Page 12 of Enticing the Elf
And even longer since they responded with zero hesitation, even without knowing what I needed of them.
I called Jared because he knows both me and Eoin, already has some knowledge of the situation, and is a reasonable, calm kind of person. But maybe he’s also a closer friend to me than I thought.
“Dáithí?”
“I’m okay,” I assure him. “Could we meet for lunch? I did a thing that I thought was stupid, but it might not be that stupid after all, but I’m still not sure how I’m going to follow through with it.”
It’s his turn to pause. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
I sigh. “I know.”
“You did something stupid? Is this stupid like you’re going to lose your job or end up in prison? Or stupid like your hair is green?”
Gasping, I lift my hand to my hair. “Bite your tongue. If I decided to dye my hair green, it would be the perfect shade to complement my skin tone and I’d look amazing.”
“Your hair’s not green, then,” he concludes, and it sounds like he might be laughing at me.
“It’s not. But I’m not going to prison either. This is… something in between.” Screw it, there’s no point in making him wait. “I need to come up with a commitment test for Eoin.”
“A… Okay. Dáithí, testing your partner isn’t?—”
“It’s not like that,” I interrupt. “It was his idea. I said we should break it off?—”
“Youwhat?”
“Don’t act like that’s a surprise. I already told you it wasn’t a real relationship and that it was going to end soon.” It’s not like I’ve been pretending to anyone that Eoin and I are actually boyfriends—that was all him. I’ve told everyone who asks that we’re casual.
“You said that, but I didn’t think it was true,” Jared replies, confirming my long-held theory that no matter what you tell people, they believe whatever they want. “I figured it would just eventually turn into a solid commitment.”
“I think Eoin did too. Realizing that was what convinced me to end it. I don’t want to lead him on when I know it can’t go anywhere.”
“But why?—”
“I don’t want to be rude, but I haven’t even got to the point yet, and I don’t have a lot of time,” I cut in. “Eoin insisted I tellhim why I didn’t think things would work, because he’s a pushy bastard like that, and when I said it was because he’s not a long-term commitment person, he insisted I come up with a test so he can prove that he is. So now I have to think of a test, and I need help.”
“Wow. Um. Well, fuck.” Jared seems to be at a loss for words, which isnothelpful. “I have a lot of questions. Lunch, right? I’ll be there.”
Relief floods me. He’ll help me work out what my next steps are. “Thank you. Let’s meet at that sushi place with the homemade wasabi.”
“Yeah, sounds good. Is it okay if I bring Noah? Only I was supposed to be having lunch with him. I can cancel on him if you prefer—this is more important.”
“Noah Cage?” I think about it. Noah’s a team administrator for CSG, but he works directly with the lucifer. He’s also human, but probably the meanest human I’ve ever met. I’ve always admired the way he keeps his people in line. “Sure, he might be able to help. He strikes me as the kind of person who’d know how to test others.”
“Then we’ll see you at one,” Jared promises, and we end the call.
By the end of the day, I’ll have a plan. If only it wasn’t one that meant an end to Eoin in my life.
CHAPTER SIX
Dáithí
I pickup my glass and take a drink while Jared and Noah process the whole story. I didn’t leave out many details, since they’ll need all the information to help me come up with the right test for Eoin.
“You’re one hundred percent sure that Eoin won’t be happy in a relationship with you?” Jared asks, a sympathetic frown turning down the corners of his mouth.
“It’s not me, specifically,” I clarify. I don’t have self-esteem issues for them to fix. “He’s just not the kind of person who can commit. It might make him happy at first, but eventually that will change, and then we’ll both be miserable.”
“Is this, like, a polyamory thing?” Noah wonders. “Because that’s got nothing to do with commitment.”
