ᴛʜᴇ ʀɪᴠᴀʟꜱ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀᴄᴛ - ₀₀₆

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𝘞𝘙𝘌𝘕 𝘑𝘈𝘔𝘌𝘚

“Is he hot?”

I stare at Lex. Lex stares at me.

“What are you talking about?” I had just finalized telling Lex about the project I have to work on for the office and she’s offering no support.

“C’mon Wren, it’s okay to have a little crush, everyone does.” But not me.

“If you are implying that I might have a crush on my boss, Mr. Martin, then you’re wrong. Dead wrong Lex.” I down my soda and force myself to live with the sting of the bubbles traveling down my throat.

“Oh my God! No. Not him! Your colleague,” She wiggles her eyebrows in a suggestive way. “you’ve mentioned him once or twice before but you never describe him.” Her eyes are wide as she sits crisscross on my couch, then rests her elbows on her knees; leaning in and narrowing her eyes. “So describe.”

I roll my eyes. I’m not wasting my breath describing a condescending idiot.

When I get up to refill my drink, Lex grabs my wrist and all but bodyslams me back onto the couch. I huff, realizing I have no choice but to tell her.

Lex isn’t the easiest person to ignore. For one, she’s effortlessly beautiful. Her mother and father were models in the nineties-and usually attractive people make ugly kids-but not Lex’s parents. She’s nicely stubborn, like she’s not mean but she’s scary if she doesn’t get her way. Lex turned out amazing. Inside and out.

I still remember the first time we’d met.

“Why do you look like you’ve just attended a funeral.” A girl with blonde curly hair asked, her big eyes taking in my outfit.

A random sweater vest and the same pants i’ve been wearing all week. Some people think that i look like a nerd, but i don’t think so.

“Why do you look like a unicorn just shit on you.” I got in trouble with the teacher yesterday for using ‘bad words’, but i don’t give a shit.

“Touché.” Barbie says.

I don’t know her name but she looks like a Barbie doll, just younger. We’re in kindergarten.

“I’m Alex Anderson.” She doesn’t look like an Alex. There’s a boy in my class with that name and he’s mean.

“I’ll call you Lex.”

Lex thinks about it before nodding. “What can i call you?”

“Wren.”

And we’ve been best friends ever since. Barbie and Dracula. Yes, she forced me to dress up like that for Halloween that year. Yes, i did it.

“So?” Lex eagerly taps her chin.

I sigh. “His name is Rhys Moore-“

“Dreamy.” She smiles at my scowl.

“He’s tall. But like in a freaky way, six-two, three maybe?” I can’t believe i’m talking this man up. “Dark messy hair, grey eyes? But possible just pale blue-“

“Yum.”

“Lex-stop.”

“Sorry. Keep going. I’m intrigued.”

I take a long inhale of breath, repeating, don’t blow up on Lex, don’t blow up on Lex, don’t blow up on Lex. “He wears a couple rings, though none on his ring finger, and his knuckles were busted up a few days ago.”

I remember him crossing his arms in Fernando’s office and seeing the cracked and raw skin.

“Snap a picture if you can.” Lex nibbles on her lip. I ignore her.

“Wears button-ups, rarely ever a tux. Never seen him wear a tie regularly, just for events.” Why am i still going on about him?

“Anything else? Like does he have abs, what size bulge does-”

“I’m not in bed with the man.” I clarify.

“No…but you can usually tell in dress pants, just asking. Want to make sure my best friend is always satisfied.” Lex takes a sip of her drink then looks at her phone.

“Shit. I’m late.” Her soda spills from the corner of her mouth as she hurriedly gets off the couch. I follow, but without the stumbling.

“For what?”

Her eyes go wide and then she smiles, wonky. “Uh. Family game night. Y’know.” She puts on her fluffy jean jacket and slides on her converse.

“Oh. Can i come?”

“No!” I stare at her. She clears her throat. “I mean no. I’m sorry Wren, but I haven’t seen them in a while and it’s not like you’re not family it’s just…”

“It’s fine. I get it.” I don’t. “I have to catch up on some work stuff anyways.”

“Okay. Love you.” She blows me a kiss and then she’s out the door.

She’s totally going on a date.

__________

A half an hour later, i’m sitting in my bed, leaning on the headboard and revising a rough draft template I put together quickly. Puff snuggles into my side, her purr vibrates against my hip.

I click over to another tab on my laptop and pull up my email. I go through the old ones when a new one pops up in my inbox. I hover over it before clicking on it.

𝘛𝘖: 𝘸𝘫𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴@𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮
𝘍𝘙𝘖𝘔: 𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘦@𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮
𝘚𝘜𝘉𝘑𝘌𝘊𝘛: 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵

𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘑𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴,
𝘐‘𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘔𝘢𝘹𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘴, 𝘪 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪‘𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘸, 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦‘𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘪𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵.

𝘎𝘦𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯.

𝘙𝘩𝘺𝘴 𝘔𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦

Moose.

Rhys Moose.

Something bubbles up in my chest and I let out a small fraction of a laugh. My body shakes a little and Puff looks up at me. I let the laugh simmer down as I pat her tiny head.

Then the realization hits me.

I haven’t laughed in over five years. And I had just laughed at something Rhys Moore had done. Any and all traces of that laugh is banished from my throat.

Even Lex, my best friend who is the funniest person I know, can’t make me laugh. Well, she did five years ago. But not since.

I try to make myself feel better. I just think I laughed because he’s so…serious, like myself, and i’ve never seen him do anything wrong. Ever.

Once I feel better-or y’know, normal-I exit the email and hover over the other tab.

Then I decide to toy with him.

𝘛𝘖: 𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘦@𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮
𝘍𝘙𝘖𝘔: 𝘸𝘫𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴@𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮
𝘚𝘜𝘉𝘑𝘌𝘊𝘛: 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵

𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘔𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦,
𝘠𝘦𝘴, 𝘪’𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘪𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴.

𝘞𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘑𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴

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