52. Endlessly Frustrating

"Is something going on between you and the Star Immortal?" Cesar asked her on her next shift. Zahira stiffened.

"No." Her voice sounded funny even to her ears.

"No? Where did you two go off to after work?"

Zahira bit her lip. She couldn't tell them about the gang using her place to store things, and without mentioning that, she couldn't really explain why Orion was interested in her.

"I think he was bored." She mumbled.

Cesar and Markus exchanged a look. Zahira looked really depressed. They filled in the blanks themselves and both men felt bad for the shy girl.

"He's a prick, don't think about him." Markus advised. He smiled kindly and Zahira flushed.

"Thanks." She mumbled.

After work that evening, Cesar insisted that Zahira come out for drinks on Castle Hill – and he wasn't accepting no for an answer this time. Tugging on Zahira's arm, he practically dragged her to the bar. The cafe gang  sat under a tarpaulin, beneath a fan heater, and ordered beer and chicken wings. Zahira felt incredibly shy to be intruding on the group. Especially when she found herself sitting next to Sage, who she still didn't know that well.

"Shall we play a game?" Ana suggested, bringing out a pack of cards. The others agreed and Zahira bit her lip.

"Zahira and me will be a team." Markus suggested, moving to sit beside her. "Since you don't know the rules yet." He explained to her, giving her their cards to hold.

"Aww, I wanted Zahira to play with me." Cesar whined.

"You cheat." Markus retorted. "You'll teach her the wrong rules."

Cesar stuck out his tongue as the others laughed.

Zahira found herself having fun, despite her anxiety. The beer helped. And she didn't have to talk much. Sage and Cesar bickered like an old married couple, needing Markus to intervene to keep the peace between them. It was a fun dynamic. Ana took lots of selfies, pulling in people to join her. Zahira enjoyed some of the bizarre filters.

"I'm a lemon!" Cesar squealed excitedly, leaning his head in to join in with on the photo's and seeing his new appearance on the screen. "I've always wanted to be a lemon!"

Zahira's head was feeling fuzzy from drink and her cheeks were flushed.

"You ok?" Sage asked. Zahira nodded, though honestly she was wishing she hadn't drank so fast. Sage's phone buzzed with an incoming call. "Hey," Sage greeted the caller. "I'm on Castle Hill, at the usual place... ok." Sage ended the call.

"Is Shoebill coming?" Markus asked, guessing who the caller had been.

"Don't call him that." Sage rebuked.

"Are you guys dating?" Ana asked.

"No." Sage sighed, clearly used to getting that question a lot. "We're friends. Please be nice to him when he comes." This last comment was aimed at Markus who put up his hands in surrender.

Zahira felt a little lost. She was the only one who didn't know who the codename 'shoebill' referred to.

"It's your round, Trouble." Cesar reminded her. Zahira quickly got up.

"I'll help you carry the drinks." Markus offered. Zahira smiled gratefully. She'd have been too awkward to ask for help.

When they returned to the table, with Markus carrying most the drinks, Zahira saw who 'Shoebill' was. Her gangster landlord. Zahira stared at her feet nervously. There weren't enough chairs around the table anymore. Ezekiel had taken her chair and there was no way Zahira had the confidence to ask for it back.

She looked around the place, hoping to find a vacant chair she could steal. Without a word, Markus sat down and pulled her to sit on his lap.

"I'm heavy." She squeaked.

"It's fine." Markus replied. He drank his beer and chipped in on Cesar's conversation with Ana. Zahira tried to put most of her weight on her feet so that Markus wouldn't find her too heavy. She was extremely embarrassed by the current arrangement. Nobody in the group seemed to find it odd though.

Zahira looked around the bar. Quite a few people were sharing chairs, she realised. The place was packed. It was clearly popular. Zahira drank her beer, feeling nervous. Was she the weird one to be so uncomfortable? It wasn't like Markus was hitting on her, he didn't even seem to notice her sitting on him. But Zahira struggled with close physical contact like this.

Her cheeks flushed when a thought occurred to her, she'd had less problem with being close to Orion. Yes, being close to the Star Immortal had overwhelmed her. But she'd also liked it. She'd liked him holding her and kissing her...

Zahira took a large gulp of her beer. If she was more normal, she wouldn't be struggling with being this close to Markus. Perhaps she'd also wouldn't be spending so much of her time thinking about Orion. Like some crazy, obsessed person.

"You sure you're ok, Zahira?" Sage asked, seeing Zahira's troubled expression.

"I'm fine. I might head home though, I'm a bit tired." She mumbled apologetically.

"Ok. You had fun tonight though, yeah?"

"Yep."

"Good." Sage smiled.

Zahira headed home feeling oddly buoyant. Had she got a group of friends now? She'd never really had friends before. She hugged herself as she walked down the hill. They were all good people. It was nice to think that they liked her. It made her feel better about herself.

It started to rain and Zahira pulled up the hood of her anorak. She stopped at the traffic lights and waited for them to change. Looking down at the ground, she watched the rain drops bounce in the puddles. Someone in a smart pair of shoes stopped beside her. Zahira kept her head down.

"I thought you weren't close with the Mad Dog." The owner of the shoes observed dryly.

"Huh?"

Zahira looked up and blinked in surprise. Orion was standing next to her. He had a large umbrella that was protecting him from the rain. This time however, he didn't protect her also. The rain ran down the side of his umbrella and onto her. Orion sighed.

"But you're close enough to go drinking with him."

"That wasn't..." Zahira's voice trailed nervously. She hadn't even spoken to her landlord. "I didn't know he'd be there." She mumbled.

"You are endlessly frustrating." Orion grumbled. The lights changed, showing the green man, and they both crossed the road. Zahira was hopelessly tongue-tied. What an awful coincidence that they'd both been stopped by the lights; she wasn't prepared for this encounter at all.

"I'm sorry." She mumbled, not sure what she was apologising for. Orion was scowling.

"I wasn't supposed to become interested in you." He'd said the words quietly, and Zahira wasn't sure if he was talking to her or to himself. She bit her lip. The rain pounded down heavier and Orion grabbed her arm suddenly and tugged her under his umbrella.

They stopped walking, safely on the other side of the pavement now, and Zahira's heart was pounding at being so close to him. The heavy raindrops pattered against the umbrella. "Will you be my woman?" Orion asked, his voice brusque. Zahira blinked. Was he asking her to work for him and betray the gang? She shook her head. She wasn't brave enough to do that.

Orion exhaled in frustration. "Why not?"

Zahira hung her head, unable to reply. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Give me a chance."

"Huh?"

"Try dating me."

Zahira was so lost. This – this was why she liked to prepare herself for social interactions. Because she got so easily lost in them. What on earth was happening? She didn't understand Orion at all.

"Oh..." She was like a deer caught in headlights. She nodded once. Orion sighed and took her hand in his.

"Good, I'll walk you home."

They walked hand in hand, there arms brushing as they stayed close under the umbrella. Zahira's heart was pounding nervously. "Your hand is clammy." Orion commented.

"I'm sorry." Zahira's cheeks flushed. She'd been worried about that.

"Why are you sorry? You didn't make them deliberately clammy."

She tried to pull her hand away from his but Orion held her firmly, refusing to let go.

"I don't mind it."

Zahira was having a brain meltdown. They arrived at her apartment and she kept glancing anxiously at Orion. He came to a stop outside the apartment block. "You should have a hot shower when you get inside, so you don't catch cold."

Zahira nodded. Orion leant down and kissed her cheek and Zahira's heart fluttered in response. "Think of me in your dreams." He whispered huskily.

Zahira watched Orion leave. Were they dating now then?

Why were they dating?

She wished that she could read Orion's mind. Was the Star Immortal sincerely pursuing her?