Page 48 of Halluci-Dating A Demon
“I should get going. I’m sure you’ve come a long way, and I’d hate to ruin your visit.”
“I still don’t understand how you two know each other.”
“Oh, Arien here is a sleep-paralysis demon and I’ve seen him in my hallucinations a few times. We quickly became friends after that.”
“Wait.” Brody’s eyes glimmer. “Those are real? Wow. So I’ve had an actual person in my home a couple of times? That’s a little creepy if you think about it.”
“Yeah, real creepy,” I say flatly. “I’ll uh, talk to you later, Ellie.” He said friend. I’m his friend. As in the same kind Brody is. My eyes burn when Brody leans against him, laying his head on his shoulder and stroking Elias’s chest.
Fingers grip my arm as I turn to leave, holding me in place. “Wait. Where do you think you’re going?”
“You look busy,” I say under my breath, trying to tug my arm away, but his hold tightens on me.
“But you just got here, and that’s a whole three hours we get to have.” His breaths tickle my ear.
My next words stick to the back of my throat when Brody says, “Aren’t we still going to dinner? I thought you were going to show me the town and give me a tour of your new place.”
I grit my teeth, feeling like I could fold in on myself at any moment. “It’s okay. I’ll catch you another time. Nice meeting you,” I say, looking back at the man who I worry still has a large place in Elias’s heart.
I rush out into the sickly heat, tears wetting my cheeks. I wipe at my eyes, realizing I’m not the only one of us who’s made the other feel a lot lately. The ache in my chest is almost crippling as I drag my feet to a nearby bench. I bury my face in my hands, the scent from Elias’s hoodie wrapping around me as I rub my eyes on the soft worn material.
The bench’s wood makes a muffled squeak when someone lowers themselves beside me. A large hand on my back has me looking up, heart all over the place, at Elias’s eyes searching for something in mine. He wipes my cheeks. “Why did you leave? What’s wrong?”
“I felt like I was intruding on something there. If you want to be with Brody again, I understand and—”
“Woah, woah.” Scooting closer, he takes my hand in his. “Who said anything about us getting back together?”
“I . . . He called you his boyfriend, and he looked pretty cozy with you. You two were planning to do so much together before I showed up.”
He blows out an irritated breath, shaking his head. “No, he did. Not me. I’d already told him I couldn’t go, several times, and was about to meet you in my room for a short rest, but then you showed up causing chaos in my coffee shop.” His eyes crinkle in humor.
“You aren’t getting back together with him then?”
“What?” He gives me a disapproving look. “Not at all. I can sense he wants to, though. Before I came out here, he keptrubbing my back and telling me he hoped he hadn’t upset my friend. I told him you’re more than that and that I think he should go back home.”
“Really?” A flicker of light shines inside me.
“Really, baby.” He kisses my lips. “You’re what I want. Only you.”
“That’s a relief, because I was coming here to tell you how you’re about to get a whole lot more of me soon.”
His face wrinkles. “What do you mean?”
“I got the visa approval. My boss put in a good word for me and my application was moved to the top of the list.”
His mouth hangs open and then he bounces in his seat. “Oh, that’s wonderful. That means you did it. They finally see what I have since the first day I saw you.”
“What’s that?” My words hang in the air.
“How much you’re worth all the extra steps.”
Heart bursting, I kiss his lips, and he pulls away, pressing his head to mine. “There’s somewhere I’d really like to take you in three weeks. I’ve been seeing flyers everywhere about this aquarium off the beach. It’ll be opening up to everyone soon, and it’s going to accommodate salt-water creatures. I think it’s perfect timing. We’ll have dinner there, wine, and free chocolate while all the different aquatic life swims around us.”
“I think that sounds wonderful. I’ve never done anything on Valentine’s Day before.”
“Me either. Brody hated the holiday, and for a minute I thought I did too, but then I thought about having you to celebrate things like this with and couldn’t stop wanting to take advantage of the opportunity—of all the opportunities I get to be with you. So, now that I know it’s possible, I’d really like you to join me. As my boyfriend.”
Squealing on the inside, my lips turn up and I nod. “I’d love to.” I kiss him softly and he laughs against my lips.
