Page 14 of Hellfire & Tinsel
“No! I mean, yes, it did. These are happy tears, I promise,” Beau rushed to say so fast his voice went high and reedy.Please don’t move your hand.“I’m just a little overwhelmed.”
Kassel’s green eyes appeared dubious, while the red ones scanned him all over.
Beau could barely concentrate on it. He wanted to fall forward into Kassel’s palm like a sleepy puppy and just conk out, warm and content and petted. He hadn’t realized he was doing just that until Kassel’s voice startled his eyes open again.
“Where is the grocery shop located? We can get started.”
He stood up, and Beau moved with his chin in Kassel’s hand until he ran out of bed and risked falling straight off. Honestly, it might have been worth it for more of that feeling of warmth and contentment. He could already feel it wearing off. The chill chasing it out of his skin.
Now he really wanted to cry from sadness, but he sucked it up, not wanting to give Kassel a complex or truly send him running back to Hell.
He watched Kassel stride toward the door, steps shaking his furniture, and found some amusement in it at least. His soft giggle made Kassel turn, all his colorful eyes zeroing in on Beau.
“Yes?”
“It’s three in the morning.” Beau indicated the darkness beyond the curtained window. “No stores are open now. At least none local to me.”
Kassel seemed, well, there was no other way to phrase it except put out. Actually, Kassel’s entire demeanor seemed to comprise a series of dry sighs and internal friction. He didn’t seem outwardly expressive—maybe that was a demon thing—but he reminded Beau of the type of guy at work who always said yes, slaving away while internally cursing how he got to this point.
“Tomorrow?” Kassel asked.
“It’ll be open. I have the rest of the week up until Christmas as vacation time, so we can go whenever during the day,” Beau said hopefully, with a nod and a smile.
Kassel returned it. The nod, not the smile.
Beau didn’t know if demons smiled.
Seemingly at a loss as to what he was supposed to do now, Kassel simply stood there while Beau stared at him. He didn’t look like he was even breathing.
Beau didn’t know whether demons breathed.
“You haven’t opened your gift,” Kassel said suddenly, making Beau jump out of his skin.
He pressed a hand to his heaving chest, over his racing heart. He blinked at Kassel, then over at his gift. A gift with his name on it.
“I’ll put it under my tree and open it on Christmas,” he said, taking it with careful hands and getting off the bed. “That way I have a gift waiting for me.”
“Lonely people don’t have gifts?” Kassel asked.
Beau flinched at the blunt question, his steps faltering before he skirted past Kassel. “This is the first gift I've ever gotten.”
He ran a hand over the box as he walked. He didn’t really care what was in it. Just the idea of it made him feel warmer.
Tonight, a gift.
Tomorrow, company to the grocery store.
Beau smiled at the thought and found himself anxious for the sun to come up.
He didn’t sleep a wink, instead staying up and making conversation with Kassel, who seemed more confused with every question, but answered them militantly.
Do demons smile? Yes.
Does Kassel smile? No.
Do demons breathe? No.
Does Kassel sigh anyway? Yes.
