"Hey," I said, stepping aside so that he could come in.
"Hey," he returned.
I stuffed my hands into the ratty robe's pockets, wishing I hadn't been so hasty to change back to casual mode. My hair was undoubtedly a lost cause, so there was no point stressing over that. "How's it going?"
"Okay." He met my eyes frankly, something he hadn't done in a while. It sent a tingle down my back. "I was just nearby and wanted to…well, that is…" He sighed. "I just wanted to apologize for what happened yesterday…."
Yesterday. The kiss. Something that only a demon attack could have dwarfed.
I shook my head, trying not to recall how I'd felt that kiss all the way to my toes. "You have nothing to apologize for. I think…I think I was as much to blame. Besides, it was nothing."
"Nothing?" he asked, looking both surprised and hurt.
"I mean, not nothing ," I amended hastily. "But we were both kind of worked up, and things got crazy, and well, like I said…nothing to apologize for."
"Okay…I'm glad you're not upset. I don't want there to be anything…well, anything bad between us."
I thought about all the fights and arguments. "Well, I'm not sure we've reached that state. I mean, come on, do you think things will ever be normal and friendly between us?"
"Yes," he said bluntly. "No matter what has or hasn't happened romantically, I still feel like…like there's something between us…like, a connection, I mean. I feel like we're always destined to be important in each other's lives."
You are my life , I thought and promptly looked away, as though he might have heard me. "Do you regret it?" I asked before I realized I had.
"Regret?"
"Ending things."
I looked back at him, fearing his answer, no matter what it was. "I regret…well, I don't regret saving you from future hurt. I do regret the hurt I've caused you…if I'd known you'd react and spiral the way you have…"
"You can't take that into consideration," I said hastily. "That's not your fault." I was surprised to be saying that, but it was true. My bad behavior these last months had been my doing.
"I can't help it. I'll always worry about you. Like I said, I feel like no matter what, we're always going to be connected…like there's something bigger than us at work. As it is…"
"What?"
"Never mind."
I stepped forward, never taking my eyes off him. "Tell me."
"As it is…" He shrugged. "Life is easier not dating you. But sometimes…it feels incomplete. Like there's a piece of me missing."
"And that's easier?"
"Think of it as winning the lottery and having people waiting on all your needs, but it's at the cost of, I don't know, getting your leg amputated."
"Wow. You should be a writer with that imagery."
He smiled. "Yeah, yeah. But you know what I mean."
Except, I was missing a part of my life and things were harder, not easier. "You at least have Maddie."
"You have Dante."
"Dante's not Maddie, believe me."
"Fair enough. She's great…I care about her…love her…I don't know. It's all just different."
Silence fell, but it was comfortable. "Good lord. I can't believe we're discussing this rationally."
"See? Not so hard to be friends."
I had my doubts about that. "I guess."
"Don't worry. We'll keep trying. Before long, we'll be on a bowling league or something." He spoke his words lightly, but there was a catch that belied the truth of his words. Being friends wasn't easy for Seth either. He still cared about me and was suffering just as much as me with this separation. Seeing that made something in me soften.
"Hey, it's okay. We'll make this work."
I reached out to hug him, and he automatically returned it. I felt warm and safe and right in his embrace-until he casually squeezed my back. I cried out, jerking away at the pain that shot through me. We sprang apart, and he looked at me in alarm. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"
"It's…complicated." My standard answer to uncomfortable questions.
"Georgina!"
"It's nothing. Don't worry about it."
He strode toward me, reached a hand out, then pulled back. Intensity filled his face. "Are you hurt?"
I tried to keep out of his reach. "Look, I got in a fight last night, and I'm sporting some, uh, residual effects. It's mostly gone, though, so there's nothing to worry about."
"You? Got in a fight? With who?"
"Whom. And it was with Nanette. I told you, it's nothing."
"Who's Nanette?"
"She's…a demon."
He gave me a level look. "A demon. A full-fledged demon."
"Something like that."
"Let me see your back."
"Seth-"
"Georgina! Let me see your back."
There was anger in his words, not at me, but at the thought of someone hurting me. It reminded me a little of Dante's reaction, except that Dante always had a bit of anger in him. It was normal. To see it woken up in Seth…to see him so passionate and fierce…
Slowly, slowly, I turned around and undid the front of my robe, letting it slip halfway down my back. I heard Seth gasp at what he saw, and then a few moments later, he stepped forward and pushed my hair off my back so that he could get a better view. I shivered when his fingers touched my skin.
"Georgina…this is horrible…"
"It was worse before." I spoke flippantly, hoping to deflect his worry and realizing I'd only increased it now.
"Worse?"
I tugged the robe up and turned back around. "Mei healed it. I'm fine."
"Yeah, it seems that way."
"Look, it's nothing you have to worry about."
"Not worry about?" His eyes were filled with incredulity. "Even when you're…normal…a demon could still kill you, right?"
"Yeah."
Seth put his hand to his forehead and sighed. "This is what it's like, isn't it?"
"What?"
"What you went through with me. Living with the fear that I could die. Having it tear you apart."
I didn't answer right away. "You don't have to worry about me. This'll work out."
"Did this…did Nanette do this because of your investigating?"
I nodded, then crooked him a wry smile. "Still like how brave I am?"
He stepped closer to me and looked me up and down in a way that was so serious, my smile faded. "Even after this, you aren't going to stop, are you? You're going to keep pushing to find Jerome?"
"Do you want me to stop?" This was almost like my earlier conversation with Dante, when he'd made it clear he thought I was a fool for continuing with my quest.
Seth's answer was a long time in coming. "I don't want you to get hurt. But I understand you, and I know why you have to do this…and it's still part of that strange, brave nature of yours that's so…"
He didn't finish, but I saw the anguish in his eyes, the worry and heartache over something happening to me. It was mingled with something else, though. Pride. Affection. I put my arms around him again, wanting to comfort him now. "Hey, hey. It's going to be okay. I'll be okay."
His hands rested on my hips, careful of my back, but honestly, I barely noticed. My attention was on his lips, pressed against my cheek. "Georgina, Georgina," he breathed against my skin. "You are…incredible."
And like in the car, I don't know who exactly was to blame, but our lips met and were kissing again. Unlike before, we didn't break apart out of shock. We kept kissing. And kissing. His lips were intoxicating and felt like they'd been designed especially for mine. Our bodies pressed against one another, though his embrace was still gentle. As the kiss continued, that same sensation came back to me: this was purely a kiss. Just an expression of love between two people with no dire side effects, no soul stealing. The longer it went on, the more amazed I was. By now, as a succubus, I would have begun to taste his energy and feel his thoughts. But not now. I was alone in my own head, savoring his body and not his soul.