My shift at White Rabbit passed by like molasses, thick and pointless and slow.
So damn slow.
Unless there was a special event on the calendar, Monday nights were dead. The pub across the street wasn’t even open, so I didn’t get any random passerby from there, no drunk chicks looking to spend money they didn’t have on lingerie they didn’t need.
Well. I mean, I didn’t need the lingerie I’d bought either, but knowing that the emerald green panties I had on beneath my skirt had driven my man crazy this morning was reason enough to warrant going into debt for more of the stuff.
I paused.
Did I just…?
No.
I laughed, shaking my head at myself. I didn’t just call him my man. That would be ridiculous.
Shaking my head, I looked up as the front door opened and a woman strolled inside. She had thick, dark brown hair and–
Cheekbones as sharp as her tongue.
Oh fuck.
I nearly knocked my stool over in my haste to duck down behind the register.
Shit. So mature, Ry.
But, now that I was down here, I had to do something. Pretending to sort papers in the cabinet, I prayed she’d leave. Or just head straight to the ivy-covered door and disappear into the underground.
She cleared her throat.
Punch me. I plastered a smile on my face and rose to my feet. “Hi, welcome to White Rabbit. How can I help you?”
Scary Stella’s eyes widened in surprise, then they tightened.
I nearly whimpered beneath her death glare, but instead, I squared my shoulders and remembered who the fuck I am. I don’t whimper because of mean girls, thank you very much.
“It’s you,” she said, something in her voice I didn’t recognize. Sadness? Melancholy?
I smiled wider, raising my hands in a lackluster ta-da motion. “It’s me.”
“No.” She shook her head, bringing her fingertips to her collarbone. “It’s you. You're the reason he took my…” Her words trailed off and her gaze dropped to the counter, then she flicked her eyes back to me with renewed anger. “You’re the reason I’m not allowed to come here.”
Oh shit. My smile fell.
He’d told me he’d stop seeing her if I wanted to move forward with him downstairs, but…
He also said they weren’t dating. He was pretty clear that he didn’t do relationships. Or girlfriends.
Had he just said that to me? Because he didn’t want that with me?
Confusion made my mind race. “I’m sorry. I don’t…”
“You don’t know what I’m talking about?” She scoffed. “Right.” Stella shook her head, assessing me as if this was the first time she was really seeing me. “I should have known. The clothes.” She motioned to my hair, which was still down. “The hair. He hasn’t looked at me since the day you walked into Reed Tower.”
I pushed that statement aside to focus on later. This was not the time for a happy dance.
Her nostrils flared as she glared at me and I registered the redness around them. The swollen eyes.
She’d been crying again.
Or still.
“How long…” She frowned, then gave her head a subtle shake. “Were you fucking him before or after you won the internship spot?”
I gasped. My body rocked back from her words. “I’m not. I didn’t…” I shook my head. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. I earned that internship.”
She barked out a bitter laugh. “Yeah, I bet you did.” Shaking her head, Stella turned, and instead of heading toward the secret entrance to the Rabbit Hole at the back of the shop, thank God, she strode toward the front door, her high heels clicking with each step.
As soon as she was out on the street and the door had closed behind her, I sagged onto the stool.