cupid clearly hates me.

[ 7 ]

You woke up in a completely unfamiliar room.

You sat up with a start, feeling your heart just about explode with fear. This wasn't your bedroom, and it wasn't Nate's either.

You didn't fully remember where you were until after you rubbed your eyes, looked down and saw the worn out, dirty clothes stuck to your skin, and finally glanced to your left and saw Alastor asleep beside you. The memories flowed back to you bit by bit, allowing your nerves to ease more and more by the second. You must be in the hotel room.

You let your eyes wander, taking in your surroundings. The walls were covered in a flimsy layer of red-and-black striped wallpaper, but the carpet was just a simple black material, and it looked like like a starless night sky. The bed was covered in soft white sheets that smelled like laundry detergent. Other than that, nothing about the room was interesting; the air was stale and dusty, and when you took a deep breath, it felt dry in your mouth.

Yawning, you stood up and stretched, feeling your muscles pull as you extended your arms over your head.

"You're awake."

You screamed and jumped forward, immediately ending your peaceful stretching. You swiveled around to face him; Alastor was sitting on the bed where you had been lying down only seconds ago. You were struck with confusion—how had he moved towards you so silently?

"Holy shit," you whispered, looking him over. He had changed into a red button up and dark pants similar to the ones he was wearing yesterday. There was still a bow tie around his neck, but the pinstripe overcoat was missing from his attire. What did you expect? Nobody sleeps with a suit jacket on, not even this mannequin of a demon. "You scared me."

"Jumpy, are we?" Alastor teased, standing. Seeing him extend to his full height reminded you of just how much taller he was than you. The top of your head just barely reached his chest. It made you feel small. Very small.

"Yeah, just a little bit," you said under your breath. Looking up at him now, you realized that you couldn't remember hearing or seeing him enter the room. "Where were you last night? When did you get back?"

"I was out. Doesn't matter where. I got back sometime after you fell asleep."

You pressed your lips together, studying the demon before you. You were about to tell him how annoying he was being when your stomach growled loudly. Very loudly.

The usual grin was on Alastor's face, showing off the sharp fangs in his mouth. "Are you hungry, my dear?" he asked. You flushed with embarrassment.

"Quite," you said with a shy laugh, trying to recover your self confidence. "Are there any good places to get breakfast around here?"

"Oh, plenty! And that shouldn't be a surprise—everyone here always seems to have a hangover. What better way to cure a hangover than consuming calorie-loaded breakfast foods and a mug of bitter caffeine?"

You silently agreed. It wasn't really a surprise to you that the food places down here would be fit to help those with killer hangovers.

"There's a good brunch place down the road," Alastor added. "I think you might enjoy their bacon and pancakes..."

You frowned.

He must have noted that Nate was making you bacon and pancakes the morning you killed those kids, or else he wouldn't have said that. You should be mad at him for trying to reference it, but although the memory of that day made you sick, you were strangely touched by the fact that he remembered such a small detail. "My favorite."

"I know," Alastor affirmed with a clever smile. "I'll pay."

It actually sounded perfect. Breakfast with Alastor. Today was only your second day in hell, and you already felt like this man was going to be by your side for a long time. Of course, it was just a feeling, but who were you to reject what your gut told you?