CHAPTER TEN
RILEY
I read the latest email from MorningEnthusiast while sitting on my couch in my boxers.
I thought you liked being perpetually single. I remember you swore off dating a year ago, after that fiasco involving bad sex and a man with a Gollum poster above his bed. Although I also remember you saying that it’s your plan to eventually settle down with the right guy, buy a house, and adopt a couple of dogs one day. It stuck with me because that’s my plan, also.
Anyway, no new boyfriends in my life, either. But I’m afraid I might have made an enemy of my own.
He won’t be my first enemy. You had yourDr. Whotrivia nemesis; I had Rodney the rollerblading-rink bully. Generally, however, in the past, whenever someone emerged as a potential point of conflict, I would just steer my happy ship around them when possible.
This guy, however, has barged in, and there’s no avoiding him. He’s stubborn, uncaring, and insistent on ruining all of my best-laid plans. He infuriates me like Ididn’t know I could be infuriated. I’m left with no choice but to fight back.
Sounds dramatic, doesn’t it? The problem is that I’m not particularly experienced with fighting. Vengeance and thwarting enemies have never been big motivating factors in my life, and I don’t want that to change. So today I’m left wondering, is there a nice way to fight?
So much easier for Lark as he takes on the vampires. He’s got a battle plan written by destiny, whether he knows it or not.
Oh, and don’t worry about mentioning where you live. New York is a big place. To be fair, though, I feel like I should tell you that I live in New York, too.
I toss my phone aside in surprise.
He lives in New York.
It shouldn’t come like such a shock. I already knew he lived in the United States. But he’s close enough that there’s a chance we could run into each other.
Or even meet on purpose.
The idea terrifies me. He’d probably hate me. I’d act gruff and grumpy and come across wrong, probably seem just like the stubborn guy he’s fighting with. We’ve got a good thing going right now, and meeting in person would be the best way for me to blow it.
He’s probably in New York City, anyway. He’s the one who suggested it as the setting for our story.
There’s a blink on my laptop, and I see that MorningEnthusiast is online. We’re almost never on simultaneously, and I stare at his name for a couple minutes as my pulse kicks, feeling like I’ve been caught.
MorningEnthusiast: Why hello there!
NotAnOgre: Fancy seeing you.
MorningEnthusiast: I am pretty fancy today (new shirt). How are you?
NotAnOgre: Not bad. Drinking my coffee and contemplating the idea of nice fighting.
MorningEnthusiast: I’m developing a plan, and challenging myself to be not entirely nice. The fact that this guy makes me so mad helps with that last part, even though it’s hard to get my thoughts straight when I’m upset. Any advice? I know you’re not shy to share your opinions, haha.
NotAnOgre: My friend advised me last week that I need to blow off some steam. If he’s making you so upset, maybe that would help you think more clearly, too.
MorningEnthusiast: And how do I do that?
NotAnOgre: I sometimes yell at the wall, but it could be anything. You could burn all your energy at the gym. Get laid. Or toilet-paper his car.
MorningEnthusiast: Tell me you’re not running around toilet-papering cars.
NotAnOgre: It’s a fairly harmless way to express dissatisfaction. But no.
MorningEnthusiast: Clearing my head isn’t the worst idea.
NotAnOgre: He’s getting on your nerves, sounds like. Releasing that frustration will take some of his power away from him. A little yelling at the wall helped me, anyway.
MorningEnthusiast: He does seem to have a unique talent for making me want to scream. What about you? How’s your enemy?
