“What about the bubbles?” she asks.
“Bubbles?”
“When you summoned me here that one time, there were bubbles.”
While the idea of adding an obstacle to seeing her like this makes me want to scream, I hesitantly grab the bag and toss it into the tub. Flower petals float to the top as the aroma of lavender and rosemary fills the room.
“That’s nice.” She hums, resting her head on the lip of the tub. I don’t ask, just take the loofah and begin cleaning her body. She doesn’t object, but I feel her body tense as I touch her.
“Are you okay?” I ask her, and she opens her eyes to look at me.
“You killed them all?”
I nod, and she closes her eyes again, relaxing in the tub. “Then, yes, I’m okay. They weren’t going to help me anyway.”
I already know what she was looking for, but I mention it anyway. “You wanted to know why your sister came to Hell?”
She nods, not opening her eyes, and I realize what I must do to keep her here. But I’m not sure how to approach the conversation. I very slowly continue cleaning her body. If she notices how long I’m taking to finish, she doesn’t say anything. We sit here in silence, no doubt each of us lost in our own train of thought.
When I’ve finished her body, I lightly trace my finger along her jawline. Her lips part, and the little gasp that escapes her makes me shiver.
She blinks at me, and I hold a piece of hair between my two fingers. “Your face and hair are next.” She nods, sinking under the water and holding her breath for an extremely long time. When she breaks the surface and takes a deep breath, I sigh in relief. She scrubs her face before I drain the water. She groans, so I refill the tub with fresh water and throw another bath bag in there.
Spoiled. It’s my first thought, and I smirk to myself. All I want to do is spoil her… if she’ll let me.
“Will you stay in Hell?” I ask, no longer able to hold the question back.
She blinks at me. “I’m not sure I want to,” she states, and I can taste the lie, but I don’t call her out on it.
“What can I do to convince you to stay?”
She tilts her head, her hair soaking wet and dripping off the side of the tub.
“I’d want my old job back.”
“Done.”
“My old room too.”
I think about how badly I want her in my room, but down the hall will suffice.
“Fine.”
“I want my cat from Earth,” she demands with an arch of her eyebrow.
“Okay,” I agree, wondering how I can make this cat immortal.
“And no more secrets. If I come back to Hell and stay here, you need to be honest with me. I think you owe me that.”
I swallow thickly and nod. “I can do that.”
“Also, I want to use this tub whenever I want.”
My head bobs, and she smirks.
“There’s one more thing.”
“Anything.”
