“You’re being too hard on yourself, babe,” the other woman said.“I know how much you like her.Have you considered telling her the truth?I’m sure she’ll understand.”
Ria heard Lissa sigh, so she held perfectly still, waiting for the truth that had apparently been kept from her.
“I’m going to… Hell, I planned on it last night but then…it wasn’t the right time.I’m just scared of losing her, Daria.She’s so committed to this magic thing and helping me find love that the truth is going to crush her.”
Wait, was that the supposed harsh truth?That she didn’t believe in magic?That wasn’t a secret.Lissa had been fairly open about her skepticism.
“Well, it’s your call, Liss.Trust goes both ways.If you want her to trust you, you might want to try trusting her to understand.”
“I guess.Look, I gotta run.If Penny is texting me ‘SOS’ at seven a.m., then whatever’s happening at the studio can’t be good.So as soon as I find my damned keys I need to head over there.Can you stay here until she wakes up and give her a ride home if I’m not back yet?I’ll try to be quick.”
“Yeah, yeah,” the woman replied.“Go.Do manager things.Save the world.I’ll just help myself to your coffee in payment.”
Lissa snorted.“So you helping yourself to my Stumptown dark roast every other morning has been payment for what exactly?”
Ria could practically hear the grin on the woman’s face when she replied, “My friendship.Duh.Now shoo.Your keys are under the microwave.”
Ria heard the sound of jingling then a door closed softly.After a second, a body plopped down on the couch opposite her.
“You can stop pretending now,” the woman said.“Lissa’s gone.”
Ria’s eyes shot open at being called out.
The gorgeous, possibly South American woman across from her settled back into the couch, eyeing Ria with something like a mixture of amusement and wariness.
“How did you know?”Ria asked, pushing up to a sitting position.
The woman shrugged and took a sip of her coffee.“You were snoring when I snuck in this morning, but then you stopped a couple minutes ago.I’ve dated more than one snorer in my life; they don’t randomly stop unless they wake up.Also given what Lissa has told me, I’m not surprised you wanted to wait until she left.I’m somewhat of an expert at the morning-after awkwardness, but I doubt it’s something you deal with much.”
Ria grimaced at how accurate the woman’s assessment was.“Yeah, okay, you got me.Although I don’t think I snore that loud.”
The woman laughed.“I mean, you weren’t pig snorting or anything.It was cute, like little puppy chuffs.”
“Right.So, Daria is it?”Ria asked, remembering the name Lissa had used.
The woman nodded, taking another sip.
“Well, Daria, since everything is out in the open, I don’t suppose you’ll tell me what Lissa’s hiding from me?”
“Oh, please,” Daria scoffed.“That’s a family platter of no with a side of no rolls and a can of nopa-cola.I am not getting involved in your relationship.You need to talk to Lissa.That’s all I’m saying.”
Ria sighed and lay back on the couch, burying her face in the knit blanket.“Has anybody told you that you’re not very helpful?”she mumbled.
“Constantly.But that’s not my job.”
Ria pulled her face out from under the blanket and raised an eyebrow.“So what is your job?”
Daria tapped her chin as if thinking hard.“Right now?Making you a cup of coffee, then driving you home since Lissa had to run into work.”
Ria glanced at the mug in Daria’s hand, nose wrinkling at the burnt garbage smell wafting from it.“Any chance I can skip the coffee?I’m more of a tea girl.”
Daria gave her a look like Ria had just sprouted a third eye.“No coffee?But that’s… that’s…blasphemy.Nope, I can’t do it.You and Lissa need to break up.I can’t have my bestie in love with a heathen.”
Ria couldn’t help but chuckle at Daria’s faux outrage.She was starting to like this woman.There was an infectious quality about her energy that rarely existed in people before noon.
“Well, I’ll save you the panic,” she replied, sitting back up and running her fingers through the rat’s nest that came from falling asleep with wet hair.“Lissa is definitely not in love with me.Not really, anyway.”
Daria’s eyes narrowed at Ria over the rim of the coffee mug, her jovial nature subdued slightly.“And how exactly can you be ‘not really’ in love with someone?Kinda seems like a yay or nay situation in my mind.”
