Life Finds a Way

Chapter 39

It didn't take her long to get another drink and head back to the room with the tables. Inside she found that Cissnei had already left at some point and Zack and Reno were still presumably out on the dance floor. That left Angeal and Genesis. When she approached Angeal gave her a smile. "Tired of the dance floor already?"

"Meh, it wasn't my first choice anyway. I'm good with a nice relaxing drink and conversation." She had wrinkled her nose at his question.

He laughed at her before standing. "Well, I hope you enjoy the rest of your night. I have a puppy to find." He gave them both a wave as he walked out.

Genesis glared at his retreating back. He finally turned back to the drink in his hand when his friend disappeared through the door. The silence at the table was absolute until Clarissa finally broke it. "What's your problem? You've pretty much ignored me since I got here. If you didn't want to come, you know you weren't obligated to just because you're my mentor."

Her words seemed to make him even angrier as she watched his scowl deepen. When he finally spoke, she could tell his voice was tightly controlled. "I have not been ignoring you. You seemed to have been busy. By the way, where is the puppy. He never came back after you two went to dance."

She glared back before answering. "The last time I saw him he was with a pretty little brunette. I'm not his keeper anyway. He's a big boy. That doesn't explain your tone of voice though."

It looked like he wasn't sure whether what she said had made him mad or not. His face wavered between contemplative and angry. Finally, it was the contemplation that won out. He almost looked concerned when he responded. "Are you alright then?"

She didn't have the slightest clue what he was talking about. She had been put out by the man that grabbed her, but she was pretty sure Genesis hadn't seen that. She gave him a confused look with her answer. "Yeah. I mean it still feels early to me and everyone has taken off, but other than that I've had fun. Why wouldn't I be?"

His eyes narrowed at her response. "You said Zack left with another woman?"

"Yeah, and more power to him. I'm pretty sure he isn't dating anyone right now, so it shouldn't be an issue." His eyes widened slightly at her words and she finally understood what he was asking. She quickly waved both hands in front of herself in a negating gesture. "You think that Zack and I...? Um, he's a kid! That's... just no!"

Genesis' face drew into a blank mask. It was an expression she rarely ever saw, and it looked weird. His words weren't much better. "Pardon me for making that assumption. With as close as the two of you were it was an easy conclusion to make."

She shook her head at him. "Zack was holding my hand to keep us from getting separated in the crowd. He likes to look after his friends and he probably didn't think twice about it. Our relationship is completely platonic, and even if he did have any kind of attraction besides that, which I'm sure he doesn't, there is no way I could ever look at him as anything more than a friend. He is so young, and beyond that, he's still immature. He's a great guy, but not for that."

Genesis raised a brow at her explanation, but the frown he had been wearing finally left. He didn't add anything else. His next question was to ask her if she would like another drink. After it was delivered, they settled into an easy conversation. Clarissa had to repress a chuckle when it turned to her thoughts on Loveless. That carried the conversation through several more rounds.

It was sometime in the early morning when Clarissa decided it was probably time to go. She tried to stand before asking Genesis if he planned on staying, but the room spun a little. She realized that she had had more to drink than she thought when she had to grab the edge of the table. He was up and by her side in a heartbeat. "Why don't I walk you back to the building."