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"Everything okay?" Dakota asked, turning around to look at him, and Nico nodded, giving him a small smile.
"Hey, Nico? Do you need to do any shopping?" I asked, and Nico's eyes got a faraway look, telling me was mentally cataloging the contents of the pantry and fridge.
"No, I should be okay. I'll need to go in a few days, though," he said, and I pouted. There went my plan for going out.
"How about we go for a walk after dinner tonight?" Dakota suggested, apparently reading my disappointment.
"You don't mind?" I asked, turning to him.
"Nah, not at all. And I know all the places where you won't have to deal with crowds," he said, and I smiled.
"Thank you," I said, wondering what the weird flutter in my stomach was about. Was I hungry? Demons couldn't catch human illnesses, right?
Nico
The chicken was turning out better than I'd expected, and I hummed happily as I stuck the pie in the oven. It might be too heavy a meal for dinner, but I hoped Dakota would like it.
"Hey, Nico." I jumped at Star's voice and turned around to glare at him.
"Stop sneaking up on me!"
"But you make it so easy," he teased, and I huffed, turning my attention to the mess I'd created while cooking. I wanted to get everything cleaned up before the pie was done.
"You could at least use magic for this part," Star said with a wrinkled nose as I wet a washcloth and started wiping the countertop after putting all the dirty utensils in the sink.
"I don't mind," I said, which wasn't the complete truth. But I had a feeling Star would think I was a weirdo if I admitted I actually enjoyed doing all these little human things. It made me feel like I really belonged.
Ever since we demons were freed of our purpose centuries ago when Underworld was closed down and we no longer had to torture the evil souls, I'd been an odd duck among the demons. The only other demon I could somewhat relate to was Azazel, who was now happily living with the human who’d summoned him. Our reasons were different, but neither of us had felt like we fit into the demon culture that mainly focused on sex and pursuit of pleasure in any way possible—way too much of it, sometimes—and an indifference toward the humans developed from the centuries spent torturing their kind. Ryk and Star had stood out in their own ways too, but they'd still fit in better than me.
Unlike the others, I was fascinated by the human realm. While demons can't interact with the human world unless they're summoned, we can still be here. We're just invisible and unable to touch anything or be heard. I'd return every other day in that form because I was so enchanted by the world of humans.
When I discovered the joy of reading fiction books, I started returning to one particular library and reading over the shoulders of the patrons. Some of them must've had some extrasensory perceptions because soon the library became famous for having a 'bookworm ghost.'
My favorite part about reading was imagining myself in the various everyday scenarios. I'd never thought I'd actually get to experience them, but for a demon whose every day was like the one before, the idea of picking out what food to make, cooking up different recipes, keeping my kitchen spick and span...all of it had seemed like a wonderful fantasy.
People, let alone demons, rarely got to live out their fantasies, and I wasn't going to waste the opportunity I'd been given.
"Hey, Nico. Can I ask you something?" Star asked, and I glanced up at him before returning my attention to a stubborn stain that just wouldn't leave. Maybe I could cheat with just a little bit of magic?
"Sure. What is it?"
"Do you like Dakota?"
"Of course. He's a good man," I said, smiling when the stain finally rubbed off.
"That's not what I mean," he said, and I glanced up at him, brows furrowed.
"Then what?"
Star sighed, and glanced up at the ceiling as if looking for intervention. King Damien—the King of Otherworld—had said we wouldn't be supervised twenty-four-seven, so I didn't think there was anyone there.
"Nico, do you like Dakota? Do you want to kiss him? Date him? Fuck him?" Star asked bluntly, and my cheeks flushed as my eyes went wide. I really should've been used to Star's no-nonsense approach by now, and yet he still took me by surprise.
"What? No!" I protested, but there wasn't much heat behind my words. Wait. I didn't actually like Dakota like that, did I?
I mean, sure, he was extremely handsome, kind, and hard-working. I liked his ethics and his personality. But that didn't mean I actually liked him like that, did it?
"Looks like you need some time to puzzle it out in your head," Star said, reading me perfectly. "Let's talk about this after dinner. It smells delicious, by the way."
