Page 35 of The Devil In Disguise

“I’m sure you can spar with someone else while he’s gone, Santos.” I mimic her mocking tone.

Both hands on her hips, she narrows her eyes at me. “Like whom?”

“Like me.”

Her nose scrunches up in distaste, then she seems to contemplate it. “You’re serious?”

“Sure, come on. You know you want to get a few hits in.”

And that she did. I knew she did boxing for years and that she has strength, but I thought I would have to go easier on her. She put up a damn good fight.

We spar on and off until the sun begins to set. Amaris grabs a shirt—I’m assuming she was wearing it this morning—and throws it on, walking ahead of me with Ace to the cliff to see the sunset from there. Excitedly saying, and I quote, “There’s no better spot to watch the sun set around here.”

Taking up a spot on the ground a few feet away from the cliff, we watch the sky transform into a live painting before our eyes. The view is nice, I won’t deny it, but the look of fascination on Amaris’ face is far more beautiful than any sunset or sunrise I’ve ever seen. Her golden eyes never dim, even when the sun abandons us completely, they shine under the luminescent moon.

I want to draw her like this and keep the memory forever.

A gust of wind pushes her scent my way, enveloping me in a concoction of sweat and cinnamon rolls. She always smells like cinnamon rolls and vanilla, I can’t get enough of it. I’ve never liked sweets, but those are my new favorite dessert.

“Look, it’s my best friend!” She glances my way, doing a double take when she realizes I’m already looking at her. Pointing to the sky, she draws our attention to the bright, full moon out tonight. “The moon has known me my whole life.”

“I’d like to think the moon has known everyone that’s ever lived.”

“Yeah, but I’ve always felt comforted by the moon and the stars, like I have a friend in her. The moon,” she specifies. “I know it sounds dumb, but I talk to her. She’s the only one who listened to me growing up. That never changed.”

“It’s not dumb. I may not fully get it, but I do understand.” I hesitate then ask, “How are you feeling mentally?” Growing nervous all of a sudden, I start rambling. “Because, you know, the accident, but if you don’t want to tal—"

She lays a soft hand on my shoulder and stops my babbling. “I can talk about it.” Petting Ace while she prepares to speak is something I’ve noticed her do a few times now.

“It feels like some parts of my brain are blocked off and it physically hurts when I try to push those barriers. Sometimes I feel so angry and confused, I think I’m going crazy. But I hold on to what I know is real, and for now, that’s enough.”

“Maybe you don’t have to have everything figured out yet.” After a beat, I ask, “What do you know is real?”

“I could never forget the feeling of flying on my bike or reading a good book, they both transport me to new places. I love being active and boxing, as I’m pretty sure you know, and baking is as real as it gets for me. That’s my favorite thing to do, I think it’s everyone else’s, too.”

Huffing a chuckle, I say, “Yeah, my men are going to put on weight if you keep feeding them.”

She curls up and stares into my eyes inquisitively, then catches me off guard when she decides to speak.

“Tell me something real.”

A part of me wants to lie—it’s not like she’d know if what I say is true or not. But something about the way she’s looking at me and how it makes me feel has the words tumbling out before I can stop them.

“Growing up in the estate, I used to crawl out of my window and sit on a ledge where no one could see me, away from my father and his guards. At night, I’d sit out there and look up at the moon, too, envisioning a simple, quiet life.”

“Do you still want that?”

It feels like a loaded question, but it really is a simple one.

“That doesn’t matter anymore, those were childhood dreams.”

“It’s okay to want a simple life. We all need someone who can hear our silence.”

I don’t say anything for a while, at first just to mull over what she said. Then I’m watching Amaris play with Ace as if he were a small puppy and not twice her size when she’s sitting.

At first, I couldn’t wrap my head around why Ace didn’t bark at or attack her, but after seeing them together I’m starting to get it. He clearly already loves her and would protect her just like he would me. She bewitched him, and I have a feeling I’m not far behind.

She pushes his head around playfully then scratches him behind the ears while bringing his face close to hers, tapping their noses together. “Boop,” she says when she pulls back. When he licks her cheek she turns her face in my direction with a huge smile on her face.

---