Three days had passed. It was Monday evening, and Andrea was pacing her and Jade’s room back and forth, wanting to throw things and shred everything in sight. She had spent the night before thinking of what to tell silfr_eldr. Calder. She could refer to him as Calder from now on. Every time she thought of a response, she typed it and deleted it out of fear. She wanted to make sure it was the perfect response, and that she was using the right words, with the right meaning. She needed this to go her way, because she was running out of options, and this could very well be her final shot at her dreams.
“Calder Grimmr… I can’t believe this!” she shook her head. “This isn’t happening.”
She couldn’t think of anything else. The whole thing had become an obsession, but for all the wrong reasons. Not that having an obsession for something or someone was ever a good idea…
“Would it be so damn hard for something to go my way, for once?”
Her confusion and anger were slowly turning into something else. Defeat. There were only two solutions to her problem, but she simply couldn’t tell which was the right one, the one that could lead to the accomplishment of all her carefully designed plans. It was a good thing Jade wasn’t in the room, because she needed the space and silence to think. She had always done her best brainstorming out loud.
“I’ve got to make a list of pros and cons,” she whispered to herself while staring out the window. It was dark. Wherever Jade had spent the afternoon, she would probably be back soon. “A Councilor… how did I miss it? The red flags. They were all there.”
Andrea opened the window to inhale the chilly autumn air. She felt confined in the rather small room, and wished she could go out for a quick jog. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea…
“If this doesn’t work,” she spoke into the night air while looking at the moon and stars, “then it might take a while before I find another dragon-shifter. Another possible husband who’s just as better off as Calder Grimmr.”
If she were to be honest with herself, she wanted to go through with her plan regardless of the new dangers involved. Her future was at stake. And no, she would never find someone just as wealthy as Calder. That was impossible. He might be a big fish to catch, but the risk might also be worth it. If she played her cards right…
“All right, I just have to figure something out. I can make it work if I’m really careful.”
She didn’t like the fact that he had two children, and both adults. That meant he wasn’t the only one looking after his clan and its treasures. As a Councilor, Calder was a busy man, and that suited Andrea. But what about his kids? Were they just as busy as their father?
Andrea closed the window and went to sit on her bed. She grabbed a pillow and hugged it to her chest. She was almost 22, and she had lived enough to get sick and tired of putting up with entitled people. Calder Grimmr and his children fell into that category, she was sure of it. How could they not? They had been born into wealth and glory.
She came from a poor family that had never supported her, neither financially, nor emotionally. Her parents were broke all the time. They were also champions when it came to complaining and never doing anything about their social and financial situation. Three years before, Andrea had gotten fed up with them and moved out. But it wasn’t easy to pay rent, cover the bills, and maintain her car while working as a waitress… Saving money for college? Not a chance! Top that with her failed relationships, and she was ready to make a serious change. Her clever idea? To become a mail-order bride. Well, that was only the first step in the direction of a much bigger and more daring plan. Still, as she had planned it, and even put it on paper only to burn the paper afterwards, it wasn’t supposed to be as complicated as it was starting to become now that her target was the Dragon Councilor.
“I am not going back to waiting tables!” Andrea shouted and threw her pillow at the door just in time to hit Jade square in the face as she entered the room.
Jade had been outside the door to their shared room for a few minutes. She hadn’t meant to overhear, but from the sounds of it, she now believed her roommate could use an ear to vent to. It had taken her a moment to decide whether to go in or not. When she opened the door, a fluffy square of death made its way right towards her and smacked her in the face. What had she ever done to Andrea to deserve that? The sleepless nights, the drama, and now this. The woman needed a man to calm her down, and quickly.
Andrea’s eyes widened, but she couldn’t muster the energy to feel sorry for having hit Jade.
“I didn’t know you would be back so soon,” she said.
“Yeah, well, sorry for thinking I could sleep in my own room.”
Jade rubbed her nose and threw the pillow back at Andrea. They both giggled, the tension suddenly lifted.
“So… want to talk about it?”
Jade made her way to Andrea’s bed and sat down next to her. Her roommate hadn’t invited her to sit, and the blonde knew she could ignore her antics and leave her alone. Andrea would never ask for her advice. Since they had both arrived at Alma Venus, Andrea had kept to herself, mostly. Every time Jade had tried to really bond, the brunette had been elusive and avoided talking too much about herself and her life before the agency, which had made Jade assume she was trying to forget, or run away from something unpleasant in her past. But now it was different, right? This wasn’t about Andrea’s past. It was about her future.
Andrea looked at Jade for a long moment, considering her invitation to open up. But as much as she wanted to tell someone about her struggles and insecurities, she knew she couldn’t.
“I’m going crazy trying to figure out what I’m going to say to Calder,” she eventually said. It was true, so she hoped Jade would take it as it was and not try to find out more.
“But why?” the blonde asked. “This is what you wanted. This is why you came to Alma Venus, and it’s happening. Why is it so hard to say ‘yes’? You still like him, don’t you?”
Andrea nodded.
“Then, what’s happening, Andrea?” Jade placed her hand on her roommate’s knee to draw her attention. “You know you can tell me anything, right?”
The brunette looked at Jade as if this was the first time she saw her. She blinked, but didn’t say anything.
“I’m your friend,” Jade continued. “So, tell me: what is really happening here? Why can’t you make a decision?”
Andrea sighed and moved away from Jade. She didn’t leave the edge of the bed, but feeling her roommate’s hand on her knee was weird.
“I…”
Jade looked at her with those big, curious blue eyes. She was willing to wait.
Andrea took a deep breath, held it in, then released it slowly.
“Maybe I do need a friend,” she said.