Page 31 of Fangs with Benefits

No, how annoying I still think he is.

‘Isn’t that… good, though?’ Devi asks, affirming my train of thought.

‘I guess it is, yeah.’ I line up the three little jack-o’-lantern statues, pouting. ‘But he’s avoiding me like I don’t like him.’

‘You don’t,’ Devi says. I open my mouth to tell her that’s not true when she goes on, ‘You’re always complaining about him being under-qualified, weird, and annoying. Do you think maybe he caught the vibe that you don’t want him around?’

The thought unsettles me more than it should. I haven’t been quiet about thinking he’s weird; I tell him as much, but he’s always smiled like it’s a sweet joke between us. Have I been bullying him? Am I the problem?

I’m rude to him sometimes, but I’m also helpful and, on occasion, friendly. I kind of thought we had a rapport between us: me annoyed, him annoying. Me smart and helpful, him grovelling and grateful. I resent who he is and how he’s here, but recently when I’ve had to explain something to him or fix one of his mistakes, I haven’t been miserable. He’s maybe even funny? I wouldn’t admit that to him, though.

My days were more boring before he started. They’re noticeably less entertaining now that he’s avoiding me. Devi is right that I should be happy about this, but… I realise with discomfort that I’m the opposite of happy.

I’m so not happy that when I see Jen doubled over laughing at something he just said, I have a distinct and unmistakable pang of jealousy turning my skin green.

‘Maybe you should try talking to him?’ Devi says when I’ve been giving stink eyes in their direction for too long.

‘What would I say?’

‘I don’t know, invite him to my Halloween party?’

‘Are you crazy?’ I demand. Her eyes dart over my shoulder and go wide before returning to me.

‘In fact, now’s your chance,’ she whispers.

‘What? Devi, no.’

‘Yes!’ She plasters on a big smile and beams it at whoever is approaching–I presume Elijah. ‘We were just talking about you!’

‘Oh?’ Elijah says, and I hate that when I turn around, he’s looking especially hot today. Why does his hair always look so good even when he wears a hat to work every day? Why does his button-up fit his chest so well?

I sigh inwardly before offering my own closed-mouth smile. ‘Devi wondered how you feel about Halloween parties, and I guessed you’d never heard of Halloween in the prehistoric hovel you moved here from.’

Devi clears her throat, which serves its intended purpose of saying, See? I told you you’re evil.

Elijah’s eyes light up like they always do when I’m mean to him, but he looks back at Devi. ‘Been a few years since I’ve attended a Halloween party, but my feelings about them are in the range of positive to fond.’

‘Excellent!’ Devi claps. ‘I’m having one at my house this Friday, if you’d like to come? Molly will be dressed as a cactus. Fitting, huh?’

‘Indeed.’ Elijah chuckles, then pauses to think about the invitation. Crap, is he really going to come? Do I want him to be there? What if he looks even better in street clothes? I return to my fleeting hope that he’s a flip-flops with torn skinny jeans kind of guy so that I can stop thinking he’s hot for good. ‘Would it be okay if I brought my friend?’

‘Yes! But bring either drinks, a side, or a dessert, deal?’

‘Deal,’ he agrees and meets my eyes briefly before turning away from us. Conversation over. No questions for me. No fires for me to help put out. He has Kenneth now, apparently.

‘And don’t forget a costume,’ I say after him.

Despite Devi’s promise, I do not dress up as a cactus for her Halloween party on Friday night. I do pull out my dress with big silver sequins, though, and call myself a disco ball. Devi is dressed as Sabrina Carpenter, which is to say, she’s curled her hair and is wearing cute lingerie. She applies a generous amount of sparkling eyeshadow and highlighter to my eyelids and cheeks when I show up with wine and seltzer, and decrees that I am party ready.

Hailey usually would be my plus one, but she is at some experimental show in Brooklyn that she just couldn’t miss.

This is my third year coming to Devi’s Halloween parties, and her friends, though a bit younger and much wilder than me, are always welcoming and friendly. She has two roommates, Lisa and Reggie, who greet me with kisses on my cheeks and are already tipsy when I arrive. They tell me at length how beautiful I am, how pretty my hair is, how they wish they had curves like mine, and then they debrief me on the gossip of everyone planning to attend the party.

This goes on for fifteen minutes until the first of the guests shows up; a man from a lower floor whom Reggie has been not-so-secretly into for months. I whisper to Reggie that she has good taste and she grins.

Then I am shocked to see my ex-fiancé’s little brother, Luke, enter dressed as a priest. I shouldn’t be so surprised he’s here, but I always forget that he and Devi are friends. So long as Matt doesn’t come along with him, I’m happy to see Luke. He gives me a big hug, tells me conspiratorially that Matt’s new girlfriend is annoying as hell. I tell him that isn’t very feminist of him to compare women, even while I can’t hide my delight. Matt should have an annoying girlfriend, and you know what, it’s that girl’s right to be annoying. If I could meet her tonight, I would tell her to be worse!

I catch up with Luke while more guests show up, but Luke stops speaking mid-sentence when something catches his attention over my shoulder.