Ready Or Not

I Like You, Boss, But Piss Off

**Theo**

I pinched the bridge of my nose and fell back heavily into my chair. I'd been pacing, but it wasn't clearing my head. Too much business and not enough patience, I guess. Lydia and I had run, and run, and hunted and laughed until the sun rose and when I got home, Daniel had been asleep, but not peacefully. Sunday had been spent watching him run search after search on his computer. A lot of them contained legal mumbo jumbo so I assumed it was work-related.

The glow I'd been feeling after what had been a much needed night of letting go was getting duller. It was pretty well faded by dinner time. By this morning, he'd told me what had happened with Anna at the antique shop, and said glow was definitely gone.

Anna had sounded annoyed when I called to check on her before I'd even had breakfast. I didn't understand that. I just wanted to make sure I didn't have to kill anyone for her; I was sulking over her reaction to my concern, and with every call I took and every paper I initialed I got grumpier.

Until my best friend waltzed into my office completely unannounced, even by reception. She has a habit of blowing right past them. They recognize her now, and don't even bother.

My mood lifted immediately when she appeared. The door closed behind her and she walked over to my desk, without greeting me, and sprawled across my papers.

I smiled at her. “Hey.”

“Hi there,” she replied, stretching and knocking various office supplies to the floor. She didn't seem to notice.

I surveyed her. She hadn't yet smudged her eyeliner, despite it being nearly two in the afternoon. She was wearing her good jeans, too. A shirt she hadn't stolen from me was a pleasant surprise. Sometimes I can't even remember what originally belonged to me and what she bought for herself, but this one I was sure about.

Short puff sleeves, peter pan collar and a red bow? Not mine. And a bit more pulled together than she'd been looking recently. Of course she'd worked her favorite pair of boots into her ensemble, because this was Lydia. Still-

“Who are you trying to impress, regină?” I stood and pulled her up off my desk by her arms, settling her into a chair instead before seating myself behind the wooden monstrosity again.

“I've been bored, Theo,” she defended herself. “I spent some time on myself this morning.”

“Uh huh,” I answered skeptically. “Funny though. You've been unemployed for weeks. A month? Two? Three? And in all that time, you've not once popped in to say hi.”

She wasn't there to see me. Or at least not just me. I'm not unintelligent, and I know Lydia as well as I know myself.

She hooked one leg over the arm of her chair, swinging her foot carelessly. She sits weird. Constantly. But this was an attempt to be casual, I could tell.

“I'm running out of things to do. It was either come see you, or shave my head.”

Hannah entered the room with coffee and a folder I didn't like the look of just as Lydia was speaking. She looked a little surprised to see the burgundy head of my best friend leaning against the back of a chair as she slumped down into it, but the surprise was quickly replaced with pleasure, and then horror.

“Oh my god, no,” she protested. “You can't get rid of that gorgeous mane.”

Lydia hadn't noticed her approaching my office. I'd heard her and smelled her as she'd been on her way down the hall but Lydia clearly hadn't. She quickly straightened up and put her foot on the floor. She smiled, too. Just a flash before she got her face under control. Her scent changed too. Dramatically- there was excitement there. One side of my mouth lifted. Oh, Lydia.