Ruari pulled a face. "D," she responded to him. The tall blonde did spend a lot of time around women in their undergarments. Had Torrence been less of an arse and a bit more artistic and maybe less of a sex pest, it might be the job for him. She really hoped Hal didn't objectify women in the same way. She was sure her boyfriend didn't and that her cousin was just a bad apple.
He said he didn't care but he was lying. Ruari nodded, eyes wide, clearly showing she didn't believe him for one tiny second but she refrained from saying anything. She did not want, for one minute, to delve into that brain of his. "Nothing apparently," Ruari said with a soft sigh and a shrug. The longer she spent in Torrence's company, she felt an odd mix of emotions. He broke her down but she also became weirdly harder. His words hurt like slaps but after a while, she brushed it aside. The way she was and the way she lived her life, she was usually the butt of everyone's jokes.
His insult made her blink and then she offered a weak smile. He was right. He'd already attacked her character and every single time he left, she replayed it back. Accepting of her flaws and knowing there wasn't much she could do about him, his face seemed to pop up and haunt her when she was drifting off to sleep. It was never nice to be reminded of her shortcomings, especially when it came from a family member. He was up and off the sofa. It gave her whiplash trying to keep up with his back and forth movements. "I should hope not," Ruari said primly, sliding her damp palms across her thighs to cry and dry them. He made her nervous.
Sensing he was ready to leave, Ruari unsteadily got to her feet and lingered. She owed him something? Money or sex? Remaining silent, she gave a nod. The way Torrence continually treated her made her wonder if she should be doing him any favours whatsoever. This poor girl needed to escape and she didn't want to help orchestrate his love life much.
Ruari didn't return the kiss. His felt perfunctory. She felt tired and irritable. She wanted to make a cup of tea and take a bath, lock the door and pretend today never happened. She really should go for a walk or a run, try and get back into shape but it looked like it was threatening to rain. Funny, that. Torrence seemed to bring the weather with him continually. She nodded, taking a polite step back and folding her arms across her chest. She felt emotionally battered and bruised from his delightful visit. She hoped for Miss. Bloom's sake that she did not return any time soon.
"Yup," the tall blonde replied with a nod, still keeping her arms folded as a sort of barrier. The look in her eyes made her worry a little. Lately, all Ruari did was seem to worry. "If Perdita Bloom comes back, I'll send Henry right away." Henry was her owl. Unsure of the breed, he was small, brown and fat. He was slow but dependable. Plus, he liked being stroked so Ruari couldn't trade him in for a better model.
Opening the door to the shop, she opened it and waved him out. Hastily, she locked it and closed the blinds. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she sighed before Jeff came over, concerned. She patted his head gently, sending him away before climbing the stairs, closing the bathroom door as she debated whether or not to drown herself in the rose scented bubbles. Torrence Regan was hard work.
