Twenty
Jerry
I t'd been two weeks since Eshim had to go to that meeting of the demons. Things had been quiet since on that front, though I knew the search for those dark souls was still going strong.
Eshim and I had grown even closer in that time, and he'd spent most nights—and most of the weekends—at my place. Being with him was so easy, I didn't have to worry about anything.
When we were at work, he was professional. Sure, he sometimes popped into my office for a kiss, but if I said no for any reason, he accepted it instantly. He respected my boundaries, and that meant more to me than he probably knew.
Sometimes, I felt like I was getting more from this relationship than I was giving, like I wasn't putting in as much effort as Eshim did everyday.
Talking it over with Archer and Kat told me it wasn't just me. Apparently, it was a side effect of dating a demon because they were just so much more that you couldn't help feeling like you weren't enough.
Eshim didn't hesitate to do anything for me, and he could do a lot of things. He could take me to see a different part of the world every weekend or 'buy' me the most expensive things if I just asked for it.
There were a lot of things he did for me that I could never do for him, but that didn't mean there wasn't something I could do to show him just how much he meant to me. Right?
Like the past few weekends, we were planning to spend this one together too. Usually, we either stayed home or Eshim asked me what I wanted to do or if there was somewhere I wanted to go.
This weekend, I wanted to ask him what he wanted to do.
"What are you thinking about?"
I jumped, then blinked in surprise as my surroundings came into focus. Was I seriously thinking about my boyfriend and daydreaming at work ? What was I, a teenager?
I glanced up at the lead role of my thoughts, and smiled sheepishly. "Nothing, sorry. What were you saying?"
Eshim smiled, then shook his head fondly. "The last client postponed to next week, so your schedule is clear."
I blinked, then sat upright. "Does that mean we can go home?"
"If you want."
"Great. My place?"
Eshim nodded instantly, and I smiled. Maybe our weekend could start a little early.
We packed up quickly, and I decided to drive us home since we had time. And because I didn't want to leave my car at work all weekend.
"So what do you want to do this weekend?" Eshim asked, and I glanced over at him.
"Whatever you want."
"Yeah?" he asked, voice brimming with excitement, and I smiled as I turned my gaze back to the road.
"Yep. We've done a lot of things I wanted to do lately. This weekend is all yours."
"Awesome! Is it okay if I think about it for a while?"
"Of course. Take all the time you need."
For the rest of the drive, Eshim was lost in thought, his fingers tapping out a rhythm only he knew on my thigh.
When we got to my house, Eshim suggested we both take Tom to the dog park since we were home early, and I saw no reason to disagree.
After we'd freshened up—Eshim with a wave of his magic and me the old-fashioned way because I preferred it—and changed into casual clothes, I grabbed Tom's leash while Eshim and Tom eagerly waited at the door.
I attached the leash, and then we headed down the street. Eshim slid his hand in my free one, and I smiled at him as Tom tried to lead us off course to sniff at a particularly interesting bush.
When we reached the park, there were no other dogs around, probably because most people were still at work. I supposed there were some perks of being your own boss.
Releasing Tom from his leash, I watched him race across the grass, a wide doggy smile on his face.
"He looks so happy," Eshim observed as he leaned into my side, and I hummed in agreement.
"He does, doesn't he? We should bring him here more often."
"Yeah, we should," he said, then shot me a grin. "Okay, I've decided what I want to do tomorrow."
"Yeah? Hit me."
Eshim jerked back, his eyes wide with horror. "I would never do that! Why would you even ask that of me?" His brows furrowed. "Was it a sex thing?" He looked around us, his confusion mounting. "But we're in public!"
"Wait, stop," I urged as I tried to understand what had just happened. What did I say…oh!
I covered my mouth to stop myself from laughing, but my eyes gave me away, and Eshim sighed. "I got something wrong, didn't I?"
A chuckle slipped past, but I cleared my throat, and breathed deeply to get a hold of myself. "Yeah, sorry. By hit me, I just meant tell me. Tell me what you want to do tomorrow."
"Oh, that makes sense," he said, then gave me a bright smile as his earlier excitement returned.
"I want a traditional human date experience. I want you to pick me up at my place tomorrow, take me to a movie, then lunch, then maybe an activity of some kind, then dinner, and then I want you to walk me to my door and kiss me goodnight."
I blinked, surprised and a little bit awed by his request. I hadn't expected him to ask for something so... human , but I supposed it made sense. Eshim had told me early on that he—and many demons—liked experiencing things the 'human way.'
"That sounds like fun. Though you know we don't have to do everything in one day, right? You can always ask for things you want to do. This isn't a one-way relationship, Eshim."
"I know. I promise. I enjoy doing the things you want to do just as much. And I know we have all the time in the world, but there are a lot of things I want to explore with you. A lot ," he emphasized, making me laugh.
"All right. I will do my best to make it the best date day you've ever had."
"I have no doubts," Eshim said, then turned to Tom as he brought over a stick four times his size and dropped it at Eshim's feet, his tail wagging a mile a minute.
"Looks like he wants to play."
Eshim grinned, then picked up the stick and threw, and we watched as Tom raced after it.
Eshim
The next day, I was up and ready bright and early.
I'd spent the night at Jerry's, then popped back to my apartment at around four. I'd left Jerry a note explaining why I'd left: so he could come pick me up for our date.
I stared into my closet, unsure what to wear. All my clothes were things I'd seen on TV and thought I'd look good in. A bit of magic, and I had a copy of the clothes all for myself.
My wardrobe was eclectic to say the least, but since we'd be spending the whole day out, I wanted to wear something that looked good but was also comfy.
In the end, I settled on a blue button-down shirt that matched my eyes, and dark jeans, black boots, and a soft, long coat that I'd hopefully get to put on Jerry at some point this evening like the movies.
After messing with my hair for a while, I went to my living room and sat down on my couch to wait for Jerry. We'd decided he'd come over around ten, and a glance at my clock told me it was just five minutes past nine. Fuck.
A knock at my front door made me rush for it in the hopes Jerry was early—even though I'd repeatedly stressed the importance of 'doing it right'—and I jerked it open, startling Matilda, my neighbor. She had a Tupperware I knew would contain fresh cookies, and I smiled widely as I held the door open.
"Hey, Mats. Come on in!"
"Don't you look good this morning! Heading out?" she asked as she bustled in, and I grinned as I closed the door and turned to face her.
"My boyfriend's picking me up at ten for a date."
Matilda smiled widely, her brown eyes soft with warmth. "I hope you have a good time, sweetie. Here, I brought you some of your favorite chocolate cookies. I'm afraid I won't be able to bring them around for much longer."
"What? Why? Are you okay?" I asked as I took the offered box, and she patted my arm.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. I'm just moving closer to my daughter next month."
I frowned. "But I thought you were planning to move to the retirement home with your sister." Her sister lived in a new upper-class retirement home, and Matilda had been excited about moving in with her once her lease ended.
"I was," she said with a sad smile, then shook her head. "But the place is expensive, and we can't afford it. My daughter said she'd figure something out, but she has kids and needs every penny she and her husband make. She did find me a cheaper place near hers, so I thought I'd move there, be close enough to help out with the kids every once in a while."
"Is that what you want?" I asked as we sat down on the couch, and she sighed.
"It doesn't matter—"
"It does to me, Mats. Tell me."
She stared at me for a long moment, then relented. "I want to stay with my sister. My daughter has a family of her own. They have each other. My sister never had kids. Her husband's gone. We're very close, always have been. I'm all she has."
I nodded, then took her hand in mine. "I'll pay."
"What?"
"I'll pay for the retirement home, so you can stay with your sister."
"I can't ask you for that," she said, shaking her head as if even the idea was preposterous. Humans could be so weird about money. I'd never understood why those who had too much of it didn't just use the excess to help others. It wasn't like they could take their fortune to Otherworld with them.
It wasn't a coincidence that most people who had a fortune right up to their deaths ended up in the Burning Chasm.
I grinned at Matilda, then pulled her into my side with a one-armed hug. "Well, I guess it's a good thing you're not asking, right?"
She stared at me some more, as if she was waiting for me to say it was all a joke. When I just watched her watch me, she sighed.
"You mean it, don't you? Where will you even get money like that? The place isn't cheap."
"I have money. I don't have much to spend it on," I said, since I couldn't exactly tell her I had magic.
Matilda nodded, and I had a feeling it hadn't sunk in yet. She didn't believe me, not completely, but I didn't need her to.
"Thank you," she said, her voice soft, and I smiled.
"It's my pleasure. And I'll make sure to pop in for some of your cookies from time to time," I joked, making her laugh.
"You better. And come over to mine tomorrow for dinner so I can thank you properly. Bring that boyfriend of yours."
I blinked, surprised at the invite, especially since she hadn't met Jerry yet. I nodded because who in their right mind would say no to dinner at Matilda's place? I'd caught the scent of some of the things she cooked, and I'd almost begged for a bite more than once.
"I will."
"Good. Now I'll leave before he gets here," she said as she stood up, and I followed suit.
Then, she wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into a tight hug. Surprised, I froze for a long moment before my brain logged back on online and I hugged her back.
I'd hugged a lot of people in my lifetime. I'd hugged my friends, I'd hugged people I slept with, I'd hugged Jerry. I'd even given Mats a half-hug a few minutes ago. But this hug was unlike anything else I'd ever experienced before. It was warm and comforting in a way I didn't recognize. Or maybe I did, but the memory was lost in the dark nothingness that was my human life.
I imagined this was what a mother's hug felt like.
Matilda pulled back, then patted my cheek, giving me a warm smile. "You're a good one, Eshim. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
I nodded, then watched her leave, my chest warm and unusually light.
By the time Jerry showed up at my door—right on time, my punctual mate—I was back to normal and very much ready for our big date day.
I opened the door with a smile, and Jerry's eyes lit up as they roamed over me. "Hey, Eshim. You look wonderful."
Jerry had gone with a casual look too, with faded blue jeans paired with a dark polo shirt and an open jacket. His hair was in a ponytail, with a few loose strands falling forward to frame his face. He looked gorgeous.
"So do you."
Jerry held his hand out to me. "Ready to go?"
I grinned, and placed my hand in his as I stepped out of the apartment and let the door fall shut behind me. "Ready."