Calvin arrived long after the homemade facial masks had been washed off and dinner had been prepared and eaten. Now they were working on pedicures as Erevan and his mistress were watching their third movie of the day. He seemed completely baffled at this change of events.
"…what on earth are you two doing?!"
"Bonding," Erevan replied dryly. "I accompanied Molly today since you couldn't be bothered."
Molly was instantly defensive. "Vanya, he had to work!"
She got up to kiss her betrothed and hobbled over awkwardly. Their feet were currently encased in plastic wrap to hold the foot peel in and it was difficult to walk on. They were supposed to wear them for two hours and it had only been twenty minutes so far.
He barely refrained from huffing in disdain. Stella, who had been kicked off of Molly's lap for this, had no such restraint.
Due to his universal translation magic, he could understand what she was saying in any form but he couldn't exactly speak back to her in cat with humans listening in. "Ugh! We were all having such a good time without him. Why did he have to come back?"
He wondered the same thing. The house had been much more peaceful without him and the overall mood was better. The only one happy to see him was Molly.
Of all the humans in the world to pick as a companion, why did she have to pick this one? All Calvin did was complain and before Erevan began masquerading as Vanya, he made her do all the work without helping at all.
Even disregarding that, they both had a bad feeling about him that they couldn't shake. Neither of them had been able to prove it but there was something wrong with this man and his intentions toward their mistress. One of these days, they would find the evidence they needed to boot him out for good. He was sure of it.
In the meantime, they had to endure. What Molly loved, her attendants must tolerate.
Calvin pulled away from her kiss and scowled. "You're seriously watching movies and doing whatever weird thing you're doing with your feet with the housekeeper?"
"Well, it started with going to the zoo because I didn't want to go alone but then I was painting my nails and she complimented them so I offered to do hers too. It all kind of spiraled from there but we've had a lot of fun!"
Erevan was pleased. Fun was a good thing. Humans thrived on having fun. In fact, fun was Calvin's primary purpose. The one he hadn't been fulfilling properly with his frequent absences.
"Indeed," he said. "We have had fun. We should do this again sometime, Molly."
Molly turned back and shot him a happy smile. "We should! But now that Calvin's home, you should probably head out. I'll pay you overtime for your trouble."
"Don't worry about it."
"If you're sure. Are you going to be okay driving home with your feet like that?"
Ha. He wouldn't be driving. The car parked out front was a simple illusion. He wouldn't even have to take this off because it would vanish when he switched forms. "I'll manage. Thanks for your concern. See you tomorrow."
Erevan headed out the front door, dispelled the car illusion, and teleported back upstairs before returning to his cat form. Was it a bit of a hassle to go so far for his deception? Perhaps. But it was for the best. He had different roles in his mistress's life that he needed to fill and this was the only way to do it.
He trotted downstairs to find the movie turned off and Molly reheating leftovers for Calvin as he scrolled through his phone on the couch. Lazy pig! He was complaining again too.
"That woman is seriously weird, Mol. Why did you have to go and get friendly with her? She's beneath you!"
She turned around and put her hands on her hips. "Calvin Howe, I don't consider ANYONE beneath me. I might be rich now but I'm the same person I've always been. Besides, it's been years since I've had a real girlfriend! What's wrong with taking fun where I can get it?
"You weren't even home until the last five minutes. Vanya kept me company all day and I would have been bored and lonely without her since you were gone. You should be grateful she was so nice about everything."
"She's taking advantage of you!" Calvin protested.
Molly looked at him like he was stupid. "She cooks all my meals, does all my chores, doesn't ever want days off, and works for a fraction of what she's probably worth and you think SHE'S taking advantage of ME? If anything, it's the other way around! Like I said, I was bored and lonely and she deserved a break. It was a win-win. Are you seriously jealous of a woman?"
"Ew, no. The way she treats you…it's almost like she worships you. That isn't normal. I'm worried about you, that's all."
Erevan bristled from his place on the floor. It was only natural to treat his mistress with deference as his savior. She was all he had left after losing everything and everyone he had ever known.
"You're ridiculous," Molly said dismissively. "I like Vanya. She's quirky but she's grown on me."
"But—"
"Just drop it. You're home now; we shouldn't waste time arguing. Do you want to watch something after you eat or should we go swimming?"
The microwave beeped and she took out the plate and set it down in front of him with an air of finality. He accepted it mutinously and mumbled that they should go swimming but he needed time to digest first.
Erevan was slightly suspicious. If he was working all day, wouldn't he be too tired for further exercise? That didn't match his lazy disposition in the slightest. But it wasn't his business so he let it go.
"You did well today," Stella admitted, emerging once the humans were gone. "It's been a while since Molly looked that happy."
"I told you I'm useful," he said without as much satisfaction as he should have had. He was still vaguely upset about the whole thing with Calvin and it sort of ruined it.
"Calvin has been leaving her alone a lot more lately…I think she's having a hard time because she's at home so much more often now that she isn't working. At first, she seemed to enjoy not having the extra responsibilities but she gets lonely. I can only do so much because I can't talk back to her. Honestly…I'm kind of jealous of you. You can do more for her than I ever could."
Erevan snorted. "Please. You're the more valued attendant between the two of us. Earlier today, she told me that you were both her family and her oldest friend. It's plain as day how much she cares about you."
That seemed to cheer the cat slightly. "Did she really? She's so sweet. I don't understand why she doesn't have more human friends with how wonderful she is."
He didn't understand that either. Someone so kind should be loved by everyone. Why wasn't she? The one human she did have around her didn't seem to appreciate her properly either, which was incredibly frustrating.
"Neither do I," he admitted. "At least she has us."
Stella seemed troubled by this. "Yes but for how long? Lily was with her for sixteen years before she died. I've been with her for almost ten now. If I live to be the same age, I only have another six left. There's no guarantee that even that jerk Calvin will still be around by then."
"I will be."
"How long do monsters live, anyway?"
Erevan sighed. This again? "I'm a demon not a monster. The averages are skewed because of how many of us die young but it is entirely possible to live up to three hundred years if the right precautions are taken."
Stella looked at him like he was crazy. "Seriously?! How old are you then?"
"A hundred and eighty-seven."
"Whaaaat?! You're that old?"
Erevan huffed at the cat's reasoning. "I'm a bit over halfway through my lifespan and you're about two-thirds through yours. Who exactly is the old one here?"
"I suppose when you put it that way…but still! You live an awfully long time and you said you would stay with Molly until one of you dies. You'll probably outlive her so then what will you do?" Stella asked.
He didn't want to think about that. He had never lived without having someone to look out for. He supposed if Molly ever had any descendants, he would care for them but he didn't like the idea of her dying.
She was young and healthy. According to the average human lifespan, she should live another fifty years or so. And he would make sure she stayed healthy as long as possible by whatever means necessary. Nothing was going to happen to her on his watch!
"Don't ask such questions," Erevan said harshly.
The cat was taken aback by his tone. "Geez, sorry. I won't bring it up again."
Stella stalked off, clearly offended, but he didn't care about that. He truly didn't want to think about losing Molly. Not when she gave him something to live for again.