Read Fairy Tale Fail for Free Online

Why are you still here?"
    He looked around and I thought I saw a
flash of guilt in his eyes, but it was gone when I
blinked.
    "I had work to do," he replied. "But
you can't stay here all night. You see that rain? The electricity
might go out."
    The thought of walking twenty-two
flights of stairs made me cringe, visibly.
    Lucas smiled. "Join me for
dinner?"
    Sure, travel planning could wait. I
shut down my desktop and grabbed my jacket.

Chapter 8
     
    Yeah, this was one of those
storms. The kind that told even us jaded people, "No, you haven't
seen me yet,
bitches."
    The scene outside our building was a
mess. Trash bins had not just toppled over, but were rolling far
from their original spots. Tree branches were either swept up in
odd angles or on the ground, and the gutters were just barely
keeping the rainwater from the sidewalk.
    Rather than bear with the
burger place in our building, though, Lucas insisted on real food.
He said there was a small cafeteria-style place he went to a few
blocks away. Really good bulalo . I looked out at the rain, and
the wind, and my shoes, and my nice purple top, and
shrugged.
    Bulalo did sound good. The weather put me in the mood for meat and
marrow. (It's not as disgusting as I made it sound.)
    I pulled my jacket around me tighter
and followed him out. I had an umbrella, but it was the kind of
storm that would blow an umbrella inside out, so the only way to
stay mobile was just to run for it. Thankfully the restaurant was
open when we got there, and they didn't mind too when little
puddles formed around us when we sat down. I was soaked, by the
way, even through my jacket.
    Lucas looked great though. He ran a
hand through his wet hair and the calculated mess pointed in a
different direction.
    "So, you don't usually stay late at
work, right?" Lucas said, after ordering.
    "No," I answered, drying my hands on
some table napkins. "I'm usually out of there after my eight
hours."
    "Because you live far?"
    I thought about it, and
shook my head. "No, I just don't want to be at work all night. What
were you doing
there anyway? We were all sent home at the same time."
    "I think I'm in the mood for a beer.
Do you want a beer?"
    Interesting. "Did you just avoid
answering me?"
    He smiled sheepishly and called the
waiter, asking for two bottles of San Mig Light.
    I patted my forehead with another
table napkin and shrugged. "You do realize that you invited me to
dinner during a storm, which means you're stuck with me asking this
question all night. Might as well answer it."
    I didn't think I would ever be able to
tease Rock Star that way, but what the hey. I couldn't go home, I
was hungry, what else did he expect me to do?
    "I'm not talking on an empty stomach,"
Lucas said.
     
    ***
     
    What did I know about Lucas, anyway?
All of it had been rumors, passed around the office, usually picked
up and shared by Charisse who had more friends on other
floors.
    It was quite possible that even after
all of that, I knew nothing about him at all.
    "So what's your 'thing', Sandwich
Girl?" he said, just when I was about to start pestering him
again.
    "My what?"
    "Your thing. What is it you do that
makes you want to get out of work right away."
    See, that was a great way
of putting it. Don had the impression that people who left the
office as soon as they were allowed were lazy. I thought they led exciting lives and
couldn't wait to get back to them.
    "Thank you," I couldn't help saying to
Lucas. "Some people have criticized me for not staying at the
office late enough."
    He shrugged. "Yeah, well, if people
want to give their heart and soul to their job, then good for them.
My work doesn't define me."
    "That's exactly what I've
been trying to tell some people."
    I had a lot to look forward to when I
clocked out. I started counting them with my fingers. "Movies. TV
shows. Dylan, my new little nephew. Finding out what's for dinner.
Speaking of, I need to text my mom that I'm having dinner out. And,
my research."
    "Your