Page 59 of How Not to Date an Angel

“I think I’m ready to get out of here,” he said, and pushed the chocolate across the table to Rami. “Won enough chocolates to satisfy yourself?”

Rami finished their drink and sat it beside Julian’s. “Yes, I think so,” they said, squinting at Julian as if trying to see through him.

“Great. Let’s call it a night,” he said, andled the way out of the bar.

Rami stayed close behind him, the bag of plastic crinkling as they wormed their way through the crowd and onto the street outside.

The silence was a canyon between them, and Julian, for once, let it lie.

He might have been pouting. Maybe even a little brooding. So what?

So what if his feelings were a little hurt? Hewasa demon, sent here to do demonly things, and yet the idea that Rami saw nothing but what Julian technically should’vewantedthem to see… hurt.

Now he just had to figure out what to do with this information.

Rami

Julian was upset.

It was clear. The demon wasn’t doing a very good job of hiding it, if he was trying to hide it at all.

Not only was he avoiding Rami’s gaze, but he was walking faster, arms tucked tight into his sides, hands in his pockets, and Rami doubted it was because the breeze was chillier than it had been a few hours ago.

At least they wouldn’t have to worry about their chocolate melting. They gripped the plastic in hand and wondered what Julian had done with the cross body bag he’d magicked just for the bar.

Had he hand-waved it back out of existence? Left it behind?

Squinting against the cold, Rami stared at the back of the demon’s head as they walked.

Rami must have said something to upset the demon. There was no other explanation.

His body language clearly read:fuck off.

And the demon stuck to that as they entered the house. Rami headed for the stairs, anticipating the end of the night and sleeping in their bed once more.

But Julian did not follow.

“Everything alright?” Rami asked, knowing the answer already.

“Yeah, of course. I’m just not tired yet, so, uh, why don’t you read, or whatever you do. I’ll be up later.”

Rami peered at him, but Julian was averting his gaze.

Maybe they could make more headway into the book they’ve been reading. “Okay,” Rami told him, and then made their way up the stairs.

As they readied for bed, they were hyper-aware of every sound from the lower floor. Before long, the murmur of the television filtered up the stairs, and Rami sighed as they sat on the bed.

Fine. If the demon wanted to pout instead of talk about his feelings, that wasn’t Rami’s problem.

He’d come to bed eventually.

The demon did not come to bed.

Rami blinked themself awake, unsure how long they’d been asleep. The moonlight was streaming in through the window above the bed, casting a soft glow on the empty side where Julian should be sleeping.

Rami rolled over and faced the unruffled expanse of the bed, knocking their book off their chest as they did so.

Why did Rami want the demon here, anyway? It didn’t matter where he slept.

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