The jump was slightly jarring with the outside world suddenly coming into full focus. Her skin prickled instantly at the temperature shift, and her body swayed, threatening to fall as the world spun around her.

  Mina let herself fall. Anything was better than standing in a spinning world. She tumbled backwards and landed not on pavement, but in warm arms.

  “You okay hon?” he asked, his voice honeyed.

  “Yes, thank you.”

  For a short while they stared into each other's eyes, the cold air around them seemed to fade away and replace itself with Asmodyr's warm embrace. His body was a lot warmer than a normal person but not to an uncomfortable extent.

  He was the first to break eye contact. “Okay…right? You're going to be late.” His voice was low and under the surface lurked a tinge of uncertainty. Was it possible Asmodyr was beginning to lose at his own game?

  “Work, right.” She let out a small giggle, eyes still half lost in his warmth. Asmodyr and Mina made their way to the front door of the coffee shop, inside was empty as it usually was in the morning save for a few workers at the front counter setting up for the day.

  “Thank you for escorting me,” Mina said, tucking her hair behind her ear.

  “Of course, darling. Just making your first day special,” he said with a smile.

  Asmodyr bent down to her level and held her face in both of his hands, Mina only had a second to process what was going on before their lips touched. His hands were warm on her cheeks, and his kiss was surprisingly passionate without a hint of tease, a genuine kiss goodbye. He lifted himself and looked into her eyes, like he was looking through her. Her face flushed, but not as fiercely as it usually did when he was teasing.

  She glanced away quickly pulling from his grasp. “Okay, gotta go. Bye!” Mina ran off before he could say anything at all, retreating into the coffee shop.

  The warmth of the shop sank into her skin shielding her from the elements and… Asmodyr. She sighed and made her way towards the back of the shop, a sly smile still glued to her face. It felt good to catch that damn demon off guard for once. Her hand just barely touched the Employees Only Door before a voice rang out to her, laced with curious mischief: “Don't think you’re going to walk away after that, Mina.”

  That sly voice belonged to Rachel, her manager of the shop. Rachel was like a sister to Mina, having helped her through her breakup and been her emotional support for as long as she needed. This offered her the luxury of peering into Mina's personal life.

  “I think I am going to just walk away, you saw nothing.”

  “You're just going to kiss a ten-outta-ten stud and think I won't ask?”

  Mina turned, feigning nonchalance. Rachel's smile came slowly into view and it was a clear threat to her semi peaceful morning.

  “Your ex was a soft four on a good day and now this?”

  Mina spoke through her teeth, waging a war against her shy smile, “Okay whatever, drop it.”

  Rachel folded her arms, her smile showing no signs of retreating, “How'd you two meet? He had to have found you first with how much of a hermit you are.” Her grin spread even further, encroaching ear to ear and her eyes narrowing. “I don't blame him though, you've got a sexy sleeper build under all those baggy clothes you wear, wide hips and a killer rack that would make even a lust demon cry.”

  Mina's face exploded red. Rachel always said whatever came to mind. A blessing when you needed honesty, and a curse when she was wielding it like a weapon.

  Mina's arms flailed everywhere like she was trying to deflect Rachel's diabolical stare. “You can't just say shit like that Rachel! That's way out of line!”

  “Am I wrong though?” Rachel's words bit, short and concise, forcing Mina into a corner where the only acceptable answer was the truth.

  “No, you're… n—not,” Mina's voice barely raised above a whisper as she talked into the floor.

  “I didn't hear that. I'm not letting you go until you admit it. You know how important body positivity is, hon.”

  Mina's voice was coaxed out of its embarrassment, Rachel wasn't wrong but this was the worst way to go about it.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “Fine, you're right, just please shut up. I'm going to die of embarrassment.”

  Rachel threw her hands up admitting defeat. “Okay, that's all I wanted to hear. I know your ego took a digger after your breakup and I'm here to remind you how beautiful you are.”

  “There are easier ways to go about it Rache. This certainly isn't one of them,” Mina said, her embarrassment lighter but still present.

  “Is he a new boyfriend, if he is he better treat you right. What's his name?”

  Mina sighed, giving in to her prying.

  “We met—” She paused. There was no way Rachel would believe they’d only met last night, and she knew that. “We met a few months ago in an occult shop, and he invited me to coffee. He asked me out last night, and we’ve been going steady. I guess you could say he’s my…”

  Her voice caught, and Rachel raised a brow half-buying it. If she admitted this, then Asmodyr had won, and she wasn’t sure she was ready to give him that. But this was Rachel. If Mina didn’t finish it, she’d drag it out of her anyway.

  “He’s my boyfriend. And his name is Lucian, Lucian Hawke.”

  “Lucian, huh? Sounds like a pretty foreign name. What's his nationality?” More rapid-fire questions from Rachel. And it didn't help that Mina was on the back foot since the name ‘Lucian Hawke’ was a knee-jerk of one of her favorite characters in a book she had been reading. And now she had to lie again, his nationality and origin?

  ‘Of course, Rachel! He's a lust demon from the second circle of hell, no big deal!’

  Mina held her smile tight, coming up with hopefully something that would match.

  “He's originally from Germany and came in on a work visa but he stayed when we got together.”

  Rachel held her chin in her hand and nodded. “That’s nice, I didn't know German was your taste now. But it makes sense, it fits your style. What does he do for work that he came here for?”

  “Customer Service,” Mina blurted out, as if taking a second to think would draw suspicion.

  Rachel stared at Mina, slightly shocked at her quick response but eventually brushed it off to early morning nerves.

  “Alrighty then, I'll stop grilling you. I've already taken up half your morning,” she joked, waving her hand apologetically.

  “Yeah, no kidding. Am I free to leave officer?”

  “No further questions.”

  The rest of the day, thankfully, went off without a hitch. A few times, Rachel exchanged sly smiles at her, smiles Mina chose to ignore. The last thing she needed was to screw up a customer's order because Rachel flustered her. A few coworkers expressed their happiness that Mina was seeming to smile more, and as much as she didn't want to admit it she noticed it too.

  Even if she didn’t feel any real love yet, it was nice having someone around to fill the void of silence. Coworkers are one thing but that's just noise, not necessarily somebody you know. Asmodyr proved to be a big help to her situation, even though he clowned around and was constantly playing around with her. The silence he filled up was payment enough to tolerate him.

  Mina touched her bottom lip with her fingers, slowly gliding along back and forth reimagining his kisses. She felt her face heat up intensely under her fingers.

  As the last of the customers trickled out, Mina wiped down the remaining tables, humming to herself with headphones in.

  “This guy really has you in a mental lock, huh. I'm happy for you.” Rachel smiled

  “Thank you. You're better at explaining things than I am at feeling them.”

  Rachel smiled warmly, “I've always been good at that, haven't I? Anyways it's the end of your shift so I'll close up shop and you can get going.”

  And with that she was out the door, the winter air colder now at dark. It didn't occur to her that she should bring her coat, especially since she got here by portal. Mina held herself tight trying to conserve the last of the shop’s heat that stuck to her skin.

  The cold bit into her skin with each passing breeze, colder and colder blowing right through her thin sweater and deep into her bones. Snowflakes swayed in the wind and snow piles blew asunder flying straight into her.

  Mina stopped walking and gripped her shoulders tightly shaking intensely, her house was still blocks away and it was suddenly a record cold.

  “Thoughtlessness is dangerous, love.” A sly voice rang from behind her, followed by a deep warmth around her body.

  A thick, black coat that strangely exuded royalty draped around her shoulders. Mina turned slowly until Asmodyr's figure came into view. His figure was taller and stalkier in the black of night.

  She pulled the coat further around her body, nesting into its warmth, “You say that like I planned this.”

  “Didn't you? Surely you should've known it would be this cold.”

  Mina huffed, “The weather in this town is absurd, however it became colder, way sooner than usual. Certainly wouldn't be the work of some ‘super demon knight’ would it?” She glared accusatory daggers at him. Although it was effortlessly countered by his demeanor that never shifted from a smile.

  “Now now, let's save your conspiracies for another day, dinner will be cold if you insist on holding trial in the street.”

  “Dinner—you cooked dinner?” Mina asked, an eyebrow raised high.

  Asmodyr swiped his left hand down by his side and a portal opened up right to the kitchen, “Sitting idle is not the job of a boyfriend. Come now, made your favorite.”

  Mina stared at him, a slight unnerving feeling crept up her spine and raised her hairs, “I've never told you a single thing about what I like or even myself. How would you even know?”

  He did not answer but his smile grew wider, gesturing towards the portal.

  Mina reluctantly walked into the portal, Asmodyr trailing close behind. It was time to find out how much he really knew about her.