Eternal Adoration [ON PAUSE]

6. Some Truths

SERAPHINA

I'm starting to feel slightly sick, but I'll collapse before I stop eating everything Aristide so graciously buys me. And even when I'm dead, they'll have to wrench the sugary food from my cold, hard fingers.

"How is it?" Aristide asks me, referring to the ice cream in a cup that I so ungraciously take a huge, creamy lick of.

"Delicious perfection," I tell him around the sugary treat. I could use the small spoon, but where would be the fun in that? "You should have gotten one."

He passes me a napkin while shaking his head. "I'm not too into sugar."

"Thank you." I take the napkin from him and clean my mouth. "And, really? Who on earth isn't really into sugar?"

"I'm more of a savory guy."

I scoff. "So chips over cake?"

He nods and waits for me to move up the line before following closely behind me. There's still a long line of people in front of us, and we've been in the line for about fifteen minutes. I would complain if I wasn't a patient person and today hadn't been the best birthday I've ever had, but both those things are true so I take another lick of my cookies n' cream and feign a look of disappointment at Aristide.

"So you're one of those people, huh?" I take a peek at him.

He rubs his chin thoughtfully, eyeing me lazily as if he already knows I'm about to mess with him. "What sort of people?"

"The party poopers. The people in life who don't know what fun is even if it hits them upside the head." I'm obviously messing with him, and by the look on his face, he knows that. "Those sort of people."

"Because I prefer chips over cake I'm a party pooper?" His voice is dry, barely audible if it wasn't for the fact that he's right behind me, speaking close to my ear. "Is that what you're saying, Seraphina?"

I play off a shudder, but internally, my body flames up. "Uh-huh." Speech is difficult when his gravelly voice is so close, only for me as the world around us is drizzled with laughter and yelling.

"Interesting."

"Yeah," I breathe out.

"And what about you cake-loving people? You guys are the life of the party I presume?" His hand drifts to the small of my back to gently urge me forward when there's a gap in the line.

The shudder thing happens again, this time, my hand shakes slightly.

C'mom Seraphina, get it together, girl. Can't let a man rattle you. Even one that is smooth, looks good in anything, tall and handsome. With hands that seem made for both grating cheese on pasta and strangling a man to death.

Plus, he's a glorified stranger. A stranger whose house I slept in, whose clothes I'm wearing, and who has been the reason why my birthday has mattered this year.

Also, despite his charms, he's so clearly dangerous. I can tell from the way he moves, the precision with which he does everything. Like he knows he's in complete control. He still hasn't told me why he's 'boss' but I have my assumptions.

"Cake-loving people are the party." And we're also big ass liars. Or at least, I am. I've never been to that many parties to know if I'm the life of the party or not.

"I bet," he mumbles, hand still at the small of my back like it belongs there.

I need a distraction. Now.

"So..." I start, looking around to find something to say. Anything. "The weather is . . . nice today." I immediately cringe at my words.

He looks up at the semi-cloudy sky, the sun is now hidden, making my statement a complete reach. I'm sure he knows that because when he looks back down, there's a glint in his eyes.