ANYTHING BUT ENEMIES

31. everyone likes me

We file out the conference room as usual—in mini groups, sticking to the people we know best.

Which inevitably means I'm walking beside Ruby.

This fact would normally bring me joy, but as luck would have it, my roommate's been burning holes into the side of my head since the second workshop ended, desperate to grill me about what just went down.

I'm doing everything in my power to keep from giving her the chance to ask questions. Everything including avoiding eye contact to humming loudly to walking at an uncomfortable pace for conversation.

And in some twisted way, the universe seems to be honoring my attempts, choosing to let a dry, masculine voice interject the second she opens her mouth.

"Cleodora."

Yeah, a very, very twisted way.

My eyes roll on instinct, and I ignore the voice, planning to wait until its speaker decides to address me by the name I actually go by. But then I feel a hand on one shoulder and sense that all-too-familiar face leaning over the opposite one. "I know you heard me."

"What do you want?"

Dane doesn't let go of me as my head turns to him, gaze roaming over the entirety of my face before snapping to attention at my eyes.

"Tomorrow. Library. Come with ideas. I hate when people don't do their part."

"I didn't hear a 'please.'"

"I don't need to say please for something you're required to do." He lets go of my shoulder before winding around Ruby and me easily, passing us up while walking backwards. "One o'clock. Don't be late."

My roommate crosses her arms as soon as he turns around, falling back into normal strides, to give me a pointed look. "I think we have some things to discuss."

"No, I don't think we do actually."

She grabs my wrist as I try to walk faster, tugging me back over to her side.

"Will you really be able to work with him? Like I know you two have some...thing going on, but—"

"Yeah, sure, I guess. I mean I don't really have a choice. Frances made that very clear."

"Do you want to work with him?"

"No, Ruby, I don't want to work with him. But neither did I want to work with Nicolas Murphy."

"I'm kind of surprised he said what he said to Nick," she says after a few seconds of silence, squinting at me, ready to assess my reaction.

I keep my face neutral, lifting my shoulder in a shrug. "Me too. He must really hate Nick."

"Or like you," she cuts in almost before I can finish my sentence.

"Everyone likes me," is my defense.

"Except him. Or so you thought."

"Define like."

"He cares about you. It's obvious. It's been obvious."

I feel my insides curl at the word care—soft and sweet, the opposite of Dane.

At least when it comes to me.

"What happened to the Ruby that wanted to castrate him?"

"I mean he's still an asshole, don't get me wrong. But maybe he's not as horrible of an asshole as I thought."

"Real reassuring. All of this because of one thing he said to Nicholas Murphy."

"Okay look—he always gets defensive around you, agreed to go to the museum with us because of you, spent time with you doing god knows what in the restaurant on the way to the museum before coming back with a big, goofy smile, and now this."