Page 24 of Summoning Mr. Wrong
My phone rang as Deus was kneading dough, his forearms dusted with flour, tattoos swirling lazily beneath the white powder. I checked the screen and felt my stomach drop.
“Mom,” I said, showing Deus the screen. “I should take this.”
He nodded, continuing his work as I answered.
“Hey, Mom,” I said, trying to sound normal and not like I had a demon in my kitchen making pizza dough.
“Julian! I’ve been trying to reach you for days. Is everything okay?”
Guilt twisted in my stomach. With everything happening with Deus, I’d been neglecting my regular calls with my parents. “Everything’s fine. Great, actually. I just got a new job at a bookstore.”
“Oh honey, that’s wonderful!” Her enthusiasm was genuine, which only increased my guilt. My parents had always been supportive, even when my art history degree had led to a series of service jobs instead of a career. “Is it full-time?”
“Almost. Thirty-five hours a week, and better pay than the coffee shop.”
“Your father will be so pleased. He’s been worried since you mentioned money was tight.”
I winced, remembering our last conversation where I’d hinted at my financial struggles. “Yeah, things are looking up now.”
“Good, good.” There was a pause, and I could practically hear her gathering courage for whatever came next. “So, we were thinking of coming to visit this weekend. It’s been almost six months since we’ve seen you, and your father has that conference in the city anyway…”
My eyes flew to Deus, who was now shaping the dough into a perfect circle, his supernatural hearing clearly picking up both sides of the conversation. He raised an eyebrow, looking amused.
“This weekend?” I repeated weakly. “As in, two days from now?”
“Is that a problem? We could stay at a hotel if your apartment is too small…”
“No, no, that’s not it.” My mind raced. What was I supposed to do with Deus? I couldn’t exactly introduce him as “Mom, Dad, this is the demon I accidentally summoned who’s now my roommate-slash-sex-partner.”
“We’d love to see your new place,” my mother continued, oblivious to my panic. “And we won’t be in your way. Just dinner on Saturday, maybe brunch on Sunday before we head back.”
Deus was now making exaggerated gestures, pointing at himself and then the door, mouthing what looked like “I can disappear.”
“That would be great,” I said, relief washing over me. If Deus could just make himself scarce for the weekend, this could work. “I’d love to see you both.”
We worked out the details—they’d arrive Saturday afternoon, stay at a hotel nearby, and we’d have dinner at my place that evening. After hanging up, I turned to Deus with wide eyes.
“My parents. Here. Saturday.”
“I heard,” he said calmly, returning to his pizza preparation. “Don’t worry, I can make myself scarce. Disappear for the weekend.”
“You can do that? Even with the contract thing?”
He hesitated. “Well, not completely disappear. The contract requires proximity. But I can stay out of sight, maybe hang out on the roof or something.”
I considered this. “That seems… uncomfortable. For you, I mean.”
He shrugged. “I’ve endured worse in my existence.”
But the thought of Deus sitting alone on my building’s roof while I had dinner with my parents didn’t sit right with me. Aftertwo months together, he’d become… important to me. More than just a supernatural roommate or occasional bedmate.
“What if…” I started, then paused, considering the absurdity of what I was about to suggest. “What if you just stayed? As my roommate.”
Deus looked up from the dough, surprise evident on his face. “You want to introduce me to your parents?”
“As my roommate,” I clarified quickly. “Not as… whatever else you are.”
“And what else am I, Julian?” he asked, his voice suddenly serious.
