Page 35 of How Not to Date an Angel

It wasn’t until the hot water was cascading down their back and over their shoulders that the demon’s words really registered.

Touching himself! Next to Rami!

Rami’s cheeks were still warm, and they couldn’t blame it on the heat of the water.

Thank heavens he’d just been teasing. Joking.

Rami shook their head at thejoke.

They still felt a little sluggish after such a deep sleep, and they looked forward to their coffee, the caffeine luring them awake instead of the jolt they’d received.

Their eyes widened as they watched the water circle the drain. Had they really cuddled up to the demon all night?

Sharing a bed was something they had done… before. Once upon a time.

They couldn’t deny they had rather liked the warmth of another body next to them.

Even with those baser urges, though, they’d never even been tempted, in all their years on Earth.

Well. Aside from a little solo experimentation here or there. But those occurrences certainly didn’t count. There was nothing wrong with a bit of curiosity.

And as they shifted the water to cold, they declared they weren’t about to start now.

Julian

Julian snickered as he heard the water turn on in the middle of his sentence. He didn’t know angels couldgetthat red.

But he felt the angel might be a little upset with him, so to soften the blow, Julian slithered from the bed and down the stairs. He attempted to recreate the steps he’d watched Rami take to make their precious caffeinated beverage.

His least favorite step was the loud noise from the grinder itself, but he suffered through it. He got as far as dumping the grounds into the little paper cone above the mug before the angel made it to him.

“What are you—“

“Making you coffee!” Julian said with a grin. “Look, I ground your little beans and everything. Now I just pour the water over it, right?”

Rami’s eyes, a little bluer this morning than gray, flitted from the mug to Julian’s face and back again.

“…Yes,” they finally said.

Julian refrained from pumping his fist in the air. Barely. Instead he reached over, calm as could be, and collected the electric kettle from its station. Steam rose between them as Rami watched Julian work.

His hand only shook a tiny bit. Could be blamed on nerves. This water was pretty hot, after all; it would probably burn. He had a right to be nervous.

The angel watched him the entire time it took to pour the water and for it to drain through the cone.

Their gaze was heavy, and Julian shuffled, uncertain as to the source of his unease.

Once he’d poured the last round of hot water, he slid the mug over the countertop to Rami’s waiting form.

“See? I’m a great roommate.”

Rami sputtered. “You are no such thing. In fact, you seem to be feeling quite yourself—”

Just in that moment, Julian reached up for a second mug with his left hand, grimaced, and lifted the right one instead as his side twanged. Carefully he retrieved a mug out of the high cabinet.

“I definitely feel much better than when I first showed up,” he admitted into the silence Rami had left.

“Well, that’s—good,” Rami said stiffly. “Glad to hear it.”

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