Beel started to turn around, ready to make his exit and go back to being a frog for the rest of eternity (because being human sucked), but he felt Jon’s hand on his shoulder.
“Wait!” Jon said, and Beel turned back around to look at him. The cute shop owner was totally blushing now, and it weirdly gave Beel a bit of confidence. Maybe Jon did like him in this form after all.
“I was just gonna watch a movie. You maybe wanna stay and hang out? I can order some pizza. It’s the least I can do since you came to my rescue the other night,” Jon offered, and he looked so adorably cute and nervous.
“Sure! I’d love to!” Beel said. He figured he probably sounded over enthusiastic, but oh well. He did like Jon, and maybe after pizza they could make out a little on the couch. Fingers crossed (now that he had fingers again—he almost chuckled out loud at the thought).
“Great!” Jon said, and they walked in, Jon gesturing toward the couch. “What do you want on your pizza? I already had a movie pulled up, but we can pick something else.”
“No, this is great! I love horror movies, and this is totally a classic!And pepperoni and mushrooms are great for the pizza,” Beel answered.
He thought Jon gave him a slightly weird look, but then his cute shop owner smiled as he walked into the bathroom to hang his towel up and grab his phone (which was thankfullynotin the bedroom—it was a good thing humans took that little device everywhere with them, even when they were gonna shower and not use it).
“Sounds perfect!” Jon answered, and he sat down next to Beel while he placed the order on his phone.
They were so close that their thighs were almost touching, and Beel wondered how long he’d need to wait to make a move. Maybe the first jump scare would have Jon leaning into him and cuddling up.
A demon could always hope.
Chapter
Thirteen
DINNER—AND DESSERT (BECAUSE JON TOTALLY COUNTS AS DESSERT)
The pizza had been amazing, and a human stomach could certainly eat a lot more than a little froggy stomach, which was totally a plus. He and Jon were currently munching on some buttered popcorn, the bowl resting on the coffee table in front of them,
“Oh my god, run! Lady, your husband is obviously a psychopath! He’s literally telling you he’s gonna kill you!” Jon yelled, throwing his hands up and almost knocking the popcorn over.
Beel chuckled and pushed the bowl back a bit, and as he leaned back onto the couch, he surreptitiously scooched a little closer to Jon.
“Just wait,” Beel grinned.
“I mean, how stupid is she!” Jon protested, continuing to watch. “Oh, lady, don’t lock yourself in the bathroom! Come on now!”
“Well, she didn’t expect her husband to go nuts, you know,” Beel answered.
It was such a delight to watch Jon’s reactions. The man got so invested in the characters. Unfortunately there hadn’t been many jump scares, but the scene coming up…
“Ohmygod!” Jon cried, scooching down and turning his face intoBeel’s shirt. “I can’t watch! He’s totally gonna chop her up into little pieces, isn’t he!”
Beel smirked, lifting his arm and resting it around Jon. The man was a warm weight against him, and it felt so lovely to have that contact. He lightly rubbed Jon’s back, enjoying the man’s breath against his side.
“Nah, don’t worry, this was made years ago when things weren’t so gory and bloody,” Beel assured him.
“I’m totally still not watching. Does she make it? And the kid? I can’t watch if they both get chopped up,” Jon protested.
“They both make it. You’ll see. We’re almost at the end,” Beel promised.
Jon turned back toward the television, but he stayed scooched up next to Beel, and Beel certainly wasn’t gonna call attention to it. His cute shopkeeper was totally absorbed in the movie, but Beel was more absorbed in him. He’d seen this particular classic horror film more than once with Gabe, and Jon was far more interesting anyway.
By the time the end credits were rolling, Jon was sputtering at the last scene, and Beel was chuckling at his indignation.
“But that doesn’t even make sense? What, is he reincarnated or something? Or if the hotel, like, took his soul or something, how does he appear in a really old photo? Is he trapped in the photo?” Jon questioned, and then his adorable petsitter was staring up at him, because Jon was still snuggled into his side.
Beel couldn’t help himself. He leaned down toward Jon, and he saw the moment when Jon realized he was about to be kissed. Beel waited a breath, just in case this wasn’t at all what Jon wanted, but Jon licked his lips and leaned the tiniest bit forward too.
He wasn’t sure who moved the rest of the way—maybe both of them at once—because their lips were pressing together gently, then separating a tiny bit, then pressing together again, and then Jon’s hand gripped Beel’s sweater, and their mouths opened, their tongues licking out.
