cupid clearly hates me.

[ 6 ]

Alastor pulled himself out of the pool.

He was soaking wet. His shirt clung to his skin, defining every curve and that molded his lean body. His hair was damp and limp, but his ears still perked up like an attentive deer's might be.

The sight of him made your stomach feel hot. His chest... his shoulders... all just looming before you. Alastor was grinning down at you—obviously enjoying himself—and was still slightly breathless from being thrown into the pool.

"Let me help you out of there, my dear," he said, holding a thin hand out before him. You took it.

Once you were out of the pool, Alastor turned around and walked to the back of the room, grabbing something off of the floor. You were still wearing nothing but your undergarments, and the air felt absolutely freezing against your bare, wet skin. (It was always cold when you got out of a pool.) The marble was sticky under your wrinkled feet, and it made a suction-cup sound whenever you stepped.

When he approached you again, there was a big white towel in his hands. You had your arms wrapped tightly around yourself, trying to keep all of the warmth you could within you, since the air just seemed to be trying to suck it all away. Alastor saw how cold you were and wrapped the soft towel around your shoulders himself, smiling the entire time.

The towel was cozy and dry against your wet shoulders, and it made you feel much better. Giving Alastor a warm smile, you balled your fists up around the soft fabric of the towel and hugged it tighter against yourself.

"Thanks," you sighed.

Alastor beamed. His hair was drooping over his forehead in a super adorable way, little droplets of water still dripping down onto his face. You desperately wanted to touch it. "Anything for you."

You blushed at his words. He was so charming, and it was really giving you a good impression. Everything Vaggie said about him earlier was vanishing further from your mind by the second. "You're so sweet to me. Why?" you questioned suddenly.

"Isn't it obvious? I enjoy your company."

That made your stomach flip into a horrible knot. "Huh. The Radio Demon enjoys my company," you said calmly.

"Of course." He chuckled, and it came from deep within his chest. "Anyways, you can go back to the hotel room and grab something to eat, if you would like. If not that, feel free to do whatever else your heart desires!"

"Alone?" you asked with a small frown. "I thought you were staying with me tonight." That's what he had said earlier. Now, you were kind of looking forward to it.

"Of course I am, but I need to find myself some dry clothes before I can join you," he replied as if it was obvious, gesturing toward his soaking body. "I'll meet you back in the hotel room tonight! The room number is 266."

"Alright then," you said, nodding reluctantly. You didn't want to part with him, not yet, but it seemed as though you had no choice.

Deciding to try and thing about something other than Alastor, you made yourself repeat the room number over and over in your head. That way, you would actually remember it. 266, 266, 266.

Alastor grinned, then placed a hand gently on your shoulder, which was protected with a layer of towel. He glanced at your neck momentarily, then back at your eyes, but you barely noticed—all of your attention was focused on the pressure he applied to your shoulder. "I'll see you later, my love."

☆

There was a content feeling sitting in your stomach, and it was nice. You had not felt happy since the day before you... went to go get bacon from Kroger. Every minute after the events of that afternoon were like torture.