Lost in thought, I don’t even notice when Thea enters the kitchen. “Good morning,” I hear from across the kitchen, making me jump. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”
I shake my head. “Oh, no, you’re okay. Sorry I was dissociating for a moment there,” giving her a weak smile.
She pursed her lips, wearily gazing at me. “Are you okay? I don’t normally see you up this early.” She wasn’t wrong there. I wasn’t normally an early riser or a morning person to begin with.
I shrug my shoulders, unsure what to say. “Something outside woke me up. A bird somehow hit the window and died. I couldn’t sleep afterwards, so I’ve been up since.” Leaving a couple details out, not wanting to recount the event.
“Oh, dear. That poor bird. I’m sure you’re tired then. Would you like some coffee?” she offers, as she grinds up the beans to make a fresh pot.
I give her a small nod. “Yeah, that would be great. Thank you.”
As the coffee starts brewing, Thea begins preparing herself breakfast on the stove. “How are you liking things here?”
“Oh, it’s lovely. I really enjoy working at the bakery.” I give her an honest answer.
“That’s great! I’m glad to hear it. We enjoy having yourhelp and having you around Blair. You bring life to ours,” she turns around, giving me a small smile.
“Thanks. I needed to hear that. I miss my mom and have no other family in my life, so things have been a bit rough for me,” I murmur. She comes over and pats the top of my hand that’s resting on the counter.
“I understand and know the feeling. I’m here for you if you ever need anything. Don’t hesitate to ask,” she says as she goes back over to the stove to turn her eggs.
I ruminate over her words. “Actually, there is something… It’s not exactly something I need, but more of a question about a customer.” She nods, letting me know she’s listening. How should I put this? “His name is Asmodeus. Have you… Noticed anything different about him?”
“Hmm, let me think…” She takes the eggs out of the pan and plops them onto a plate as she takes the toast out of the toaster. “He stays to himself, is pretty quiet, but always respectful. The man is the size of a mountain,” she laughs. “Besides that, no, not really. Why do you ask?”
“Oh nothing,” I blurt out, realizing I said that way too fast.
She laughs and shakes her head. “He’s a good guy. He doesn’t have anyone in his life. Just in case you would like to know,” she winks at me as she sets her food on the dining room table, eating before going to the bakery. My cheeks heat from her words.
“Thanks,” I murmured as I got up and got myself a cup of coffee and made myself some toast with peanut butter. “Have a good rest of your morning, I’ll see you in a couple of hours at the bakery.” I wave goodbye to Thea as I walk to the bedroom with my food and drink in hand.
I open up my laptop, putting a random show on while I eatand relax before work. All I can think about is my mystery man, Asmodeus. I wonder if he will come in today or not.
7
Chapter 7 - Asmodeus
Was it a bit presumptuous of me to ask for her phone number after only talking to her once?Most likely.Was there a bone in my body that cared?Not really.Was I going to come off too strong?Potentially.Did that make a difference to me?Nope, not one bit.Instead, I was very eager. Not only did she intrigue me, but she was breathtaking. The way her lavender curls bounced when she walked. The way her violet eyes shimmered in the light. Such a unique eye color to have as a human.
For the past couple of days, I have been going to the bakery hoping for a chance to catch her, but it was practically impossible to talk to her since the bakery was busy. Not only that, but I had work I needed to get done. Unfortunately for me, that meant I wasn’t able to mill about for hours waiting for the crowds to die down. After two failed attempts, my frustration was simmering near the surface. I didn’t have the patience to wait anymore; the demon wished to obliterate people so they no longer took her time away.
Today I decided to ask for her number and maybepotentially a date.Going too fast here.Humans were not accustomed to diving headfirst like demons and other paranormal beings. I needed to take my time and not scare her away. I was already too obsessed with her; I wouldn’t be able to let her go.
When I came into the bakery this morning, there was a small crowd of people. I decided to sit and wait at a table with my coffee and pastry until it cleared out, giving me time to fawn over her while she worked. As I sat there watching Blair, Thea came over to my table, an eyebrow raised in question.
“Wow, surprise seeing you here. You used to be a once every other week kind of man. I see you’re addicted to something new,” a smirk on her face.
I cough into my hand. “I don’t know what you mean,” I shrug my shoulders, trying to play it off. She has caught me off guard.
“You coming in all week doesn’t have anything to do with my new employee does it?” she chuckles. My cheeks darken at her words,it does.
“Would it be wrong if I said it does?” I whisper.
“Hmm, no. You’re both adults. Just like to see you flustered for once.” She grins. This damn woman.
I scoff at her ribbing, “I was actually going to ask for her number today.” Her eyes go wide.
“Good for you. Good luck,” she says, leaving me to my food as I wait for Blair. My nerves were going haywire, I’ve never done this before.
