Page 24 of Marked by the Demigod

He blinks at her. "I thought this would be easy?" He says, voice soft. "I thought you'd, I dunno, jump at this chance."

"What did you think would happen? We haven't really talked in what, two months?" Cause if he thought of her as easy, as a fallback, then he thought worse of her than she thought.

"And when we have, you've seemed, I dunno, open to this?" He actually looks hurt.

And if he had tried a few weeks earlier, she probably would be, but as it is it leaves a bad taste in her mouth. "How's work been?"

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees him blink furiously. "Really?"

She shrugs, and the clientele of Priscilla's has never been more interesting. Or more interested in their own drinks and not watching them.

"You asked me, I thought it fair to ask back."

He shakes his head, and stands up. "I have to go to work, I think." He sounds so unsure of himself her heart breaks, just a little, and he strides away.

A few of the clients of Priscilla's watch him leave, then raise an eyebrow at Aimes.

She slumps back into the prickly couch, her heart pounding a bit too hard. And she knows that before all this magical mumbo jumbo she would’ve been overjoyed. And that doesn't sit well with her, that something so outside of her control, could've even changed her thing with Rocky and and --

And one of the clients of Priscilla’s watches her, a blank look on his face, and for a second she just blinks at him.

He’s tall, with dark hair, and just a hair close enough in appearance to her Jake that her skin crawls a bit.

It’s not him, it’s definitely not, the look too cold and the look too dark, and she looks away.

She flips open her phone.

AIMES (9:18 AM): Dave, anything at the library need fixing?

There's a long pause, where more Priscilla clients studiously don’t observe her.

A glance back to the man reveals that he’s gone, but nobody came through the door.

DAVE (9:32 AM): No.

AIMES (9:33 AM): Can I come by anyways?

* * *

He sits,restless, across from her in his little closet of an office, as if he has no idea what to say.

"Remember my ex, Rocky?" Aimes blurts out.

Horror dawns on his face. "Aimes, don't."

"I didn't! He just...he asked me back today."

Dave buries his head on his hands, pulling on the tufts of his hair. "Aimes," he's using the librarian voice, "Aimes, don't cheat on your husband. Just...don't."

"I didn't. I didn't...I didn't even want to." She settles back in her chair.

He exhales a huge sigh. "Oh thank god."

She watches as he swivels in his chair out of unease. "But, I didn't want to. It's Rocky, you know...".

"I know you've either been torn up about him or upset at him for something like three years. He cheated on you, then dumped you, and has been a little shit about it.”

She blinks. "You paid attention to my rants?"

---