Page 51 of One Last Wish

“What?” He generally looked amused with me. “Nyx is a lot of things, but she’s not a problem.”

“Okay, I get it. You don’t want to talk about it.” Nyx seemed like a handful...the type of woman that would put a man through hell. It made sense that Darce wouldn't want to talk about it, so I didn’t press the matter.

“Did you want a drink?” Darce motioned toward the hot chocolate stand. There was quite a chill in the air tonight, and a warm drink would help.

We found a table to sit at once we’d gotten our cocoas. “Do you live alone?” I questioned, realising, after all this time, that I still knew nothing about him.

“I live with...friends.”

“Is Nyx one of those?”

“Yes, along withothers.” Giving me a quizzical look, Darce sat back in his chair. “Nyx bothered you, didn’t she?”

“She was fuckingstunning! Of course she bothered me. I get it now.”

“You get what?”

“Your type. I can’t ever compete withthat. You might find me attractive, but I understand why your heart would be elsewhere.”

“Let’s not talk about my heart, Alora. Who it belongs to was decided long ago.” That confirmed it.Nyx.

“I’m glad you get to experience it. Love. It must feel wonderful when it’s returned.”

“It’s a blessing and a curse,” Darce whispered, leaning towards me. He searched my face for some reason. “It’s getting late. We better get to the subway. I can walk you home from there.” I didn’t know why, but with Darce I always felt safe and protected. Nothing could touch me when he was by my side.

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“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU’REnot sure if she’s his girlfriend or not? Did you ask him?” Evelyn questioned while we were drinking in Clover Bar. She met me after work.

“I didn’t need to. Evelyn, she wasstunning. The pair of them were made for each other. I can’t compete with that.”

“Was there any sexual tension between them?”

“There was a lot of anger. That’s kind of the same thing.”

“No, it’s not! You can be angry with afriend.”

“I know what I saw! It’s pointless chasing him. This friend of yours, Charlie, do you think he’d come out clubbing with us on Saturday?”

“Oh, youdowant to make Darce jealous.” Everyone at Bookends was going out on Saturday for our Christmas get together. Evelyn was tagging along. I didn’t want to purposely make Darce jealous with Charlie, but I was running out of options. Watching him with Nyx had left me pretty deflated. I had no idea what to do.

“I’m keeping my options open. ThisCharliesounds like hemightbe my type.”

“Mmm...I still think this is about Darce.”

“I’m sexually frustrated andneedto get laid. It’s getting to the point where any dick will do!” The sexual build up with Darce had practically turned me feral. Knowing it was all one sided, I had to find release fromsomeone.

“You’re really giving up on Darce?”

“I have no choice. He might find me attractive, but he’s never going to fully act on it. Not when he’s wrapped up in Nyx.”

“Nyx is a weird name, but...so is Darce. Do you think those are their real names?”

“I don’t care,” I sighed, looking over at the bar. It had thinned out since we first arrived. Now was probably a good time to get another drink. “Do you want another?” Evelyn nodded.

It was the regular barman that had been trying to get my number for months that served me.

“Well, hello, dream girl. When am I going to get your number?” he teased, leaning across the bar. This guy wasn’t completely my type, but he was bulky, with tattoos and dirty blonde hair.

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