“How?” He asked breathlessly. He tried to push himself up, so he could look at her better, but she wouldn’t allow it.
She was staring down at him intently. “Maybe another time. Your sister’s awake.”
“Please don’t leave,” he begged. He knew she hadn’t given him any indication that she was about to, but he also knew she could vanish at any moment. “I’ll tell my sister I’m sick and need to stay home. Then we can spend all day together.”
Miriam leaned in and kissed him on the forehead. He sighed suddenly as he leaned into her lips. She then replied. “I’ve decided I’m going to try to make it work out between us. But I’ll have to leave to do that. I’m going to see if I can convince my brother to help me out.”
Shocked, Michael spoke louder than he intended. “You have a brother?!”
“Shh,” she demanded. “Yes, of course.”
“Of course? You say that like it should be obvious. So then, demons have children?”
She tilted her head in confusion. “Not in the same way as humans, no. But why are you so flustered?”
“Well…” He briefly wondered why he was so flustered, before it became crystal clear. “I mean…we did just…”
She grinned at him. “Sorry, but I can’t have your baby.” Then, abruptly her expression saddened. “Sorry if that’s something you wanted.”
Michael suddenly realized he should have considered that aspect before having sex with her. “No, you don’t need to apologize. I just figured it might complicate matters for you. But then, how do you have a brother?”
“Another time. Your sister’s coming to check on you.” Rapidly, Miriam flipped him around and covered him over with the blanket. She then quickly bent down to kiss him on the forehead again, just as there was a knock at the door. “I love you. Don’t worry, I’ll come back soon.”
“After school?” He pleaded.
She nodded and then vanished just as the door creaked and Amelia peered in. “Michael?” She whispered. “Are you awake yet?”
Remembering that he had bruising all over, he hugged the blanket more tightly around his shoulders. “Umm, yeah, just getting ready to get out of bed.”
“H-How did you sleep?”
He looked at his sister suspiciously, wondering why she was stuttering. Surely, she didn’t hear anything – they were very quiet all night. Plus, he imagined that Miriam would have noticed if his sister had checked in on him. Sighing, he knew he was just being paranoid again.
“I slept really well actually. I’ll be out in a few minutes.”
“O-Okay. Dad left early this morning, so it’s just us. We don’t have to pick up Grayson today, right? Want me to make you breakfast?”
Did she know? “Right, no Grayson. And yes, that’d be nice.”
“Alright.” She paused awkwardly. “See you in a few minutes.” She then closed the door behind her.
What was that about? Michael wondered. He got out of bed, put his gym shorts back on, and then grabbed a clean set of clothes. He then peaked out his doorway to make sure the coast was clear before heading to the bathroom. Once there, he was finally able to see just how bad the bruising was.
It was horrible by anyone’s standard. Most of it was indistinguishable – someone might think he had just gotten beat up – but he actually had a female-sized hand-print on his upper arm where Miriam had been holding onto him at one point, and then there was the coiled bruising around his thigh. He knew her tail hadn’t been wrapped that tightly the whole time, so it must have happened when she constricted it briefly towards the end. Granted, he was too wrapped up in what they were doing to pay attention to any pain. He was glad he had grabbed a long-sleeve shirt, because he would definitely need it to hide it all.
Sighing again, he took a quick shower and then got dressed. By the time he got to the kitchen, Amelia already had eggs and toast waiting for him. “Thanks!” He said delighted. He sat down immediately and started eating.
His sister hesitated as she looked at him with concern. “You’re welcome…”
Michael realized he couldn’t deny any longer that something was up with her. He decided it was best to just address it now while they were alone. “Okay, Amelia, what’s wrong?”
She was quicker to respond than he anticipated. “Take off your shirt.”
“What? Why?” He was shocked – she must know. He didn’t know how, but somehow she did. But how could she? He wondered. He decided to play dumb as long as possible.
“Just do it.” She demanded again.
“Umm, no. Not until you give me a reason.” He immediately regretted his choice of words, because even if she did give him a reason he still didn’t plan on showing her the bruising.
Her face was turning red, possibly from both anger and embarrassment. “I know Miriam was in your room last night.”
And there it was. She did know. But now he needed to find out how much she knew, because it could still be dangerous for her if she knew too much. “Okay…I admit it. I did invite her over. I’m sorry if we were too loud.”
Her eyes widened in shock that he had been honest, but then she hesitated as she tried to clarify. “Well, no you weren’t too loud at all.”
Now he was confused. “Then how did you know she was here? Does dad know?” Had it been his father who had heard them talking?
She shook her head. “No, he doesn’t know. And I won’t tell him. But…” She looked down. “Michael, I’m just concerned about you.”
“I’m alright Amelia, I promise.”
“You don’t look alright. You look really sick, and…” She hesitated, contemplating her thoughts. “I saw your shoulders this morning. Did Miriam do that to you?”
He tried to look stunned by her accusation, realizing that at this point it was just best to deny as much as possible. “Of course not.”
She cut him off, crossing her arms as she did. “Then how did it happen?”
Michael leaned back in his chair and sighed. He needed a cover story and fast. He wondered what could cause bruising to this extreme. “Miriam and I snuck out of the house to go into the woods to…well…to kiss if you really must know. I was stupid and climbed a tree to show her how fast I could, and I fell. Nothing’s broken or anything. I’ll survive.”
She relaxed her arms a little, speaking in a more gentle tone. “Then why can’t I see it?”
“Because it looks a lot worse than what it is. I don’t want you to worry. It will all heal up within a few weeks anyway. Plus, I don’t want anyone to know about how stupid I was.”
Amelia pulled up the chair next to him and sat down. Her green eyes were serious, yet concerned. “Michael, you know I wouldn’t tell anyone about that. I thought you knew me.”
“Not even Riley?”
“Well especially not Riley since you were trying to impress another girl!”
He realized she had a point. Satisfied that the worst of the conversation was over, he resumed eating until suddenly he felt Amelia’s hands on the bottom of his shirt. “Hey, stop that!” He said as he pulled away.
“Dammit Michael! Let me see, or else I will tell dad!”
Knowing the only part he really had to hide was the hand-print on his arm he finally agreed. “Fine! But I’m not taking my shirt all the way off.”
Satisfied with his answer, she grabbed his shirt again and slowly lifted it up to reveal his torso. Tears instantly filled her eyes when she saw how bad it was. “Michael, this is really horrible.”
He was confused by her reaction. Yeah it was bad, but why was she crying about it. “Amelia…it will heal…”
She cut him off. “I just don’t want you to get hurt! I know you really like this girl, but…”
He forced his shirt back down. “Amelia, it wasn’t Miriam’s fault. I was the one being stupid.”
She looked down at the table contemplating her thoughts again. Michael wasn’t sure if she was completely satisfied with his answers, but he didn’t want to make it seem like ther
e was more going on by asking about it. Finally, after a long silence, she spoke again. “Was Miriam upset when she saw that you’d gotten hurt?”
He eyed her suspiciously again. “Yes, actually. She was very upset. In fact, she blamed herself just like you’re doing right now. It took me forever to convince her otherwise, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t go undoing it by blaming her all over again.”
His sister looked embarrassed now. He hoped he hadn’t been too harsh again. He knew she was just looking out for him, and if he was being honest he would react much worse if he saw this kind of bruising on her body.
Thankfully, she seemed to let it go, and began eating her breakfast with him. Once they had both finished, and she made him take medicine again, they gathered their things to leave for school.
On the drive, Amelia tried to convince him to see the nurse, saying he looked really sick. He tried to come up with a normal reason why that would be a bad idea. “Amelia, you know I can’t do that. With this type of bruising? If they happened to see it, they might think our dad beat me or something.”
“Oh…” She looked down, seeming embarrassed again, and began playing with the gold ring on her pinky finger. “I didn’t think of that…but if you keep getting worse, then you’re going have to go eventually.” Michael sighed, but didn’t respond. Then, after a long silence, she spoke again. “Will she…Miriam, will she be at lunch again today?”
Michael shook his head no. “I don’t think so.”
“Why not?” She wondered out loud, without looking at him. She was staring straight ahead at the road now, her eyes slightly unfocused.
He eyed her suspiciously again. “I don’t know why exactly,” he answered honestly. “She just said she had some stuff to do today.”
“And her parents are fine with that?” Amelia finally looked at him, appearing to watch his reaction closely.
He realized he hadn’t even considered the idea that Miriam might have parents. She said demons didn’t have children like humans, but if she had a brother then surely she must have at least one parent too. Michael met his sister’s gaze momentarily before looking back at the road. “Well, I assume they must be alright with it. You do need a parent’s permission to skip school after all.”
“Does she have any siblings?” Amelia continued to watch him carefully.
“Is there something you want to say?” He demanded, surprising even himself.
She seemed shocked too, causing him to wonder if he was just being paranoid again. “What? No, I was just curious about her family. What’s wrong with that?”
He quickly apologized, realizing he had overreacted. He knew he would only give her more reason to be suspicious if he kept acting on edge. “Nothing. I’m sorry. I’m just a little stressed out.”
“Why are you stressed?” She asked innocently.
Michael decided it might be a good idea to have some kind of story to explain his behavior, otherwise she’d just keep asking questions. Trying to sound annoyed, he replied. “Because most of her family doesn’t approve of me, okay?”
Surprised by his sudden outburst, she leaned away slightly. He expected her to address his comment directly, but he had forgotten just how emotionally mature she was for her age. “Michael, why was that so hard to tell me?”
He looked at her again, seeing that her green eyes were examining his intently. Sighing, he tried to force himself to relax, leaning back in his seat. Ever since their parents had gotten divorced, they had found themselves much closer than they had been previously. It had been years since they had last had even a minor argument, and it had become the norm to share everything with each other, especially in the last few months. He knew why she was so bothered by Miriam – he had changed so drastically in such a short amount of time. Trying to see the situation from her point of view, he realized how warranted her concern was.
“I’m sorry,” he began. “You’re right, it shouldn’t be that hard to tell you these things. It’s just…”
When he didn’t continue right away, she quietly encouraged him to do so. “Just what?”
He glanced at her again from the corner of his eye before replying. “I didn’t want to worry you is all.”
Amelia leaned towards him again. “But I am worried, and it only makes me worry more when you won’t share with me what’s going on. You realize that Miriam might end up being my sister-in-law, right?”
Shocked, he looked at her with wide eyes. “What? Why would you bring that up?”
She looked at him confused. “I mean, you said you really like this girl, even more than Riley who you’ve been friends with forever. So, I was just pointing out the fact that I’m going to learn all this stuff eventually, right? Or are you going to be one of those guys…”
Michael suspected she meant the type of guy who doesn’t commit. Amelia didn’t realize just how committed he was already, although he hadn’t considered framing it in those terms.
The idea that he might do something so human as to marry Miriam was startling. It was almost comical to imagine a demon getting married, let alone to a human. Although, he quickly found himself hoping that she intended to have an exclusive, monogamous relationship with him. The idea of her sleeping around with other guys, demon or human, made his chest hurt with despair. He wanted her to himself, and he was more than willing to give himself to her alone – as uneven of a trade as that was.
“Michael?” Amelia was still watching him.
He had been so consumed with his thoughts that he had briefly forgotten where he was, driving on autopilot. He tried to register what his expression had been while in deep thought. What had his sister seen? “Umm, yes, what is it?”
“What were you just thinking? You looked really depressed.”
Sighing heavily, he decided to tell her the truth. “Just that I hope Miriam wants to be with me as much as I do with her.”
“You love her, don’t you?”
He thought that was obvious. His felt like his feelings were way beyond love. “Well, I mean, yeah I do.”
His sister looked away and began playing with her ring again, sighing just as heavily as he had. “I guess I’ll do my best to give her a chance then.”
That made him laugh, causing her head to snap up in surprise. “What?”
He couldn’t help but chuckle again. “Thanks for that.”
“For giving her a chance?” She asked genuinely confused.
He looked at her as he pulled into the school parking lot. “I just didn’t realize I needed your approval.”
“Gee, thanks!” She replied sarcastically, crossing her arms and slouching in her seat.
Smiling, he parked and opened his door to get out. Abruptly, Riley appeared from around the next vehicle over. She held up her hand to stop him from getting up. “Hold on. I want to talk before school starts.”
Chapter 6: Confrontation
Michael put his feet back in his car and closed the door as Riley exchanged places with Amelia in the passenger seat. His sister then said farewell, allowing Riley to have him alone to herself. Closing the door, she turned to face him with determination in her eyes.
“Yes?” He asked expectantly when she didn’t start speaking immediately. They didn’t have a ton of time to talk.
“I don’t think Miriam’s good for you.”
Here we go, he thought. He couldn’t even bring himself to be offended, because only a couple days ago, Riley had been his potential love interest. Ironically, her boldness and confidence were two of the characteristics he liked most about her. She wasn’t going to give up without a fight.
“And why is that?” He asked politely.
“Well…” She hesitated as she considered her reasons. “I don’t like the way she looks at you. It’s like she’s taking care of a pet, rather than treating you like a boy…” She stopped herself, unable to say the word boyfriend.
Slightly annoyed, he replied, “I’m not her pet.” At least, he hoped Miriam thought of him more than
that. He had to admit that at first that’s how he felt, but now that he knew it was a façade he was fairly confident that wasn’t the truth.
“Are you sure?” She retorted. “I mean, how well do you even know this girl anyway?”
Michael of course didn’t know very much about her, but he still felt like he knew her in the way that counted. Granted, not that it mattered anyway – it was never a condition of the fact that he had given himself to her completely. Sighing, he lied. “Fairly well.”
“Better than you know me?” She asked, clearly not believing him. He didn’t answer because she already knew the truth. She took his silence as indication that she had successfully made her point. Crossing her arms, she leaned back in the seat and turned her head away. “Michael, we’ve been really good friends for years – I thought we were close.”
“We were…” He started to say, but she gave him a stern look. “Umm, I mean we are. It’s just…complicated.”
Riley looked away again, surprising him by making herself vulnerable from speaking honestly. “Michael, I don’t want to lose you as a friend…but I also don’t want to lose you to some girl either.” She paused before continuing. “I really like you.”
Feeling horrible about the situation, he slumped down.
She immediately noticed his reaction, speaking in a whisper almost to herself. “But you don’t feel the same, do you?”
He knew he should just keep his mouth shut, but he felt horrible leading her to believe he had never felt that way. She was a great friend, and she would have made an amazing girlfriend. Miriam had just turned everything upside down for him. Quietly, he admitted the truth. “I did.”
Riley immediately mimicked his behavior, slumping down into her seat too. “I should have asked you out a long time ago.”
Michael put his hand up to his forehead, covering his eyes. “That would have just made it worse.”
Abruptly, Riley sat up, her voice filled with anger. “Are you saying you would have dumped me for her?”
He looked at her, shocked by her sudden outburst. He didn’t know what to say, because technically the answer to her question was yes. After a moment of meeting her furious gaze, he looked away feeling ashamed.
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