I burst out laughing, tension sloughing off of me in waves. Which is exactly what I needed, apparently. I'd love to say I felt shitty because of the desk, but it's more than that. It's life dragging me down. I was content until I summoned a demon. Which seems ridiculous.
I like my life and my house and my job. I don't have any family, but I have friends.Usedto have friends. Until this moment, I didn't realize how much their absence impacted my mood. And how much I've been obsessing over it. The push and pull between wanting to be understanding and the loneliness at their absence has me all out of whack. Omen isn't the solution to my woes, though.
“It's…no. It's not fucking. It's…I don't even know how to describe it. Suing someone is taking them to court and getting money. It's just a phrase.”
He scowls, his jaw clenching. “You humans and your clichés. Most of them don't make sense, anyway.”
“They're clichés for a reason. Mostly because they're true.”
I didn't think I'd be having a philosophical discussion about language tonight, but here we are. Then again, I never thought I'd have a conversation with a demon. At least he's clothed this time. This night would have gone a very different way if he wasn’t. Not that a pair of pants and a t-shirt would stop me. I shake my head, dispelling the memories and the thoughts. Lusting after a demon is probably one of those cautions my mother was talking about.
“One in the hand is worth two in the bush? Doesn't make any damn sense and you can't convince me otherwise,” he grumbles.
“That's a proverb. Not a cliché. Not that it matters. I'm sure you have sayings as well.”
His fingers drum against the counter, his eyes taking on a distant look. After a minute, he snaps his fingers and grins. The smile transforms his entire face. He really needs to stop it or I'm going to end up lusting after him. Again. More than I already am. A little crush doesn't need to be acknowledged. It'll go away if he doesn't keep popping up. If I could just stop thinking about him and apparently saying his name, it might help.
“Every level has a fiery lining,” he declares.
I tilt my head as my lips twitch. “Is that a joke?”
“Are you laughing?”
“No.” I narrow my eyes.
“Don't you think you'd be laughing if it was a joke?”
I suck in my cheeks, wondering if I should tell him. “Pretty sure your little saying came from humans. Every cloud has a silver lining.”
He's shaking his head before I've finished speaking. “You humans stole it from us. I'm confident.”
We've veered wildly off-topic. He still hasn't said why he's hanging around. I may have accidentally summoned him, but he didn't need to stay. He could have poofed back to Hell as soon as he realized I didn't need him. Heat flashes in my stomachand cascades through my body to settle between my legs. Nope. Don't need him for that either.
“Are you avoiding something? Is that why you're sticking around?”
He glances away, refusing to meet my eyes. “Why would you think that?”
I smirk.Gotcha.
Ishould have known my little witch would tease out my secrets. I suppose they're not really secrets. Granted, I doubt I would open up to anyone else about this. I just wanted a place I could go where nothing would be expected of me. If I have one more person dump a task on my plate, I'll riot.
I swore I'd stay away from her. Lingering, conversing, flirting—all on my list of things to avoid when it came to Clara. The moment she summoned me, all that went out the window. I'll break every vow I made while I tried to sleep. She's too… enchanting. She's somehow bewitched me and I need to figure out how to undo whatever spell she's cast on me. I had plans to tease it out of her, but tonight I just need a break.
“I didn't think demons just dropped by to chitchat,” Clara says, pulling my eyes back to her.
“They don't. Although, they used to. Back when the world was…slower. We even had friendships with humans. Witchesand demons often teamed up when certain events called for it.” I brush invisible crumbs from the counter.
“Was there something you wanted to talk about?”
“Why are you in a shitty mood?” If I can keep the conversation focused on her, I won't have to talk about me.
She sighs, the sound filling the hole in my chest. “I was trying to put together a desk. It was…frustrating.”
“What else,” I demand. Because of course there's more. It's never just about one thing with humans, even witches. They stack their problems one on top of another until the first is no longer visible. They may strip off a few layers and deal with those, yet they never get to the root of anything.
“Why can't it just be the desk?” she snaps. She leans over the counter and snatches up the spell book.
She stalks around the island, clutching the tome to her chest. She disappears into the dining room, and I take a deep breath before following her. Leaning against the wall, I watch her grumble under her breath as she drops the book onto the table and picks up what looks like an instruction manual. I'm not about to interrupt her, lest I get snapped at again.
