034 - From the ashes

"We hope to see you again."

The saleswoman sent them off with a bright smile, while Cynthia was confused.

"Wait, Daemon, I have yet to pay."

That was what Cynthia said when her mind finally snapped out of the surprise. Indeed, she might have forgotten about taking advantage of Daemon the night she had been drunk, and she might have danced with him twice, with their bodies in close contact, but it was the first time he was holding her hand.

It was different from the kiss he had left on her cheek the night he accepted to get engaged, after giving her his promise. It was like he was marking or accepting her as his, and that had made her heart go out of control, bringing down her mind along with it.

"No need. I have taken care of the payment for all the clothes you've tried. You bought what I will wear for the engagement, it is only right that I do the same."

Daemon's words made her completely ignore the hand that was holding hers, and she turned hesitant. She was happy he had that thought, but:

"But, I thought…"

Daemon cut off her words with a smile:

"That I'm poor given that I have been wearing cheap clothes, and staying in a low-class hotel for so long instead of looking for a better place?"

She didn't speak, but the answer was written on her face. Daemon didn't provide an explanation immediately. He pulled her to the side of the passenger seat, and took the key of the car from her, since she might fail to focus on the road.

He held the door for her, which made her calm down a little to enjoy the attention. Once they were on the road, her curious and sorry eyes fixed themselves on him. She didn't want him to feel forced to provide for her. With her job and her background, it was not money she was after.

It was only when they stopped at a red light that Daemon spoke:

"I'm not rich, but I'm not poor either. My time away could be said to have been sustained on the money of the country itself, so any gain like salary and bonuses have never been touched. That, added to some other funds, makes me able to live without worry."

After a moment of realization, Cynthia exhaled in relief. But there were some things that were still eluding her understanding:

"If so, why did you stay in a hotel? You could have found yourself a better place."

"I was waiting for my thoughts to straighten themselves. I didn't want to rashly determine a new direction for my life before that."

"What about now?"

"Now, since I will be getting a fiancee, I have to move on. I won't keep staying in the hotel for long."

The smile Cynthia showed did nothing to hide her happiness. The rest of the ride was spent in silence, even if the destination was different from where they left from.

Daemon took a different direction from his hotel, and arriving at Cynthia's apartment building, he entered the parking lot underground and slowed to a stop.

"You could have just let me drive back on my own from your hotel."

Cynthia was happy that he was considerate to bring her all the way back, but now he would need to take a taxi to go back.

"Stop complaining, let's go."

Her heart skipped a beat:

"Are you coming up to rest for a while?"

Unfortunately, Daemon was already out of the car, and she didn't know if he heard her or not as he did not answer her.

He took the bag with the clothes she bought for him, and they took the elevator to her floor.

As they approached the door of her apartment, Cynthia felt her heart start beating faster than normal, and from the heat she was feeling from her cheeks, she knew she must have been blushing.

She was about to input the code for the lock, when Daemon spoke from behind her:

"Here."

She turned, and saw him stretching his hand with the bag toward her.

She was so surprised that she failed to react. When she finally took the bag, Daemon spoke:

"Now that you are home, I should go."

She was so embarrassed she wanted to jump on her bed to scream in her pillow. She thought that he…

Moreover, shouldn't he keep the clothes?

She schooled her expression, and returned to her confident self. She didn't know if Daemon did that on purpose, but as long as she hid her embarrassment, she could pretend nothing happened.

With a smile, she invited:

"Won't you come in for a drink?"

He replied with a shake of his head.

"But before leaving, I want to ask you something."

"What do you want to know?"

"When I paid for the clothes, I noticed that there was one more dress apart from the ones you showed me."

"Oh, that?" Cynthia's smile turned suggestive, "It is a surprise for the night after the engagement."

He thought back to the spectacle he had been the audience to earlier, and something that could surpass that to be held back as a surprise made him interested:

"I'm intrigued. Can you give me an idea about it?"

She approached him, and started moving her finger over his chest.

"Remember the black short dress with an opening in the middle of the chest?"

It was something difficult to forget, as the smooth skin that had been exposed with that dress had been more… well.

He breathed lightly.

"I do."

She smiled, satisfied, but started with another tone:

"The surprise is black, short, tight fitting, and a little modest." Her voice turned soft, as she lowered it:

"Instead of a hole, there are only cut-outs. The ones on the side of the thighs and the abdomen are not bad, and the ones that almost exposed the whole back can be modestly covered by my hair," She moved her hand to his neck, before caressing his cheek. "but I don't know what to do with the cut-outs in the middle of the chest, and the ones that showed everything from the lower abdomen to the middle of the thighs where the dress ends."

She looked into his dark eyes and added with a sultry whisper:

"They are too wide to hide what they should."