Devil-ish

Chapter 5

"He's only here for one thing, but so am I."

Ψ My Oh My - Camila Cabello ψ

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     Angelisa let out an audible sigh of relief when her bus finally pulled up to her driveway. She'd expected to see that familiar vehicle that she'd grown to loathe sitting right outside of her house, but luckily, there was nothing, and she underestimated how relieved she would feel. Finally, she felt like she could actually focus, and as she climbed the stairs to her room, she grew excited about the prospect of picking up a book to unwind. She'd recently started a new book chronicling the life of a scientist who was tasked with creating a love potion in order to--

     "Hey there."

     She froze, slamming her hand to her mouth to muffle her scream as she took in the scene in front of her. Luce was lying atop her bed, one hand propped behind his head as he scrolled through his phone with the other. He barely looked up to acknowledge her presence, so Angie groaned and threw her backpack towards him.

     He grunted as it hit his side, barely phased as he finally looked up. "How'd your presentation go, gorgeous?"

     She rolled her eyes. "Look, I appreciate you driving me today. I really do. But why are you still here?"

     He frowned and turned off his phone, sliding it into his pocket. "You're mad at me, aren't you? Because of the Jazz thing?" Her fists clenched at the sound of Jasmine's nickname coming from his mouth. Though, that was certainly not his only flaw in her eyes.

     "I just--" She released an exasperated sigh, pulling the chair from her desk closer to the bed before sitting and facing the older boy. "Imagine if you were in my situation. I have a complete stranger showing up in my house, at my school. Ever since yesterday, my entire concept of reality has been completely shattered. I'm not really sure how to wrap my head around it all. This all feels like some crazy dream." Her arms crossed over her chest as she leaned back, looking straight into his deep brown eyes. Though she immediately scolded herself for it, she couldn't help but think about how attractive he truly was. No wonder Jasmine had been drawn to him; she may as well be a bumblebee, flying only to the prettiest of flowers. But Angelisa didn't think she'd ever been this close to a boy this attractive.

     He frowned, biting his lip as he studied her. "Understandable," he said finally. "I can assure you, though, this is not a dream. I am completely real." He sat up, throwing his legs over the side of her bed to where they were almost touching hers, appearing lost in thought. "How can I convince you?"

      She shrugged. "I don't know. I guess maybe I just want an explanation?"

     "Okay." Luce nodded. "Do I have permission to show you something?"

     Angie nodded solemnly, and he offered her his hand. She scrunched her eyebrows and hesitated, but his reassuring nod finally prompted her to take it. As soon as their skin touched, Angelisa's stomach immediately dropped as her vision went black. Naturally, her body tensed, and she squeezed hard onto Luce's hand, which was the only sensation she could still register.

     The pair swirled in darkness for a few moments, with the only thing proving Luce's presence being his warm hand. Almost as soon as the sensation began, the ground came up to meet her feet with a solid thud, making her wobble and grab onto Luce. Luce steadied her immediately, holding out an arm for balance, but as soon as Angelisa realized she was holding it, she shoved him away. Her stomach churned, and she instinctively brought her hands to the pain for comfort as she attempted to take in her environment.