Page 121 of Oh No! There's an Incubus in my Hot Spring
“Did you sleep with Jason because you were thinking it was what was best for you? It was going to make you happy, and make your life more secure?”
She’s quiet again for a while, but I hear her sniffling. “No,” she whispers. “I was thinking…he was lonely, and nice to me. The first time I threw up when I got home, but it got easier, even though I felt like trash after, every time.”
I can tell there’s more in her, so I stay silent.
“I thought you’d sell the business and he wouldn’t want me anymore, and that would be okay. That we’d call it off and I’d go find someone else—someone single. Someone who I wouldn’t have to hide with. I’m just so sorry…”
“You did me a favor. I mean, it was a shitty favor, but I’m glad now. I could’ve ended up marrying Jason and never finding the man I love,” I say.
“You’re in love?” she asks, her voice hopeful.
I smile. “I am. The forever kind of love.”
“I’m so happy for you,” she whispers, her breath breaking with emotion.
“You’ll find someone, too. Stop being so cruel to yourself and just try to do better. Move on from this and don’t make it part of yourself.”
She heaves a quiet sob and blows her nose. “Okay. I’ll try.”
“Forgive yourself for these mistakes, and just do better,” I say.
“You make it sound so easy,” she whines, devolving into tears again.
I shake my head. “It isn’t easy. None of this is, but you have to keep trying. This is the only chance you get. Every day is a new opportunity to make your life better. Don’t waste it.”
She takes a steadying breath, and I hear her resolve. “Okay. I won’t.”
“Take care, Alexis,” I say.
“You too, Ms. Azarolla,” she whispers, and the phone disconnects.
I stare down at my phone and sigh. She’s going to be okay.
And so are we.
thirty-two
Happily Ever Hot Springs
Snow covers the skylight and batters the windows as I snuggle with Apollo on the couch. Something rich and meaty is bubbling in a pot on the new gas stove, and a fire crackles in the fireplace.
This is perfect bliss.
“What has you so serene?” Apollo asks, stroking through my hair.
“You.” I hum and nestle into his chest.
He sighs deeply and kisses my hair. “You’re my serenity, too.”
We lay together, naked and satisfied, until a timer goes off near the stove. Apollo extricates himself from my languid grasp and saunters over to the kitchen, summoning clothes as he goes.
He opens the lid to the bubbling pot and the air is instantly filled with the herby, meaty aroma. I groan needily and wrap the blanket around my shoulders as I follow my nose.
“I think it’s time for a taste test,” I say.
He dips a spoon into the dark broth and lifts it to his lips to blow on it. His tongue darts out and collects a drop from the bottom of the spoon, and then he tilts the whole thing into his mouth with a satisfied hum.
“Yes, it’s almost ready,” he says, moving to replace the lid.
