Then I laughed—quiet and bitter.
I reached for a tissue and wiped myself off, the heat of shame creeping up the back of my neck. It didn’t belong to her. This secret. This wanting.
It was mine to carry. Mine to bury.
I rolled onto my side, staring at the wall between us.
“I just needed to get you out of my system,” I murmured to the void, but even I knew that was a fucking lie.
I should’ve felt better, or emptier, but the ache wasn’t in my dick—it was in my fucking chest.
I wokeup early the next morning and did what any rational, emotionally balanced man with a guilty conscience would do in my situation.
I brought gifts.
I ordered two drinks from the café downtown—one hot chocolate with whipped cream and sprinkles for Winnie and one oat milk vanilla latte for Selene. It was a guess, but it felt right.Then I wrote a note on a bright-yellow Post-it and stuck it to the side of the cup.
If it helps, I was possessed too.
—The Demon
It was risky—letting her know not only that I could hear her conversations through the wall, but that I alsoremembered.
I left the drinks on her porch after knocking twice, then retreated back to my door and slipped inside like a man who absolutely hadn’t been eavesdropping like a creep the night before.
But I waited.
Not long after, I heard the front door creak open, followed by a moment of silence. Then Winnie’s giggle. “Mama! Did a demon bring us coffee?”
“He left a note,” Selene murmured, and I could picture her squinting at it like she wanted to roll her eyes—but smiled instead.
I grinned into my mug and let the heat warm my palms. I couldn’t pinpoint why Selene had such a hold on me.
But possessed or not—I could make one hell of a neighbor.
The sun was startingto dip by the time I stepped into the backyard. The light hit everything sideways, slanting through the trees with that late-summer gold that made even overgrown grass look romantic.
I’d intentionally left the gate between our halves of the yard open. It seemed to stick a little, so I’d wedged it with a rock to keep it from swinging shut.
An opening.
I wasn’t expecting to see Selene outside, but there she was—bent over slightly, gently teasing a dandelion crown from Winnie’s hair while trying to keep her from dumping an entire bottle of bubble solution on the lawn.
“One more puddle and we’re officially hosting a fairy water party.” Selene laughed, but I could tell she was half exhausted.
Winnie skipped across the lawn, twirling into my yard, leaving Selene to stand alone in the light. Her slim shoulders were drawn tight to her ears like they didn’t know how to relax. Selene tipped her face toward the sagging sun and exhaled.
When she turned, she spotted me before I could pretend I wasn’t staring.
“Oh,” she said, brushing her hair from her face. “Hello.”
I tucked a hand into the pocket of my jeans. “Hi.”
The muscles in Selene’s neck worked as she swallowed. She pointed toward the open gate. “You might want to keep that closed. Winnie’s known to wander over to your side. I keep telling her to stay out of your space.”
I took a few steps closer, slow and deliberate. “Winnie’s fine. I opened it so she could have more space. You too.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Me?”
