The Incubus Under My Bed #wattys2019

Chapter 10- The Truce

Aria's heart raced as Henry sat up and looked her in the eye. She wanted to trust him, but who knew how many lies he had told her and why? She swallowed against the painful lump growing in her throat. She knew it was a bad idea to trust him, after all he did try to blackmail her into setting him free. "Tell me what you did."

"Stella knows I'm your incubus," he smiled.

"You told her!" she yelled at him.

"I didn't have much choice, she was using her weird mind searching thing on me and I was essentially caught red handed," he said shrugging it off.

"Henri, she doesn't understand. This isn't all sunshine and rainbows to the rest of the world. You saw how my abuela reacted," she yelled at him.

"Aria she was okay with what I am the problem was the fact that you never told anyone about how handsome and insightful I am," he smiled at her. Aria tried to electrocute him again and caused the desk lamp next to him to explode. "Maybe you should stick to using your powers in none emotionally charged situations," he said as he looked at his smoking lamp.

"Fine," she said slapping his arm instead. "All better," she smiled at him.

"And that is why I don't tell you everything that happens in my day."

"No, you're telling me everything right now, or so help me, Henri, I'm going to kill you!" she said shaking her finger in his face.

Henri scratched his brow feeling this was going to lead to him sleeping alone. "Okay," he said and took a deep breath. "I told David about us before he ambushed you in the lab, I never hooked-up with Ashley. She noticed I liked you, and her and Whitney came up with a plan to make you and Cohen jealous the night of her party. I'm helping Dr. Remy with her research so I'll be your nieghbor while you're working with David, because I don't trust him to be a gentlemen with you, and I brought you a necklace with an 'h' on it for your birthday, because you are mine. And that's the reason I'm not going anywhere...EVER!" he kissed her temple as her mouth hung open. "No secrets. Now you tell me what you're hiding."

"Um, can I process that?" she asked.

"I spoke English," he murmured.

"Seriously?"

"I know you're keeping things from me and I want to know what they are?"

"I put all my cards on the table already," she shrugged.

"Okay. The day I told you I love you, why didn't you say anything remotely resembling that you felt anything towards me?"

"It's complicated."

"What's more complicated than falling in love with the girl with a crush on your married brother? I'm sure I can try to understand," he said with a hostile edge to his voice.

"Do you really have to be an ass right now?" she asked not in the mood for bullshit.

"Yes, yes, I have to be an ass, that is all you seem to respond to. I need you to tell me why you, all of a sudden, love me?"

"I didn't want to be in love with you before," she yelled irritation riddling her voice. "I kept telling myself that I just was lusting after you like I was doing with David. It was easier to believe that when you weren't here-physically in my world-in my face. But I feel empty when you're gone. I know my dad is going to have a stroke for this, but I need you. You're like a part of me that I can't bear to lose."

Henry grabbed his phone. "Can you say that again so I can record it?" he asked as he unlocked his phone. Aria hit him again. "Hey, I don't want to be in an abusive relationship."