Dark Secrets(64)

"Oh yeah?" Faith asked, having a feeling she knew where the conversation was heading.

"First it was K. Then it was Xander. And lastly, like the men somehow decided that only estrogen could reason with other estrogen, Ellie called." She sat down across from Faith and folded her arms on the very, very clean surface that maybe was missing a bit of the shine it had before she got to work on it earlier. Vin was going to be pissed if they had to re-glaze again already.

"Corey..." Faith said, shaking her head.

"They're worried about you, babe," she said, shrugging. "And, now that I see you, I'm a little worried too. Are you aware you don't have any eye makeup on?" she asked. "I mean, cool if you're trying a new look. But I have been coming here since I was legal and I have literally never seen you without makeup on." Corey watched as Faith turned quickly, looking at the mirror behind the liquor bottles on the back bar and realizing Corey was right. She forgot to put makeup on.

"I was busy today," she defended, not wanting to let on that not all was good. Not since she was first hired did she ever forget to wear makeup at work. It wasn't a big deal that she didn't have it on, but it was a big deal to her that she had so easily overlooked something that was a daily norm for her. What was next? Was she going to forget to brush her teeth? Iron her clothes?

She needed to get a hold of herself.

"Alright, so he was a dick," Corey said, waving a 'what can you do' hand. "We live in the City, babe. Seven million people. A little less than half are men. And a good third of that half are dicks. You know this. It's not like you to let it get to you."



       
         
       
        

"What, exactly, is so different about me that has everyone worried? I'm not in bed crying. I am working and I'm teaching my classes and..."

"From what I hear," she cut her off, "you're not just teaching your usual classes. You've taken on teaching two extra classes at the women's shelter."

"What can I say, they are suddenly full-up. Lots of strong women escaping shitty relationships. I can't teach them all in one class."

"Admit you cared about him," she said, ignoring Faith's comments. Corey, being a strong, work-centered woman herself, knew that not all women took to their beds after a breakup. Women who had careers and passions that were important to them, to cope with bad situations, they just killed themselves with work.

Faith sighed. "I knew him for a week and a half. We had sex twice."

"And?"

"And you can't care about someone after a week and a half."

"You can't?" she asked, screwing up her face a little. "Tell me you didn't love me from day one. And Xander for that matter and K and Gabe and even little, not so little anymore, Ryan. Tell me that and I will accept that."

She was right. Sometimes, you just clicked with people. There was no accounting for it. You talked to them for five minutes and you knew they were going to be a part of your life for a long time in the future. That had happened with Corey when she came in from the club ranting and raving about 'amateur BDSM idiots who didn't have a clue what the BDSM lifestyle really meant'. They clicked. And it happened with Xander and his straight-talking, no nonsense, no holds-barred conversation. It happened with K because they shared a lot in common- trying to help women who needed it. Gabe, well, he was just a sweetheart and a flirt. You had to like him. And Xander, now Gabe's, little protege Ryan was just an incredible kid and then young man.

It was effortless, easy, and from the first couple of minutes- permanent.

Why it was so easy to accept that about friendships but discount it about relationships was beyond her.

"Fine, I cared about him."

"And he lied to you and you feel betrayed. That sucks. You do realize that him lying about, well," she said, looking over at Vin's table, "doesn't necessarily mean he was lying to you, about his interest in you."

"That's a little naive for you, Cor," Faith smiled. But that smile froze on her face as the door opened, right on the dot of the bar technically being open, and someone walked in. "Mother fucker," she hissed, making Corey swivel her head around then turn back to her with a amused smile.

"Oh, damn," she said, shaking her head. "And here I have to take my ass across the street to work. Forget the girls getting their feet licked and the people being suspended from the ceiling- this is the real show here tonight." 

"Get out," Faith said, trying to keep emotion out of her tone as Daniel moved to the corner of the bar where he had once told her the security cameras didn't catch.