Cruel Obsession (The Obsession Duet 1)

My brow furrows in confusion. “What do you mean? I’m not lucky.”

Sasha gives me a disbelieving look. “Really? You don’t actually believe that, do you?” When I don’t say anything, she continues, “Let’s take your apartment, for example. It’s in one of the safest, nicest areas of the city. The rent there is insanely low, and the waitlist for that place is like a mile long. Yet, you somehow got in, and on top of that, you got a discounted rate on your rent.”

“Yeah, I still don’t know how that happened either.” I truly don’t. All I did was submit an application and hope for the best.

“What about how you got your car? The guy just wanted it gone so badly, he gave it to you for a fraction of the cost? Then, after all of that, even brought it to you because you didn’t have a way to get over there. Come on, you’ve got to see it too?”

“I mean, I see it, but I don’t know if I would consider it luck.”

Sasha rolls her eyes. “Girl, start playing the lottery because you’re a good luck charm.”

All I can do is shake my head and laugh at her. I’m not lucky, not really, right? As we work throughout the day, answering calls and setting the animals up to find their forever homes, I can’t shake the conversation away and come to the conclusion that I truly am lucky.

I escaped death the other night, or at least something that would’ve been close to it. I went to college and got a nice place to live, and a car for a really good price. This job even fell into my lap, so I suppose I agree with Sasha a little, though I won’t tell her that.

It’ll go straight to her blonde head.

Doing our final walkthrough, I stop at the new puppy’s cage. “Don’t worry, buddy, you won’t be here for long.”

“Who are you talking to?” A voice startles me, and I jump back half a foot and grip onto my chest, my heart beating right out of it. Looking to the side, I see Shawn standing only a few feet from me.

“Jesus, Shawn, you scared me,” I say, the words coming out in a rush as I try and calm myself.

Giving me a dimpled grin, he says, “Sorry, didn’t mean to use my ninja skills on you.”

“Next time you scare me like that, I might need to use my ninja skills on you. Which consists of a punch in the face.” I say, smiling.

“Whoa.” He puts up his hands, showing me his palms in surrender. “Easy killer. I’ll try not to sneak up on you anymore.”

“You better, for your own safety,” I joke. Shawn has been working here for a few weeks now, and we’ve quickly become friends. We joke and laugh together all the time, which are two things I always welcome. Plus, it helps that he’s good looking, not that I spend my day checking him out or anything. It’s hard to ignore his dreamy, blue eyes, and model-like features.

“So… I was actually wondering what you’re doing tonight?” he asks as we are walking back to the front.

“Tonight? Ahh…” I look at him wide-eyed. Is he trying to ask me out? “Nothing, I guess,” I finally say.

“Cool, I was wondering if you wanted to grab something to eat… with me?”

“Yes,” I blurt out before thinking about it. Way to sound desperate, Dove.

Shawn chuckles. “Okay, I guess that’s a yes. Do you just want to meet there, or I can swing by your place, and we can go together?” He shoves his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. I should probably meet him somewhere, but I’ve always dreamt of going on a real date where the guy comes to the house and picks you up, so I push the paranoia away. Plus, it’s been forever since I went on a date or was asked out on one.

I smile up at him, my belly filling with butterflies. “Yeah, that would be great.”

“I’ll pick you up at six. Send me a text with your address.” We pause in the foyer, and when he smiles at me, my heart skips a beat.

“Uh, yeah…” I stutter. Jesus, I need to work on my skills. Shawn waves goodbye to Sasha and then winks at me before walking out. As soon as he’s out of earshot, Sasha pounces.

“Oh, my god, he finally asked you out. Jesus, I never thought that was going to happen. The boy has been watching you since he started.”

My cheeks start to warm. “He has not!”

Sasha nods. “Yup, and now you’ve gone and made his dreams come true.”

“It’s just a date, not like we’re getting married or anything.”

“Yet… not getting married yet.”

Ignoring her, I get my stuff together and prepare for my drive home. I can’t believe I have a date. A real date. Not that I’d have a fake date or something, or that I’m so ugly that no one finds me attractive, but it isn’t often that guys ask me on dates. Usually, I find I have to build up the courage to do it.