Chapter Nine
I checked my phone for texts as I was doing my usual editing. Nothing. It had been a whole week since I had sent Mark an apology for my behavior at the coffee shop and the park, and at this point, it seemed like he wasn't ever going to answer me. I guessed that was understandable - I had been a complete dick to him right after Dark had been a complete dick to him. I wouldn't have wanted to talk to me either if I was Mark. But it still hurt that he wasn't answering. Even a simple "okay" would have felt better than nothing.
While Mark had been avoiding me, I had been avoiding Dark. I didn't really want to be around him if I didn't have to. He showed up a few times and I just I told him I was busy, I wasn't feeling well, I didn't want to go out. He had to know that they were only excuses and lies, but he didn't push me. Things were almost starting to feel the way they had before I ever met him - Mark and I weren't really speaking, I wasn't going out with a demon, and my focus was on my work and hanging out with Allison. The difference was that I couldn't completely forget about everything that had happened, and I wasn't exactly feeling like myself. But Allison finally managed to drag me out of the house to go shopping, and it was a relief when I began feeling normal and maybe even a little happy again.
We went to our favorite mall and since I hadn't spent money on myself in a while, I declared it a "Treat Yo Self" day and went all out. I bought new make up at Sephora, a few random sale items at Forever 21 and H&M, and I even got myself a few sexy things from Victoria's Secret. Allison joked about "Derek" and how he would enjoy my VS purchases, but I didn't care if "Derek" ever saw them. I liked them and felt good in them, and that was all that mattered.
Allison and I drove around LA, blasting our favorite songs and obnoxiously singing along to them. We stopped for cupcakes, I brought my camera and we did small photoshoots at our favorite spots, and we just had fun. She even convinced me to say yes to going to the bars on Friday night, which had been out of the question while I was in my slump. I experimented with my new makeup, put on new clothes, and I felt really confident once we left the apartment. We were both smiling and laughing when we arrived at our favorite bar, Brother's. It wasn't the coolest bar in LA, but the prices weren't too steep, it was the first place we legally had alcohol for our 21st birthdays, and we were comfortable there.
"Ally, Maddy, hi!" Craig, a brown-haired bartender greeted us as we walked up to the bar. We had gone to college with him, and we actually used to go out to the bars with him. Now he was making and serving drinks instead of enjoying them with us. But there was a perk to this - we occasionally got deals, and he knew exactly what we liked.
"Hey Craig, how's it going?" Allison asked, taking a seat on a barstool. I joined her, noticing a couple of guys next to us who were eyeing us.
"Can't complain. How about yourself? Still editing for the Grumps?" Craig wondered, already beginning to make our drinks even though we hadn't ordered yet.
"Yeah! It's kind of crazy but definitely fun."
"And how about you, Maddy? Photography business is booming?"
"I wouldn't say booming, but I'm definitely staying busy. I love it, though. And I always have time for friends, so if you ever want a shoot done or if Brother's needs updated pictures on their website, I'm your girl!" I told him.
"I just might take you up on that offer sometime soon, I'll talk to my boss about it when I get the chance. There would be a discount, of course?"
"Depends on how my service is here," I joked.
"Ouch, the pressure's really on now. Would a free extra shot in your drink get me anything?" Craig negotiated.
"I better stick to just one shot in my drinks, but good try," I laughed. He finished up the beverages he had been making and set two glasses in front of us.
"Alright, fine. One rum and Coke for Maddy and a vodka cranberry for Ally." Allison and I clinked our glasses together and took a sip. They were as good as ever, and I made sure to add a generous tip to the jar in front of Craig, who was soon busy with other customers.
"Rum and Coke, huh? I like your style," the blonde guy next to me said, holding up his own drink, which appeared to match mine.
"Thanks, it's my go-to," I admitted. I could tell this wasn't his first drink of the night, I just hoped that he wouldn't be a pushy, douchebag drunk like some of the men I had dealt with in bars before.
"What's your name?"
"Maddy."
"Nice to meet you, Maddy. Your next rum and Coke is on me," he insisted. Strangers didn't buy me drinks very often, so I decided to accept his kind gesture.
"I didn't catch your name," I replied.
"It's Andy."
"Well, thank you very much, Andy."
"It's my pleasure. A beautiful girl like yourself deserves a free drink every now and then, I think."
I got to know Andy a bit better as I finished my first drink and moved on to my second. He was a businessman who was a year older than me. We had similar taste in not only drinks but also music, and he actually seemed like a decent guy. His friend chatted up Allison and after we finished our second drinks, we joined them for a few rounds of pool, fitting in a couple more drinks each. By the time we had moved on from pool to making song requests on the Jukebox and dancing, Allison and I had met several more people and we were laughing with them like we had known them for years. Craig was watching from the bar, keeping his eye on us in case there was trouble. He had always been a big brother figure to us since we met in college, and even now that we didn't talk as often, he still looked out for Allison and I. But luckily, there was no real trouble, just drunken fun.
Allison and I slowed down and each finished a glass of water and one last conversation with Craig before we called an Uber and left. We were still a bit tipsy by the time we got home, so we ordered a late night pizza to fulfill our random cravings. Soon we were full, sobered up, and tired, and we both headed to bed.
I took my makeup off, brushed my teeth, and changed into pajamas, but before I could get into bed, I heard a voice behind me.
"How was the bar?"
I didn't have to turn around to know who it was, but I did anyways. Dark looked and sounded extra evil. The black around his eyes almost seemed darker than usual, and he seemed angry.
"It was fine," I answered coolly.
"What made you decide to go out?" he wondered, smoothing his shirt.
"Allison begged me to, and I finally agreed. I haven't felt like doing much lately, she just finally got to me," I responded.
"So if I did the same, would you stop avoiding me?" Dark retorted, clearly annoyed and jealous that I had chosen to spend time with Allison after turning him down so many times.
"Maybe, maybe not. Right now I just want to go to sleep, so can you leave?" I went to pull back my blankets and get into bed when Dark snatched my arm and turned me around to face him.
"I'm TIRED of giving you a CHOICE!" he roared, his grip on me uncomfortably tight. "You can't ignore me forever. I don't care if you got mad at me for laying a hand on Mark - he had to be put in his place. And you and I..." Dark spoke furiously through clenched teeth, "...we have a deal."
"I...I know. I just...I just needed some time," I stuttered, afraid of what he might do. The very first time we met, he hurt me. I had no doubts that he would do much worse things now than he did then. But instead, he let go of me and moved closer. I backed away, not sure if he was actually calming down or planning his next move.
"You've had enough time now, yes?" he hissed, tucking some of my hair behind my ear. I nodded. "Good. You just need to let me in, it's as simple as that. That's the deal."
"I know."
"You better get some sleep, now. It's getting late," Dark realized. He vanished, and I was left alone in my room, my heart still beating unhealthily fast. He had made it so easy to forget how terrifying he was. His personality seemed to change in an instant - he was completely unpredictable. But I would continue spending time with him for that exact reason. I would forget about this scary side of him again soon enough, and that was how he kept me around. Well, that and the threat of killing my friends and family, of course.
*****************************
Dark and I met up again the very next night. He wouldn't tell me where we were going or what we were doing, but he insisted on taking me out, and he said to dress nice. We took his car and he drove for a good amount of time into what felt like the middle of nowhere. Thick trees stood on either side of the road for the last few minutes of the car ride, and it was already dark outside...had I really done it this time? Was he going to murder me in the middle of the forest where nobody would find me? He wasn't acting mad or anything, but maybe he was just pretending to be fine.
I was coming up with things I could say that might convince him to spare me when at last he pulled off of the road and parked in some gravel, still very much in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere.
"Where are we, exactly?" I timidly asked him as he got out of the car. I got out too, carefully stepping onto the clunky gravel in my heels. I was starting to wonder why he'd need to wear a suit and I'd need to wear a dress out here.
"Not too far outside of the city. In fact, you can see it from here. Let me show you." He took my hand and guided me towards the grass. I braced myself for death, convincing myself that at least I'd look amazing when I died. And then I saw it.
In the distance was the LA skyline, the lights on the buildings contrasting dramatically against the black night sky. Over it all, the moon shone brightly. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, and I had thought that I was going to be mysteriously murdered in my best dress in the middle of the woods...
"What do you think?" Dark questioned me, watching my reaction.
"It's amazing. I love skylines, but I've never seen one in person at night like this," I told him.
"I thought we could have a picnic. I brought some sushi, some drinks, and cake for dessert. I know we could have just gone to dinner, but this view can't be beat." I followed Dark, who opened up the trunk and got out the cooler of food and drinks and a blanket to sit on. I couldn't believe a demon could plan such a romantic date, especially after his behavior the night before.
"So, why'd we get all dressed up?" I inquired as I helped him lay the blanket out on the grass.
"I enjoy dressing up. I feel best when I'm in a suit. Plus, who wouldn't want to see you in a tight dress and heels?" he smiled. "Not to mention the fact that it made the reveal of our destination even more unexpected and surprising."
We sat down and dug into our dinner, which was delicious. He had ordered out from the highest quality sushi restaurant in LA, and the cake came from the most popular bakery in the area. It was an incredibly enjoyable date - he had done well. But I still wasn't sure why he was doing all of this. Just the day before he had reminded me of our deal, but our deal involved driving Mark insane. Was Dark planning on pissing Mark off by telling him about all the nice things he did for me and how much I loved it? Would Mark run his mouth and get hurt again?
"So, what inspired you do to all this?" My confusion and curiosity finally got the best of me.
"Well, I know I lost my temper last night. I thought this might make up for that a little," he explained.
"I guess it does, a little," I gave in.
"I suppose I can be a bit...harsh...sometimes. I just wanted to remind you that there are consequences when you don't do what you've promised to do. I know you needed a bit of distance, I understand that now. I merely lost control in the moment. I needed to make sure we were in this together."
"We are," I assured him. We had to be.
A breeze blew through the trees and I rubbed my bare arms. Of course I had forgotten my jacket at home. Dark noticed that I was cold and it was like every romance movie ever - he took his suit jacket off and draped it over my shoulders.
"Maybe we should get back in the car since it's starting to get chilly out here," he suggested. I agreed, so we put away the leftover food and grabbed the blanket. He drove us back to civilization and familiar surroundings and I noticed a text from Allison:
I've had a nasty migraine all day that won't go away no matter what I do, so I'm going to bed. I'll probably be asleep by the time you get home.
"I'll walk you inside for once, in that case," Dark decided when I read the text to him. It was hard to wake Allison up once she was asleep, so I figured it couldn't hurt.
Once we arrived at my apartment, Dark and I went into my room to say goodbye so we wouldn't have to whisper - I wanted to be courteous to my roommate even if she probably wouldn't hear anything.
"Thanks for everything tonight, it was nice," I said as I handed Dark his suit jacket.
"Mhm. You're not still cold, are you?"
"I have sweatshirts," I laughed.
"I know. I just thought I could warm you up another way." Before I could think of a response, his lips were on my neck, his hands on my hips. "If you'd rather just put on a sweatshirt, we can say goodnight..." He began to pull away and I remembered our sleepover at his house and how much I had enjoyed it.
"No, a sweatshirt might not cut it," I lied, pulling him back towards me. I was so weak. I knew he was bad, but kissing him felt so good. And seeing him in that suit made me want to take it off of him. And the way he knew exactly where and how to touch me...why had I been avoiding him for a week, when I could have been sneaking him into my room or even staying with him? Who cared if he got mad and yelled sometimes? He was so irresistible...
Dark didn't stay the night, but he did complicate everything again by staying for a while. He was too good at distracting me from the scary truth about him, and I was too bad at fighting my infatuation with him. But it wasn't as if Mark was talking to me to try to get it through my head that everything he did meant nothing, so I was stuck falling for it as usual.