Page 30 of Right Next Door
Misty
“Congratulations!”
Laughing, beaming, Misty raised her glass, toasting everyone in thanks as they celebrated her accomplishments. The salon was full, but they weren’t working tonight. Instead, she was celebrating this big occasion.
Her braids had been featured in a big fashion blog. It was a blog that was a household name on Kree, and only the best were ever allowed to be included. The hottest designers premiered their newest looks there. It had segments for daily wear, specialty wear, and artistic pieces – those not meant to actually be worn but only to be art. Anyone who was anyone involved in fashion, design, or otherwise decorating the body in some way wanted to be featured.
And that now included her braids!
It was a big deal. So, her friends wanted to celebrate with her. The party had been organized with her permission, and included everyone she had gotten to know.
A few of the manor staff were there. The ones she had befriended – the chef, the girl who cleaned her room, a few of the other cleaning staff, one of the gardeners, and one security guy who looked like he was working even now.
Her best clients were here, including the female whose chest piece had been the star of the feature article. She was totally topless, bearing her body without shame for the sake of the party. Everyone else who had braids by her had done the same – bearing the part of their body she had worked on – making sure that no one, especially herself, could mistake what they were here for.
Flik, her very first customer and friend, had come as well. He still kept his braids relatively contained, only letting them stay on his wrists while occasionally allowing her to do the back of his hands or part ways up the forearm. He had brought the drinks – a brew native to Kree that wasn’t alcoholic, but did make her feel really happy when she sipped on it. She was warned not to drink too much though because that happy feeling would come with the crash later and the more she imbibed, the worse the crash would be. So, it was like alcohol if alcohol wasn’t a depressant.
She didn't really care though, because it was good and everyone she knew was here and they were all smiling and laughing and celebrating her accomplishments.
Tsok wasn’t here.
She hadn’t invited him. Though that had been a decision she wrestled with for a long time.
She didn't want him here. They barely knew each other. Sure, he was supposedly her mate, but that clearly meant nothing to him, so why should she care at all? Furthermore, he hadn’t said a single thing to her since the party. Didn't message her, didn't call her, not a smoke signal, nothing. She was a doll that he dressedup for a party, then put back on the shelf, unconcerned about what she was doing until the next time he needed her.
That was depressing. He hadn’t been involved in any part of building her business. She’d never even touched his fur, much less braided it. He didn't help her with any of the design choices, moving in, hadn’t even give her a single ‘good work’ this whole time. He’d done nothing to help her, so why should he be invited to the celebration?
Except that wasn’t quite true, because he’d funded the entire thing. She was making money, and she was determined to pay him back, treating her allowance more like a loan. At this point, it was on principle. She didn't want to take his money and be indebted to him in any way. But she was far from being able to return all of it, so he was technically her investor. He should be invited to the party on that basis alone.
Except for the fact that he’d shown no sign of wanting to be beside her before. He didn't act like a man interested in a woman. In fact, she couldn’t even call him a friend! He hadn’t asked for the money back, but she was going to do it anyway.
So, maybe it was more like he was a secret investor. In which case, he wouldn’t want to be invited to the party. She was sure he was busy anyway.
And yeah, that sounded like a lame excuse even in her own head, but she was still struggling with the idea that her mate wanted nothing to do with her. Her supposed soulmate had taken one look and apparently decided she wasn’t worth pursuing.
And that still hurt.
No! She wasn’t supposed to be thinking of him tonight. This was a party, and she was the guest of honor! She was going to enjoy it, enjoy herself, and she wouldn’t let disappointed hopes drag her down tonight. No more thoughts of Tsok!
“Misty!”
Right on time, as if he knew she needed his sunshine personality to drive away her maudlin thoughts, Flik rushed for her.
Why couldn’tthisguy be her mate? He was sweet – a total golden retriever in a giant, saber toothed, feline, alien body. He was always happy to see her. He contacted her quite eagerly all the time. It was almost impossible to deny his friendship.
She wasn’t attracted to him though. She hated herself, but that bright, bouncy, exhausting personality type wasn’t a turn on for her. And she had never gotten the feeling that he was flirting with her either. He was nice to her, happy to see her, and always friendly, no matter what. He sometimes spoke about how he’d made an appointment with True Match to find his own mate, and even once expressed the hope that Misty would get along with her one day – whoever she was – so that they could all be friends together.
Misty didn't get the impression that he was trying to subtly hint that he wasn’t interested. He was way more focused on the idea of his mate and how excited he was to maybe meet her one day. He didn't see her as a potential partner to kindly set boundary lines just in case she might get the wrong idea about his friendliness.
And she loved him more for that. He was a great friend to have. She loved talking to him. She wished they were each other’s type. It would make everything a lot easier.
But those were maudlin thoughts. The very ones that she had just promised herself she wouldn’t be having.
She smiled at Flik as he gave her a great, big, teddy bear hug that pulled her straight off her feet, making her laugh as she tried, and failed, to keep her drink from splashing on his arm. He didn't at all care about his wet fur, however. He looked at herso happily as he set her down, holding onto her shoulders as he beamed.
“I am so proud of you! This is so great!”
She chuckled. “Thanks, Flik.”
