got bored of the ducks and faced our way, I also groaned. Yes, it was indeed him.
He stared down the sidewalk for a moment before his gaze landed on Desi. A small smirk formed on his lips. “Desdemona, the demon of Billie Corp. What are you doing here?”
“It’s a public park, Rod. I’m not understanding the scandal you’re implying,” she said smoothly.
“I didn’t think you could be seen in sunlight. Aren’t you a vampire?”
She took a long sip from her coffee, holding back whatever she actually wanted to say. “You do know the only way a person gets tan is from the sun, yes? Do you think a girl of my complexion sits inside all day?”
“Genetics.”
“Sadly, I must do a lot of work to maintain this level of beautiful.” The words came out so smooth, but inside I could feel she believed them to be a lie. Her lack of self-esteem always frustrated me. With Rodney, she usually acted a little more confident than usual. Something about him made her want to participate in his challenges.
Rodney tilted his head to the side. “That’s interesting. I’d have thought you were naturally always smoking hot.”
“You’re joking right?” She laughed. “Seriously, you’re going to go there with me?”
“Do you think I’m lying?” he asked his voice low.
She narrowed her gaze at him. “Everyone knows your sense of humor is a little off. Weren’t you the guy who called me a toad three months ago?”
“That had nothing to do with your outward appearance.” Then his tone was serious.
Once again, Desi took a long drink from her coffee...only then it was empty. As long as he didn’t know, right? She kept her gaze on him dark and full of judgment. When she felt ready, she lowered the cup. “Regardless of your reasons, forgive me for not being excited over the fact that you think I’m hot. I tend to hold grudges.”
“I can be persuasive.” He paused, looking her over. “When I want to be.”
“Normally, I’d ask you to persuade away, but just the fact that you used the word toad as an insult is so telling about the kind of person you are.” She stood. “Whatever. Have a fantastic day. I’ll see you in the office. Please, don’t come bug me, though. It’s best we keep our mutual admiration for each other, a long distance relationship.”
Rodney placed a gentle hand on her elbow. “I don’t need permission to persuade you.”
With him so close, I could get a good look inside of him. I only had a few seconds to do so. While everything about him might have suggested he was an arrogant jerk, inside of his soul was someone fiercely loyal. Someone she could count on to stay through thick or thin.
That was as far as I got before she shook her arm from his grasp, pulling me out of his soul.
“Fine, be that kind of a guy. I’ll be counting the days it takes for you to quit. If you can make it more than ten, I’ll at least send you a consolation cookie,” she said.
He laughed, hard. “I’ve never had a girl offer up a consolation prize before! Wow! I feel super special now. That alone makes me want to try. Hard. Every day. For ten days. A whole week, no, two! Because I only see you on business days! Get ready, Desi, because you’re about to be amazed.”
“You get ready because if you annoy me enough, my rejections will be quite creative.” She batted her eyelashes at him. “When your wounds are too much to bear, don’t go around calling me names. I warned you.”
“Deal.” He held his hand out for a shake.
For a second time, she took a man’s hand. “Fine, deal. Whatever.”
She rolled her eyes and walked to throw her coffee cup into the trash. Don’t look back. I can’t look back. If I do, he’ll know that I think he’s sexy as all get out. And hooking up might be fun, but I don’t want to get involved with a guy from work. Too messy. So she kept her eyes forward. A good thing, too, because his gaze never left her for as long as he was in my view. Like he was waiting for her to turn around. I don’t know if her keeping her eyes focused was a good thing or not.
“Interesting,” I said, thoughtfully.
Preston sighed heavily as he came closer. “I concur. He’s a tough one. Not sure what to think about him. Comes off as sleezy.”
“I think it’s all an act.”
“Maybe. Doesn’t mean he’s the right guy for her.”
Brie joined into the discussion again. “Having more options is good, though! Don’t get me wrong, I’m still on Team Toby for the time being, but options! Yay! If one ends up being a bust, we can work on the other instead!”
“That’s not a bad idea,” I said, surprised we actually agreed on something.
“Do we have his number?” Preston asked.
“We won’t be needing it. He’s going to come to her,” I said.
For the first time, I didn’t feel hopeless. Perhaps I wouldn’t have to talk the others into just accepting their fate.
Chapter Five
Preston
We went from zero options and no hope, to two guys who Desi didn’t meet at a club. It might not seem like a big deal, but it was HUGE. Yes, all capitalized and italics. That much! Part of the reason she struck out so badly was because she never tried much. All of a sudden she wanted to try? I couldn’t remember the last time she’d actually put in an effort out of genuine interest. She did like Rodney, too, even if she tried to tell herself otherwise. I’ve known she’s been into him for a while. The others needed to see it too, because they don’t trust my judgement anymore.
Not that I blame them. I take responsibility for Desi’s cold shoulder approach. It’d been my idea to let her get close to Dave seven years ago.
Let me paint the scene.
Desi was considered a late bloomer compared to the other kids her age. She had crushes on guys since she was ten, but she didn’t actually feel ready to act on those crushes until sixteen. Our guardian job was easy compared to that of our ancestors. As we have life breathed into our existence as magical snakelike beings, we are imparted with the wisdom of all generations before us. So I knew we were lucky to not have to fight off undesirable suitors in the early years. All the same, starting at an older age was just as hard. Expectations were a lot higher. Who doesn’t want to find “the one” right away? Get the difficult part over with.