Despite garnering dirty looks from demon patrons, the rest of Asuriel's week went by without incident. No weird things happened on her way home, and she didn't witness anything particularly frightening.
The strange, infernal guy with pretty eyes came to the Lounge every other night to do his work but didn't interact with her. She had mixed feelings about it but decided it was probably better off. The incense would bother him if she were near him for too long.
And so, in the blink of an eye, it was the evening before her birthday… but there was a terrible storm outside. Wind, rain, and hail destroyed cars, whipped down the streets, knocking people over, and hurricane warnings alerted Asuriel's phone every twenty minutes.
Even the Lounge had closed early – which it never did.
"Asuriel, baby, you… you'd– back… tonight," Elara spoke worriedly. Her voice was urgent, but it cut in and out due to the storm. She had just called her.
"I'm okay," Asuriel assured, hoping Elara could hear her. "All of the trains and buses stopped running for the night."
"Text–, you're br–ing up," Elara answered, then hung up.
Asuriel did as she was told, immediately sending her mom a few texts. They took a bit longer to send due to the spotty service, but they still managed to go through.
[ASURIEL]: No trains or buses are running tonight. I can't make it because the storm is too bad. There's a hurricane warning right now. Maybe I can come tomorrow instead.
[MOM]: OK. Stay safe. Don't travel if it is dangerous… but please don't leave your apartment tomorrow. Not even for a moment. Since you can't make it here, you must stay inside.
[ASURIEL]: Mom? You're being weird. Even if the stars are misaligned, isn't that a bit excessive?
[MOM]: Please… trust your mother. I hate keeping things from you, but I can't explain things yet. Ceaselessly burn your incense. Don't let the smoke stop until your birthday has passed.
[ASURIEL]: …Alright, but you owe me a serious explanation as soon as I get home. Can I at least have a friend over to celebrate?
[MOM]: Are they human?
[ASURIEL]: Yeah, my coworker. He offered to bring me cake tomorrow.
[MOM]: As long as he isn't infernal, sure. He can come… but be careful… and happy birthday, my love.
[ASURIEL]: Okay. Thanks, Mom, I love you. Goodnight.
[MOM]: Goodnight. I love you, too. Call me if you need me. Anytime, anyplace.
Asuriel closed her phone and rubbed her temple. A minor headache had started to come on due to the incense, but it didn't bother her as much after burning it for a week straight.
She didn't know what to think. Her mother never hid things from her, making the situation even more confusing. But, despite her doubts, Asuriel planned to listen to Elara's counsel.
After twenty-five years, she knew better than to rebel against Mom's advice and wishes. There wasn't a single time that Asuriel could recall her mother being wrong about something.
Besides, she had no exciting plans for her birthday, so it wasn't like she would be missing out on anything. Rowan made the best carrot cake, so she would be content as long as she got to eat that.
Asuriel made herself instant noodles for dinner and got in bed early. It was only seven in the evening, but she was exhausted. She felt under the weather all day, so she felt relieved when she found out that the Lounge closed before the evening shift.
As soon as her head hit the pillow, darkness enveloped her. It was a dreamless night.
—
The sound of her doorbell woke her up. She groaned, her head throbbing painfully, and fireworks lit up behind her eyes as she sat up. Her skin itched, mostly on her stomach and legs, which made her even more uncomfortable.
She ignored it and brought herself back on task. Someone was at her door. When she looked at her phone for the time, she was stunned when it read, "12:45 pm."
She had slept seventeen hours?! That meant the visitor was probably Rowan.
The doorbell rang again.
Asuriel stood up and checked herself in the mirror. She was wearing simple shorts and a tank top. It was not exactly the most visitor-friendly outfit, but it was her birthday, so she deserved to be comfy! That's what she told herself.
"Hold on," she shouted, walking to the door quickly. Asuriel unlocked it and opened the door to see Rowan with a large bag in his hands.
"Hi, sleeping beauty," he greeted with a warm smile. "Sorry for waking you; I thought you'd be up by now."
"I thought I'd be up, too," she put her head in her hand in embarrassment, then stepped back to let him in. "Don't be a stranger; you've been here plenty of times."
"Sure," Rowan said, moving past her and removing his shoes. "I brought cake! Oh, and a gift."
"I told you that you didn't have to give me anything," Asuriel frowned, closing the door behind them.
Rowan shook his head, "It's not from me. Your regular, the nerdy writer guy – he said to give it to you."
"Oh, Theo?" Asuriel raised a curious brow. Had she ever told him her birthday?
The mischievous man shrugged and held out a small wrapped present, "Is that his name? I barely work day shifts."
Asuriel took it and moved to sit on the couch. As soon as she got comfortable, she gingerly began unwrapping the gift. Her eyes widened in surprise and excitement when she found a book inside.
A small sticky note was put on the cover.
'Happy birthday, Noir. I figured I would finally answer your question. Thanks for being a lovely barista. Your drinks are out of this world. ~Theo'
A small smile graced her lips. She removed the note to reveal the cover and nearly dropped the book when she saw it.
Love in the Underworld, by Pretty Peregrine, with the author's signature on the inside cover.
It was the newest book by the top dark romance author! Theo was Pretty Peregrine?! Asuriel was at a loss for words, and Rowan peeked over her shoulder to see what had her gobsmacked.
"Oh, shit," Rowan said, brows raised, "he's the smutty novel writer?"
"I…" Asuriel trailed off. "I guess so. I can't believe that Pretty Peregrine is a man, nor can I believe I made him coffee daily while he wrote this!"
"If you think about it, you're kinda, like, a contributor to the creative process," Rowan teased, sitting beside her. "You should get royalties."
Asuriel couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, I bet he couldn't have made the sex scenes so steamy without my killer Americanos."
"Your coffee is his muse," he chuckled.
Asuriel looked out the window. It was still storming but nowhere near as bad as the day before. She then remembered that she had slept through the time she was supposed to burn the incense!
"Shit," she muttered.
Rowan cocked a curious brow. "What's up?"
"I'm sorry, but I have to burn incense… and it's got a… uh, powerful scent," she said. "It's for my health, so I'm obligated to do it."
He shook his head and waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about me, birthday girl. Burn your nasty incense, I don't mind. I'm just here to hang out with a pretty lady and ensure she has a nice day."
"You're the best," Asuriel said affectionately. She was genuinely grateful for his company.
"I know," he replied, "you're so lucky to have me."
"Nevermind." She rolled her eyes as she lit the sticks of incense. "You suck."
The playful banter continued for a while, and they shared cake. It was terrific, as always. Asuriel put on a movie that Rowan wanted to watch and leaned back. They watched in silence for a while before Rowan spoke up.
"Have you always been inked?" he asked, looking at her curiously. "I guess you never wear skirts or shorts, though."
Asuriel looked at him and blinked. "What?"
"Your thigh," Rowan pointed. "Is it new?"
Asuriel looked down at her thigh and nearly leaped from her skin. There were distinct, black rune-like tattoos down to the knee on her right leg. She had considered getting tattoos before but had never actually done it.
The itching… is that what it was?
But, when she looked in the mirror earlier, everything was normal.
"Um…" she didn't know what to say but decided she didn't want to bring much attention to it. "Yeah, I got it for my birthday."
Rowan nodded his head appreciatively. "Thigh tattoos are hot – nice choice. Does it mean anything?"
"It… it's a family thing. All of the Draeliths get a tattoo on their twenty-fifth. My mom has one, too," she explained. "So, it's just tradition, I guess."
"Cool," he answered and didn't prod further. They finished watching the movie, and several hours had passed since his arrival.
As the day went by, Asuriel's headache and itching only worsened. By the time Rowan was leaving, she was ready to go back to bed and suffer for the rest of the night. It was good she wasn't supposed to leave because she felt awful, anyway.
"Thanks for coming," she said with a smile. Asuriel wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him; she rarely initiated hugs, so he was surprised.
Rowan quickly got over his initial shock and hugged her back. "I'm sorry you don't feel well on your birthday. Hopefully, some rest will fix you."
"I hope so, too," she muttered and pulled away. "Thanks for coming and for the cake – you made my day."
They exchanged farewells, and Asuriel shut the door behind her.
Now that she was alone, it was time to see what the hell kind of tattoos were appearing on her skin.