Page 139 of My Roommate from Hell
Yes
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
I practically run across the dance floor to reach the exit. A lot of angels and demons turn to stare at me as I pass, but I don’t care even slightly.
The second I’m outside, I call Zarmenus. As excited as I am, as the phone rings I still worry that he won’t answer, and I got this excited for no reason. Also, I’m completely out of breath.
The call connects.
“Hello?”
“Hey,” I say. Zarmenus is not, in any way, matching my bright tone of voice. It confirms my fears that something bad has happened. It makes me pause my plan to tell him how I feel. As much as I want to do it, it’s not nerves stopping me this time. There’s a time and a place for this conversation, and if something bad has happened, it can wait.
“Is everything okay?” I ask.
“Bell’s sick,” he says. “Sorry, I’ve been a mess today. The vet here is trying their best, but I might need to take her back to Hell.”
I was not expecting that. At all.
“What kind of sick?” I ask.
“They don’t know. It’s like she’s slipping away. I’ve never seen her like this.”
A new worry, a much stronger one, comes on strong. If Bell is in trouble, that’s all that matters right now.
“I’m so sorry,” I say. “Is there anything I can do?”
“A vet from Hell is on their way, they should be able to help. Could you—” he asks, but then stops himself. “Could you come wait with me? It’s okay if you can’t, you’re probably having fun at the dance.”
“I’m not, I want to be where you are.”
A few seconds later, he messages me the address of the vet, which is a ten-minute drive away. I put that address straight into my ride-sharing app. I pace by the sidewalk as I wait for the car to arrive. The driver cancels, and frustration tears through me. Why is it always when you’re in a rush that these things take forever? A new driver accepts, and they’re only a minute away.
When the car finally arrives, I climb in as quickly as I can.
“Owen?” asks the driver.
“Yup.”
“Hey, you’re the demon’s boyfriend, right?”
“That’s me.”
She pulls the car away from the curb. I watch my app screen as we get closer and closer. I know I’ve spent all day planning on telling Zarmenus how I feel, but this changes things. What he needs right now is a friend. I will still tell him, but at the right time, once we know more about what’s happening to Bell.
When the car pulls up at the vet, I find Zarmenus sitting on a bench outside, his head in his hands. He’s in his demon form, and the contrast between him and the very ordinary world around him is striking. It’s funny that if I saw this a year ago, I wouldn’t have believed it.
“Hey,” says the driver. “I just wanted to say thank you.”
I pause. “For what?”
“I used to be really scared of demons, but then I started following you and your boyfriend and I saw how normal they are. I was just prejudiced. So, like, thanks.”
“No problem,” I say, then I undo my seat belt.
Zarmenus looks up as I get out of the car. As I come closer, he gets to his feet and rushes forward, crashing into me. He’s warm, even more than normal. I wrap my arms around him and hug him as fiercely as I can. I can almost feel the pain coming off him. I get it, I’m right there with him. Bell might’ve been an unwelcome addition to our room at the start of the year, and she did try to steal my soul, but I love her now and hate the thought of anything happening to her.
“Have you heard anything?” I ask.
