"I love him! No, I hate him! How much longer will I feel this way? Argh! I hate tests!" Rose said, stumbling slightly, her almost empty glass of something green clutched in her hands. The music at the bar wasn't too loud, and the soundproof panels made her feel secure, but maybe she was shouting a little too much because her own voice rang inside her head. It was her... who knows what number drink, and her brain was numb enough to lose control over her mouth, leaving her thoughts and feelings completely raw and exposed.
"I know! I went through that, too," Ben said and laughed. He was drunker than Rose, and his skirt chaser attitude was long left behind, allowing her to see him as who he really was: a really reliable, friendly and funny guy. "You are talking about Locious, right? I remember that when I met him I couldn't stop staring at him. Listen, girl, I'm one hundred percent straight, but if he had told me to spend the night with him, I would have done it without a second thought. Thank God it didn't happen, because one day I just saw him and realized all those desires had suddenly vanished. I must have been overwhelmed by his beauty—he is an Angel after all—but now I just see him as a normal dude and a cool boss." He laughed again and rambled about everything he felt at that time, as if it was just a joke.
I wish I could do the same, brush it off as a momentary mind lapse. But it feels too real, and knowing the truth is too cruel.
"When will this fucking thing stop?" Rose said, half angry and half anguished. She just wanted it to be over; those feelings were a thorn on her side and didn't let her think clearly. Every day at the office, having to remind herself of the unreality of her feelings was tiresome and annoying, making her work feel more demanding than the whole training. Sandy rolled her eyes, as if Rose's complaints were the real thorn on her side. She roughly grabbed Rose's hand and drew a strange symbol with the sauce they had used for the fries. The symbol glowed and then disappeared. Ben and Rose stared at the spot in disbelief.
"What the fuck was that? I never saw a charm shine like that!" Ben exclaimed, startling them. He grabbed her hand to check. "Now me! I also want one of those. Something to make the girls drool after me," he said, looking at Sandy with puppy eyes and an expectant smile.
"Shut up, I was just checking something," she said and looked at Rose with a serious look. Even though she had been drinking with them since they arrived, and Rose was sure she drank more than them, she didn't seem to be that drunk. She didn't once stumble with her words like Ben and herself or even lose focus while talking.
"Such a good metaba... metabalisism... metabolism!!" Rose said loudly. Sandy's right eyebrow lifted, as if puzzled by her words, but Ben laughed out loud, which made Rose hide her embarrassment behind another glass of beer. Yeah, it probably isn't that, she thought. Rose watched how fast she drank and how unaffected she seemed. She knew it was more than just good genes.
"Anyway, I have good news. It wore off, you are free now," Sandy began, but after giving Rose a wary look, she stopped herself before saying the rest. She was sure that what this girl was feeling was real, but Rose was just in denial. She really liked her; she was trustworthy, cared for Locious deeply, and she wanted her as a friend. However, the reality was that this girl was about to be forced to acknowledge the true depth of her feelings for Locious, which could either bring a complication to the Society or make her choose to leave them. Both options suck , she thought and wondered if giving the last piece of information was going to backfire on her. She didn't want to lose this promising friendship, but she couldn't keep her in the dark. After all, that was the main reason why Rose was so angry with Locious. "As for what I saw, it wore off a few days ago," she concluded quickly, deciding to be honest and remaining silent. The expected reaction came a few minutes later, when the information finally sank into Rose's brain and she opened her eyes big.
"What?!" she shouted, jumping from her seat and hitting both her hands on the table. Sandy expected her reaction, but Ben, unaware of what was happening, grabbed his jacket and tried to run to the door.
"Sit down, fucking drunken moron," Sandy said, grabbing him from the back of his collar and forcing him into a sitting position. The shock of the chaotic exchange made Rose calm down. She sat down slowly, and with a lower voice she repeated, " What? If it's worn off, why the fuck am I still feeling these things for him? Shouldn't I have gone back to that friendly love I had for him and not this jealousy and emotional state?"
No shit, girl. Just a little more and you'll get there, Sandy thought. Rose seemed truly confused as to why but wasn't going to give her the answers she wanted. She had to work it out by herself, without any outsiders' involvement. Sorry, Rose, but you have to work it out by yourself.
"Oh! You like Locious? That's so dumb! I heard… Oh! Right! That's why I suggested this outing. I was talking to one of the emissaries who work in the streets the other day while investigating, and you know that we spend most of our time in the office, so we don't really get a lot of gossip from the outside unless we make friends with the others… which is honestly a little unfair… argh…" he muttered when Sandy slapped him in the arm, urging him to stop going off topic.
"Sorry, I got worked up. Anyway, he said that apparently, the Angels are… Listen to this! They are extremely promiscuous! … No, wait, for real. Let me explain," he said when Sandy lifted her hand as if to slap him again for saying something stupid. "You know that we only know Locious, but apparently, there are other Angels who are seen here and there, every now and then. My friend said that there is one who is always in clubs and he always leaves with a person—it doesn't matter if it's a girl, a boy, or whoever—and a few times, he had been seen with Locious and other people. So I bet that's why we can't go to his house, not that we know where it is, anyway. But he must have all his conquests there," Ben said as if he had discovered a new chemical element.
His proud smile made Sandy grit her teeth. She loved Ben but more than once he made you wonder if he had any brain cells left. Maybe she knew more about this world than other humans working for the Society, but that was something she couldn't confirm or deny. However, despite not knowing who the other guy was, she didn't think Locious was that kind of Angel. She smiled, recalling all the secret looks he dedicated to Rose when she was going through the emotional rollercoaster and how many times he insisted on her checking on Rose to see if she was doing okay. Locious? Promiscuous? That would be a truly awful irony.
"I don't know about Locious and that may be true about the other Angels, but there's a flaw in that logic. Not all of them are promiscuous. I heard of a couple who have been together for a very long time and one of them is an Angel, so they can also be monogamous when they find that special someone. I heard the Angel is completely devoted to that person and their significant other used to be a human. I'm not sure about that last part, though, because as far as I know, there's nothing that explains how a person could become a…" Sandy was saying when another sharp shout came from Rose's mouth.
"So he just wants to fuck around? That's his fucking choice? A freaking Harem? How can he? He is inviting all of them to his bed but not me, am I not even enough for that?" The outburst was more effusive than any of the ones before, probably because the alcohol had reached its peak in her system. She said out loud—something she probably wanted to keep for herself if she had been sober. It sounded as if she was feeling betrayed and hurt by not being part of it, which made the other two look at her in surprise.
"Do you want to?" Ben said incredulously, as if the simple idea horrified him. Sandy gave her a sympathetic look. Do you really want that, Rose? Would you be happy if the only thing you two share is a bed? Are your feelings that superficial, or do they run so deep that even being with him as a fling would be enough? How low are you willing to go for him?
Rose's head was resting in her hands, hiding her face. She never replied to Ben's question, but between her fingers, she whispered a question only she had the answer to: "How low am I willing to go for him?" Sandy felt a rush of pity, but before she could say a word, Rose furiously tried to wipe her tears. Her arms gave out, and her face slammed onto the table with a loud thud.
"Rose?" Sandy asked, but the soft snore told her everything she needed to know.
"Shit! This is fucking great! She's passed out and I have no idea where she lives," Sandy said. She realized no one was listening to her anymore when Ben's head fell hard onto her shoulder. He was also out cold,too.
Sandy sighed. "That's why demons are better drinking buddies," she muttered. They were better sources of information and their systems could actually handle alcohol. Unlike these two soft humans who passed out so easily, demons wouldn't get all emotional after a few drinks, collapse, and leave her to clean the mess.
Taking a deep breath, she took her phone out, made a call she didn't really want to, and waited for the hurricane that was surely coming for her head.