Demons

I traipsed the carpeted stairs back towards the room and changed into a pair of faded black jeans before clipping my name-tag onto my chest and shrugging on a cardigan. My damp hair was easily braided, and I went back downstairs again, taking the steps two at a time. Andy was already waiting in his car when I slid into the passenger seat, and before long he initiated the five-minute drive. No music was playing in the background this time, which I figured was intentional, as Andy quickly struck up conversation. “So how have you been?” he asked - and it didn’t sound like one of those customary greetings people usually spew out automatically - it sounded refreshingly genuine. I turned to face him with a smile and shrugged nonchalantly. “Not much, really. I’ve just been working and hanging out with Tina and Lucy, you know. The usual.” Andy nodded. “Nothing other than that?” I would have frowned, had his question sounded condescending, but his tone was merely light and curious. “Not really, no. I’ve been doing some running, just to get in shape.” His eyes flickered to my body, giving it a once over as I shuffled uncomfortably in my seat, but his eyes were quickly back on the road. “I see. So you’ve been fine? Nothing bothering you?” I raised an eyebrow at his inquisitive behavior, which was honestly nothing short of suspicious.

“No. Like I said, I’m fine.” With great effort I kept my tone as even as possible, but Andy raised one hand in mock-surrender anyway. “Sorry…” As his voice drifted off, I took my time observing the sky past the windshield, silently marveling at the beauty of the cerulean sky with a tint of purple, nearing a color more akin to orange as the sun rose behind the horizon. When my temper seemed back under my control, I turned to him once again, allowing an apologetic frown to mar my face. “So… Have you been working on some new songs in the studio then?” I asked curiously, grinning when his eyes lit up at the mention of music. I couldn’t help but notice the resemblance between his smile and the shine of the rising sun. “Yeah. We’ve been working on some sick tracks, I swear. Sometimes you just get in the zone you know?” He turned to look at me as though I had a clue as to what he meant by “being in the zone”, but I nodded understandingly anyway, too eager to hear the rest of his rant. “Like, Jake or Jinxx will come up with a riff that’s just so incredible, and you can just hear the entire song from a single chord or a single drum beat. It’s amazing. You should come by and hear it at some point,” he gushed, at points lifting his hands from the steering wheel to gesture wildly.

I was momentarily taken back by his offer, and still entranced by the way he described the music, but I managed to stammer out a reply. “Yeah. That… That would be great.” Just then we pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant, and my stomach sank in disappointment. “Thanks for the ride,” I mumbled, my voice tinged with sadness. As I reached for the door handle, his voice brought my movements to a halt. “You know, if there’s ever anything bothering you, you can come to me. No matter what it is.” I frowned in confusion and turned to him, seeing an almost guilty expression on his face. “Why are you so insistent on something being-“ My reply was cut short as realization dawned upon me, and when it did, I turned to him with hurt written all over my face. “Did Lucy make you do this? Did she make you come all the way back here just because she thought you would be able to lure the ‘truth’ out of me?” His eyes widened almost comically at my sudden accusatory outburst, and his lips parted and closed several times before his mind could conjure an answer. “No, no! What? No,” he began, but his rushed answer and slightly flushed skin was answer enough for me. A familiar sadness bloomed within my ribcage. Now they thought I needed a nanny, too? That I couldn’t take care of myself?
As I reached for the door handle again, having deemed the situation one I would like to get out of, a cool hand reached to touch my elbow. I didn’t turn my head, but my movements were stilled as a sign for him to say what he wanted to say. He took a deep breath. “She didn’t… Well, she didn’t tell me to come here. CC called to hear how things were going, and Tina expressed some, uh, worry about you.” The stream of words was momentarily paused as he took a deep breath, but he quickly picked the thread back up, my hand still clutched tightly around the piece of leather. “To be completely honest, I was worried about you. Tina said it was kind of bad, and I just had to come and see if there was anything I could do to help.” In the stretch of silence that followed, I blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of it all. While I normally wouldn’t have minded the attention everyone seemed to be giving me that much, at the moment, it was becoming unbearable.

Every corner and every crevice of my mind were searched in order to find an appropriate response. I’d already told them all that I was fine, that there was no need for them to worry about me, and that it frankly bothered the fuck out of me, but no one seemed to believed me. There really wasn't much else for me to do or say. I shuffled uncomfortably in my seat, still hyperaware of his gaze lingering upon me, and through the deafening silence, I finally stepped out of the car and inhaled a deep breath of fresh air - a nice substitute for the stuffy atmosphere inside the car. But within two seconds of me being out of the vehicle, a rush of dizziness clouded my senses, and I stumbled back slightly, leaning against the car until I would regain my balance. Nothing out of the ordinary, really, but these things normally happened when I was alone - and with Andy there, it was excruciatingly embarrassing.

Faint splotches of black still lingered in my vision when I heard the door to the driver’s side being slammed shut and the sound of footsteps fast approaching. Taking me completely by surprise, only adding onto the dizziness I was already experiencing, two long arms trapped me against the car, and a pair of deliciously soft lips were pressed onto my own. My eyes widened in surprise as Andy’s familiar scent washed over me in a cool wave, but it took me only a split second to respond to the hasty kiss. Parting my lips slightly, I felt the silky velvet of his tongue gliding over my bottom lip before sliding into my mouth and licking the roof of my mouth, eliciting a throaty moan from me. One of his hands went to caress my cheekbone, his fingertips leaving a trail of feverish blush with such unfamiliar tenderness, I felt my knees shaking - although that could also have been a result of the lack of oxygen his kiss allowed. He tasted like mint and smoke, much like the kiss we shared a week earlier, but this time it was much more intense without the alcohol running through my veins, clouding the experience.

He pecked my lips once. Twice. Three times. His forehead rested heavily against mine as our lungs greedily inhaled oxygen, our eyes never once leaving each other’s. I could hear my blood rushing in my ears. I was briefly aware of my hands shaking, something I hadn’t experienced before, but paid it little attention. It was only when my knees gave out and I slowly, but surely, slid to the ground, that I noticed the trembles wracking my body. It was like being low on sugar, but much worse. Every tendon in my body cramped and shook, and my stomach flipped painfully. Andy was quick to kneel to my level with a worried look on his face, although I wanted absolutely none of the attention he was offering. “What’s wrong? You’re white as a sheet,” he spoke. My lips parted and closed, my tongue desperately trying to get the words past my teeth, but I couldn’t. My lungs still gulped in air in desperate breaths, but the oxygen wouldn’t stay inside.

My head felt like lead as it tipped back heavily to rest against the door, and Andy’s unnecessary panic seemed to heighten as his palm was placed onto my forehead. “You’re burning up,” he said, his voice unsure, as he looked around him. Thank God no one else was in the parking lot at that time to experience this - that would have been embarrassing. “Do you want me to take you back home? I’m sure Tina or Lucy-“ I shook my head fiercely, repulsed by the idea of them fussing over me over a matter like this. “But you can’t go to work,” he protested, which I couldn’t exactly protest against. His face was scrunched together in concentration as his hand remained on my forehead. Heat radiated beneath the surface of my skin, pulsing painfully quick, but I was feeling too disorientated to feel embarrassed about it. I couldn’t make any sense of it - I had taken my vitamin pills and even had a small portion of dinner last night. This shouldn’t be happening.

With great force I willed my eyes open when I heard movement in front of me. Andy was still crouched down next to me and hooked his arms beneath my armpits to drag me to my feet. The muffled sound of the car door being opened echoed in my mind, and I was slightly aware of being placed into the warm seat once again. Once the car started moving, I stopped struggling and fell limply against the seat.

Notes