Page 39 of Fangs with Benefits

First, all the layers I saw him wearing on his first day of work–that wild ass sunhat–then there’s the food, or lack thereof; the way he speaks like he was not indeed a child of the internet but like a child of the abacus. He is rather pale, which isn’t that weird, but it is strange that he’s that pale and yet never blushing, not when I’m telling him he’s stupid at work, not when he had to kiss Luke Lemming at Devi’s party, not even when he made out with me. It takes nothing for my face to flush red and yet he looks cool, calm, and collected always. It’s physiology and it’s not adding up.

When I finally did fall asleep sometime around six in the morning on Saturday, I slept a fitful sleep and woke still exhausted. I spent most of the evening watching vampire movies and oscillating between thinking I was right and thinking I was moronic. By the time I fell asleep with Fright Night on in the background, I had determined that Elijah was not actually a vampire.

But when I showered on Sunday and saw the little pricks on my neck again, I was back to square one. I used a ruler to measure the distance between the cuts, then measured the distance between my canines. It wasn’t the same, but it was close enough to make me drop the ruler with a clatter in the sink.

I sat in the shower for way too long trying to convince myself I was being absurd.

The rest of the weekend went much like this. And now, I anxiously await his arrival so that I can… what? Confront him? He’s going to think that his rejection made me a lunatic. Cool.

‘Mol,’ Kenneth whispers, making me jump. ‘Jeez, what’s wrong with you?’

‘Nothing,’ I say too quickly. He raises his upper lip and looks me up and down.

‘You sick? It’s rude to come to work sick, some of us have lives, Molly,’ he scolds, but he smiles too.

‘Oh, but if I stayed home, who would do all your work for you?’

‘And just what life could you possibly be talking about, Kendall?’ Devi says, walking up behind me. She puts a to-go cup of coffee on the desk in front of me, PSL written on the side. I could kiss her in gratitude for the foresight and generosity to get me a pumpkin spice latte in this my day of need, but I settle for squeezing her forearm and taking a greedy slurp.

‘Every time you pretend you don’t know my name it just makes me think you like me more,’ Kenneth tells Devi, eyes all dreamy and mischievous. She makes a gagging sound, then turns her attention to me.

‘Happy Birthday Eve, by the way.’

‘Thanks,’ I say, taking another hot sip. My impending birthday had slipped my mind with the possibility on the table of Elijah being an inhuman entity. ‘By chance, did you take any pictures at the party?’

‘What party?’ Kenneth asks.

Devi ignores him. ‘Of you?’

‘Oh, of anyone,’ I say. ‘… for my journal.’

‘You had another party and didn’t invite me? I thought we were tight,’ Kenneth whines.

‘What are we journalling about?’

I bite my lip, debating what to share to make her less suspicious than she already is. Why can she instantly sniff out funny business?

‘Hailey is asking for a picture of the cowboy.’ I make wide eyes, and she gasps lightly.

‘You didn’t,’ she whispers.

I nod slowly.

‘Didn’t what?’ Kenneth asks.

‘Karl, adults are talking,’ Devi chides. She gives me one more meaningful look before retreating to her desk, hopefully to send me the pictures straight away.

My phone buzzes instead with a text.

Devi: YOU HOOKED UP?!!??? IN MY BED!???!!

Molly: NO.

Molly: We kissed. On your balcony.

Molly: Very different.

Devi: TELL ME EVERYTHING.