Chapter 679: Watched

historical

Tyler was a bad listener. Or rather, I think he just didn’t wanna listen. I say one thing, and he hears another. A close friend, a somewhat cordial relationship, that’s all I dared say about Irene, yet somehow he managed to twist that statement to its most depraved version possible.

Really, I just wanted to mitigate a scandal. Tyler already thinks I’m a smooth raunchy playboy with a fling of three. Of course, if he sees me within a five feet radius of another pretty girl, what the hell is he gonna think?

He keeps insisting that Irene was so much more than what I claim her to be. That it was not an odd three after all, but a perfectly even fling of four.

“If she ain’t here to arrest you, she’s here to be with you, dude!” He shouted, loud and confident enough that people were starting to look. “Big hotshot detective, you say? Yeah, I know her type! I know her scene! And this party, here? This ain’t it, chief. Fuckin’ quote me on that.”

Of all the times for him to be completely dead on... does his deduction skills just triple whenever it comes to my relationships or something? I don’t remember him ever being this sharp.

After a bit more poking and probing, he finally did coerce the truth out of me that yep, that scary-looking officer was indeed a true bonafide romance, and I could practically see the hype and awe swelling in his eyes.

“Hey, you tell anyone, Tyler...” I quickly warned him.

.....

“No, no, no, I got it, I get it,” He said, waving a hand and looking straight at me still with that small playful smile. “Secret’s a secret unless you don’t want it a secret. You can trust me. I’m all about that respecting all y’all’s privacy. Ain’t my biz, just... just, holy shit. Holy shit, that’s all I can say.”

“Good. Say nothing else.”

“Oh, will do, Big man, will do,” He raised his drink at me, before springing up from the couch, and slinking deep into the crowd to who-knows-where. Not that I don’t trust him, but now with this information coming to light, I’m starting to wonder just how exactly he sees me in his mind.

Turns out, Tyler wasn’t the only person with a thing or two to say about the new guest. Not even a minute after he left, and I felt the couch sink and my drink spill as a sly, sultry smile appeared in the corner of my sight.

“Ooo, you actually drink?” with a playful bat of the eyes, Hayler scooted even nearer. “And here I thought you were a pure good boy at heart. My image of you has drastically changed now.”

“For the worse?”

“Hardly,” She giggled. “Who doesn’t like a bad boy, hm?”

I set the drink down on the table, and futilely began wiping the stain and stench of beer off my shirt. So much for being a bad boy, I didn’t even get a chance to take a sip yet.

“Speaking of bad boys...” Hayley trailed away, taking quick sneaky glances at me that weren’t at all so sneaky. “Who’s that lady-friend of yours you brought in just now?”

“Just answered yourself,” I replied. “A friend.”

She glanced a little closer. “Pretty friend.”

“Won’t deny that,” I said. “Anyway, you’re acting as if you’ve never seen her in your life. She’s a frequent customer, y’know?”

“Oh!” with a loud smack, she slapped both sides of her face, her lips in a perfect circle of realization. “Is she that same police officer that always shows up every time you’re on shift? Always take the corner spot of the counter? Won’t order from anyone except you? Often just likes sitting there and staring at you work?”

Okay, I didn’t expect her to recall Irene with that much detail. Or even with details I didn’t even know was a thing. Does she seriously just sit there and watch me? Every time I look at her, she’s always busy...

“The very same,” I said, nodding.

“Seriously?” The look in her eyes swelled even bigger than Tyler’s. “And here I thought you just have impeccable customer service, my, my... well, well, should I be worried?”

I squinted at her. “Why would you be worried?”

“For Amanda, of course!” She giggled again. “Why, what did you think I meant by that?”

Ah, this woman. Maybe if she stops purposefully sounding like every single word had a double meaning woven into it, I’d stop thinking that there really is.

“No, no worries, I said. “Amanda knows her, friends with her too, so if she’s not worried, then-”

“You! There you are! You!”

I nearly rocketed out of my seat. Being yelled at does that to a person, especially so when it’s from someone you least expected. And staring, glaring, right across from me there, Amanda was like the punch line to a joke I just told.

“Stand corrected there, loverboy?” Hayley said, smirking off to the side, before promptly jumping off the couch, slinking away with a wiggling waggle of fingers. “I’ll leave you two right alone now. Seems like it’s you that should be worried...”

And indeed, seeing the normally kind, always jovial Amanda advancing towards me like a terminator had me tempted to also slip into the crowd myself. But alas, much like Judgement Day itself, there ain’t no stopping Amanda advances in the slightest.

“Hey,” I waved at her, sinking deeper into the couch the closer she got until I was pretty much half-couch, half-person by the time she was in front of me. “Feeling better?”

The obvious answer was a bold, brash ‘no’. Amanda was still quite red in the face, but I suspect that wasn’t from the wine she drank no more.

“What is Irene doing here?” She inquired right away, her tone as blunt as it could get. “Did you invite her here?”

Thought briefly that I should play dumb, but then I realized that that would be pretty dumb in and of itself.

“Yes and no,” I answered. “Yeah, I invited her at first, but she declined. Then moments ago, I found out myself that she apparently changed her mind.”

Then speaking of the devil, I spotted Irene again in the distance, emerging from the hall as discreetly as she can be with a constant looming circle of stares surrounding her every move. I watched her observe the room for a few moments, before finding herself an empty spot on the dining table where she remained for the time being, quietly immersed in the glow of her phone screen.

“She isn’t supposed to be here,” Amanda blurted, seemingly speaking more to herself than me. “I thought she’d be busy, I thought this isn’t supposed to be her kind of thing... and now she’s here anyway! Oh, just look at her! Just... wow! It’s like I’m looking at a model shooting a shot for the new iPhone or something! Look at that pose! That refinement, that elegance! Doesn’t even have to try, argh, the pain! ”

Okay, maybe the wine didn’t all dissipate from her system just yet.

“Um...” I quietly said, attempting to redirect her attention without risking an implosion. “You aren’t jealous, are you?”

“Jealous?” immediately, she whirled back at me. “Of course I’m jealous! You just brought the prom queen herself to the dance! You’re seriously expecting me to square up against that?”

“Actually, I don’t expect you to square up against anyone,” I calmly said though deep inside, feeling nothing but bemused. “It’s a party, she’s here to unwind, not to compete.”

“Yeah, well, her presence makes it a competition!” She retorted. “Can’t help it! It’s a comparison game now! Now all I’m going to be thinking is how I measure up to her! In looks! In demeanor! In presence! Everything!”

“That’s petty.”

“I’m a girl!” She heaved heavily. “It’s in my nature to be petty! So sorry I’m not immune to the feeling of envy! Can’t always be understanding! Oh do, forgive me for that! Wish I was perfect!”

“You are perfect.”

She loudly groaned at me for that remark.

“At any rate, you’re doing just fine so far,” I quickly assured her. “You set up this party, you got me to unwind, you’re nice, you’re selfless, one of a kind... if anything, Irene’s the one that should be worrying. A loveable prom queen of your own right. And also one I wouldn’t change a single thing about.”

“Bah, compliments can only get you so far!” Amanda turned with a huff, though also flushing even redder. “And anyway it’s not her fault I’m all worked up, I know that! It’s just... this one time, just for a while... thought maybe I could have you all to myself there...”

Here we were again, with that awkward rift splitting in-between us once more, just like before. But that wasn’t right, that rift was non-existent... who says that she couldn’t?

“Then what are you waiting for?” I said to her, leaning forward and taking her hand in mine. “I’m right here, aren’t I?”

But just when I thought she’d pounce on the chance, seeing that rousing look in her eye... only for it to fizzle, for her to pull her hand away, and take a step back.

“You have awful timing,” She told me, swaying slightly. “Like I’d wanna have a fling with you with her watching us... you think that’s a good idea?”

“Oh, c’mon,” I said, shaking my head. “Irene wouldn’t-”

I stopped myself before I could finish the sentence. Irene wouldn’t mind, that’s what I wanted to say, what I wanted to believe. But that’s what I thought about Amanda too, didn’t I? And if her bold statement of girls was right...

Slowly, I turned my glance to the huddled figure at the dining table, and like a prediction coming true, Irene was indeed staring at us from the top of her phone. Not outrightly, not obviously, but there was no mistaking it, alright...

Irene, in fact, would mind.

“Okay,” I let my hand fall limp. “Maybe you’re right.”

“Of course I’m right,” She said drearily. “Whatever though,” She let out with a sigh, staggering her way towards the direction of the kitchen. “I need water, my head hurts. Be back in a bit.”

“Mm, careful.”

Silently, I watched Amanda limp her way out of sight, and though she had gone, and Irene had returned to looking at her phone... I couldn’t help but get the feeling that I was still being watched.

And that was when for no particular reason whatever, I turned and looked up.

It was a flash of light, like the flick of a switch turning off in an instant... from between the railings up above, I thought I saw the gleam of green, the glow of eyes, that one single moment... I thought I saw her.

Then the next moment, it was gone... she was gone... leaving me sitting there, staring there, wondering to myself... did I?

Hmm...