Page 3 of Wicked Desires, Part One

Thea was there, too, when I got the news. I don't remember much else from that night since I essentially blacked out in celebration.

"Hey!" Thea notices me, a paper coffee cup still in her hand, as she walks over to me, leaning over the counter to smile at me. "How’s work?"

I watch her hands fly over different machinery behind the counter, making a cup of coffee loaded with sugar and cream. It's impressive how quickly she's gotten good at this job, but that's just how Thea is. She's always managed to get through everything unscathed and keep on top of everything.

Currently, she's working at this cafe and trying to work on scholarships and grants to get into medical school. She's managing that better than any average person should be able to, but I'm not entirely surprised by that.

"A wreck," I say with a sigh, trying to get my shoulders to stop aching. Sitting most of the day and then being expected to run around in heels has absolutely started to wear me down a bit. But after rolling my shoulders a few times, the pain becomes manageable. "But that's just how it is."

Thea shoots me a sympathetic smile as she places the coffee on the counter, and someone comes to pick it up before she even has to call out their name.

"At least it pays well," she says, and I can't really say anything about that.

The pay has been good, but it's been a stressful job. Not that I thought it would be an easy job, but it's kept me on my toes. It feels like I just barely manage to get all of my work done at the end of every day.

"It does," I say with a sigh. It's why I've been sticking with this job for as long as I have—that and... a couple of other reasons.

"I'm taking my break!" Thea shouts over her shoulder and then takes off her apron, stepping around the counter and gracefully sitting down at the nearest table. She's got an extra cup of coffee that she made for herself and a little lunchbox that she whips out before she slides me something wrapped in paper. "So, how was today?"

"Not awful, just busy. It's always busy." I reach out for Thea's gift and unwrap it to see a breakfast sandwich that she's saved for me. I bite into it and let out a groan, finally starting to feel alive again.

"I thought you liked being busy."

I glance up at Thea, who has a container of pasta. She's been meal prepping since I first met her, and it's a habit that impresses me every time. I don't know how she always manages to have her life together.

I slowly chew my breakfast sandwich, trying to buy myself some time and maybe think of something that won't embarrass me entirely.

"I like the job for a lot of reasons," I mutter, trying to shrug the question off. But I can already feel my face starting to burn up. Thea's eyes are focused on me, and I think she can tell that I'm trying to avoid it.

"I know."

A silence settles over the both of us before I glance up at Thea. She has a smirk fixed on her face, and her eyes are glued to me as I try to pretend like I don't know what the next question out of her mouth will be.

"How was he today?"

I feel my face burning up. I wish she would at least give it some time before poking fun at me.

"I'm... not sure," I stammer at first, and I know there's really no point. Especially not after last night.

I should have been careful with how much I drank, but Thea and I have both been wildly overwhelmed for the last week. I may have gone a little bit overboard and...

I cringe just remembering the memory. It was just last night, and the alcoholic haze is still clearing up in my mind as the day goes on. So far, I can remember pulling out my phone and showing her a picture of Mister Fletcher, and once that got her attention, it all went downhill from there.

I don't remember exactly what happened, but there are flashes in my memory that I can start to piece together. Talking about him, his hands, the genuine kindness that he has shown me a few times, and the look he gets on his face when he sees me. It's embarrassing to even think about sometimes. But saying it to Thea last night absolutely will stick around for a long while.

And... there was one other thing. But I'm not entirely sure if I told Thea about that one yet. Hopefully, I didn't because that... that might actually become a problem later.

"He was kind of pacing around and staring out at the city when I walked into his office today," I finally give in and say. I know that Thea won't leave me alone if I don't tell her something, and that's really the only thing interesting that happened today.

I spent most of today trying to stay away from Mr. Fletcher and trying my best not to look slightly hungover. Hopefully, I managed to pull it off with enough water and coffee.

But that doesn't mean that I'm off the hook with Thea. She still has a smile fixed on her face as she observes me carefully. I have to fight the urge to squirm under her gaze.

"Brooding," she whispers with a slow nod. I can't help the immediate frown that threatens to show on my face. I don't necessarily like the tone with which she said it. Like it's something... appealing.

"Yeah, I guess."

There's another moment of silence as Thea nods, thinking to herself. I know that she's going to have tons of questions that I can't answer or that aren't realistic at all. I know that she's going to keep bothering me about it for ages, now that she knows I have a sliver of a chance with my boss.

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