Page 24 of Break the Rule
“Why exactly are you telling me all this?”
“Because we’re having a conversation,” Charlie answers like it’s obvious.
This man is the poster boy for being a well-adjusted member of society. It’s horrible.
“No, we’re not,” Eden challenges. “I’m mopping, and you’re talking. This is not a conversation.”
“By definition a conversation is two or more people engaging in back and forth dialogue, so technically we are.”
“Oh my god, are you always like this?” Eden groans, abandoning all pretenses of pretending to mop in favor of glaring at Charlie. It would be more effective if he weren’t so stupidly tall and Eden didn’t have to tip his chin up so high. He narrows his eyes, annoyed at Charlie’s audacity to be handsomeandtall. Fuck this asshole and hisconversationandniceness.
“I suppose it depends on who you ask,” Charlie says. “But probably yes. Are you always like this?”
“What? Difficult? Unapproachable? Rude?”
“I was going to say sexy and challenging,” Charlie says with a wink.
Before this day is over Eden’s either going to walk himself into traffic or fuck Charlie, and he has no idea which would be worse.
The way Charlie is looking at him, playful and flirty, like he’s enjoying talking to Eden, is kind of a turn on. Maybe Eden is attracted to stupidity because Charlie’s clearly a fucking moronif he’s still attracted to Eden after being insulted, stood up and then insulted again. Maybe he has a degradation kink.
The headache Eden’s been fighting off rears its ugly head, throbbing between his eyes. It could be that he only slept four hours last night, or that he hasn’t ingested anything today except an energy drink which is definitely not food. Or maybe it’s that he is still, for reasons entirely unknown, attracted to Charlie, which pisses him the fuck off. Santa Leon is full of men, and Eden does a really fucking knockout job of ignoring all of them. Or at least he did. Before Charlie. Fucking Charlie,ugh. Maybe it’s his clothing. It attracts attention like a fucking traffic cone in the middle of the freeway. It’s got to be the clothes. Maybe naked he’d be less. Less what, Eden exactly isn’t sure. Less attractive maybe. Less noticeable or maybe just lessCharlie-ish.
The burgeoning headache makes it difficult to think clearly.
“Look,” Eden sighs. “Today is my first day on the job, I didn’t sleep last night, and I’m pretty sure I’m testing the limits of how much caffeine one person can safely ingest.”
Charlie opens his mouth, but Eden makes a noise to cut him off.
“No, I don't want anyone’s opinion on that, especially not yours. Yes, I’m kind of an asshole. Yes, I’m always like this. Yes, I’m a little bit sorry for being a dick. No, you’re not special. No, I won’t apologize a second time, take it or leave it. Does that answer all your questions?”
“To be honest, you answered a lot of questions I didn’t even have.”
“Look,” Eden exhales. “Just…don’t complain to my boss. Addy knows the owner’s daughter, which is the only reason I got the job, and I really fucking need it. Seriously, I can’t fucking lose this job.”
Expecting a witty retort, Eden is unsure what to make of the silence that follows instead.
“Are you going to say anything?”
“Wasn’t sure if I was allowed to,” Charlie answers. “You’re a little scary for someone so small.”
“Don’t call me small,” Eden demands, jabbing his pointer finger in Charlie’s chest. He pulls his hand back when he catches the couple at the table in the corner stop eating their chips and salsa in favor of staring.
“Él es un pendejo,” Eden says by way of explanation.
The couple whisper to each other, too low and quick for Eden to pick up on. Most of the Spanish he knows he’s picked up from living in the area. While he can’t read or write it, he can speak enough to get by, usually. Rosio offered to teach him more but only time will tell if that will pan out, or if he will even manage to keep this job.
“While I don’t speak very much Spanish I do, in fact, know that word,” Charlie gapes. He looks mildly offended, and Eden isn’t sure if he feels guilty or turned on. “Alec calls me that enough to have cemented it in my otherwise embarrassingly small repertoire of Spanish.”
“Who is Alec?” Eden asks before he can stop himself. “Wait, I don’t want to know. Do not answer that question.”
“Obviously you want to know or you wouldn’t have asked,” Charlie says with the air of someone very pleased. Great, Eden’s gone and encouraged him. Shit.
“I have to work, shoo.”
“What am I a dog?” Charlie chuckles.
“You said it, not me.” Eden shoves the mop into the bucket with too much force, causing some of the dirty water to splash out. He drags the caution sign over it before glaring at Charlie and dragging the mop bucket towards the back room.
