She had only a few seconds of reprieve in which to take a breath. Tessa's eyes were still closed, reveling in the sensation of finally having a moment to herself when she felt a weight settle on the couch beside her. Despite her eyes being closed, the hybrid rolled her eyes. They just couldn't stop, could they? Sending a silent prayer to the goddess for help, Tessa opened her eyes. She was about to tell her newest contender what was really exhausting when the words shriveled in her throat as her eyes landed on the man now sitting beside her. Tessa's brain struggled to catch up as he continued speaking, the utter beauty of him striking her momentarily speechless as he spoke.
When he chuckled, however, her brain seemed to jump-start itself. The smile lit up his face, making him even more unfairly gorgeous, and she very nearly lost her breath it was so beautiful. Damn this alcohol and damn Mal, she thought to herself though was unable to get her expression to reflect that thought. "I wouldn't say it's necessarily that they're nowhere near my level," she finally managed, a smirk tugging up the corners of her full, Cupid's bow lips. Coupled with her heart-shaped face and dimples it was an all-around unfair picture. Tessa was as down-to-earth as one could get despite her career and didn't think of herself as "better" so much as they were just not her type. "It's more I never know whether they really want me and not just my money or fame or whatever." Swirling her drink, she took a long drag from the straw and tried to settle the buzzing that suddenly seemed to be radiating over her skin. "And most of them are just so boring," she added with a not-so-apologetic shrug.
Her smile turned mischievous at his next words and she had to actively work not to snort her drink. "But I kind of am an asshole?" she confessed, forgetting again that she had been intending not to give into her friend's schemes. He was so close now, it was hard to remember why she was resisting in the first place.