Saved by a Demon (Kiss Me at Midnight)

by Ebulu, Alessandra

  "Remarkably enough, you are right about that: you are not the only one who has contemplated committing suicide today. I never could understand humans and how they could throw their lives away so casually," Fola grumbled. "I saved you because I can see that you are strong enough to turn your life around and smart enough to listen to my words. Too many people these days are so stubborn. They aren't willing to take advice from anyone—especially not a demon, and they're too prone to making rash decisions. Besides, you are not depressed, nor are you actually suicidal. You're just being a drama queen." Fola's eyes looked up and down Parker's body, and he concluded with a leer, "Of course, you being blond, with those soft brown eyes and that delectable ass, adds to the appeal."

  Parker choked at his words and asked, "Are you actually flirting with me?"

  Fola did not reply, but rather gave him a wink.

  Parker had to laugh at that. Fola was clearly crazy, but amazingly enough, Parker didn't think he would have listened to him or considered his words if he had been more sane . Fola was right about everything he'd said about Parker.

  When his parents had died, Parker had kept on living and had taken each day as it came. He was sure that in time, he would be able to get over Jonathan. Maybe he could move to another city—or at least another part of town—as Fola had suggested. He could find new friends, a new job. He'd patched his life back together after his parents' death; Parker couldn't let a failed relationship wreck it.

  Parker gave a slight sigh, placed his hands on the railing, and hefted himself over it. As his feet touched solid ground, he turned to Fola and said, "So is this what you spend your days doing? Talking to suicidal humans and convincing them to give life a chance?"

  Fola laughed deeply before replying, "You are the first suicidal human I have been able to convince, although I think you wouldn't really have killed yourself. If you had actually wanted to die, then nothing I said would have gotten to you. But I am glad you listened. It will help me sleep better at night. There is also the added advantage that it annoys my brothers. I like my life the way it is at the moment. Eternity is a long time to spend tormenting others. It all gets boring after a while."

  "Well, I'm happy that you did not listen to your brothers. I like you the way you are right now."

  Fola gave a pleased smile at Parker's words.

  "Also, thank you for saving me and thank you for encouraging me to make the best of the New Year. I won't be forgetting your words anytime soon."

  Fola gave a little nod in acknowledgement of Parker's words and glided over to where Parker was standing.

  They stood quietly for a moment until the silence of the night was broken by the sound of the city's bells being rung to signal the countdown to the New Year.

  "Well, we're about to enter the New Year and it is tradition to start the year with a kiss." With those words, Fola moved closer to Parker and slowly bent his head, giving Parker an opening to move away if he wanted to.

  Then on the stroke of twelve, amongst the shouts and cheers of "Happy New Year," cool, soft lips that tasted of lemons pressed against Parker's lips and a probing tongue swept into his mouth when his lips parted on a gasp. He shifted his head slowly so that Fola's tongue could have better access to his mouth—an opening Fola took advantage of.

  The kiss was slow and thorough and short, and Fola pulled back with a final sweep of his tongue across Parker's bottom lip. Parker whimpered as he tried to move closer, but Fola used his hands to keep him steady and at a distance.

  Brown eyes opened to stare at eyes that had turned orange. Fola winked and the leaves began to swirl as Fola attempted to leave. Parker did not pause to consider his actions. He merely reached out with his right hand and grabbed Fola by one of his. With a voice that trembled slightly at the thought, he asked, "Will I see you again?"

  Fola smirked when he replied, "Wild horses could not keep me away, Parker. Happy New Year. I will see you soon." With those words, he left in a swirl of leaves, leaving Parker to stare at the spot where he had been standing.

  Parker ran those words over and over again in his mind, and he grinned when he realised that he would see Fola the Iwin sometime soon. It would seem that he was starting the New Year with a new friend and a potential lover. With a smile and a bounce in his step, he walked back to his house.

  *~*~*

  Parker spent the first days of January packing and sorting out his boxes as he put his apartment up for sale. It was a busy period, but eventually the apartment sold and he moved out not long after. It took little effort to pack what remained of his possessions—the ones he had not sold—into his trusty Mustang and drive away. He left his old home and his old life without a backward glance.

  Parker moved three hours away: new city, new people, new start. He spent a month searching for a new job until he got an interview for a position at a public relations firm. It was his dream job and he knew it would be the perfect beginning to his new life.

  Unfortunately, he was so nervous the night before his interview that he couldn't concentrate on the notes he had made for it, and between his shaking hands and sweaty palms, he could not keep the cards he'd made in order.

  With a frustrated sigh, he dropped the cards on the table and moved to pour himself a shot of whiskey to help calm his jagged nerves. He had just poured the shot and was about to raise the glass to his lips when a voice spoke from behind him.

  "I do not think drinking alcohol the night before an important job interview will help to calm your nerves, especially considering how low your tolerance is. You'll only be cranky when you wake up—and less likely to remember your notes."

  Parker swung around immediately and his eyes confirmed what his ears had heard.

  Fola leaned against the kitchen wall with his legs lightly crossed at his ankles and his eyes green and bright with laughter. His hair was the same length it had been when Parker last saw him, and Parker felt the urge to run his fingers through the locks and kiss the lips he had missed.

  A small nod from Fola had Parker running around the table and moving to hands that had been stretched out to embrace him. Lips met and tongues collided in a kiss that conveyed just how much they had missed each other.

  Parker sank his hands into the dark hair that he had not been able to touch the last time they had kissed as Fola's hands grabbed his neck to tilt his head further so he could devour Parker's mouth more thoroughly.

  When at last they broke apart, Parker ran his tongue lightly over Fola's lips to capture the taste of lemons he had come to associate with Fola, whose eyes immediately darkened at the action.

  "It has been too long. I know you promised that I'd see you again, but it's been over a month since New Year's Eve. I'd hoped I would see you before I left, but ... I thought I had imagined it all, or maybe you had forgotten all about me, so I—"

  Parker stopped talking when he felt Fola's finger against his lips. "You are rambling—which is cute, but I know you would be embarrassed about it later," Fola said with a curve of his lips, and Parker promptly flushed as he realised that he had been rambling. "I wanted you to make the move on your own, so I decided to give you some space. You needed it," Fola said.

  Parker restrained himself from blushing while he considered Fola's words. He asked, "So, why you are here today? Is it because you think I need help with preparing for my interview?"

  "No. I am here because I have missed seeing you, missed watching you laugh and kissing you until your brown eyes cloud over," Fola replied as he stared fixedly at Parker's mouth. "Helping you prepare for the interview is just an added bonus," he said with a slight leer.

  Parker lowered his eyes demurely and asked, "And how do you intend to do that?"

  Fola tugged Parker's hands to lead him towards Parker's bedroom. "The answer to that is very simple. We will make love tonight. That will help relax you better than that glass of whiskey and it comes with no hangover. Come morning, I will personally help you review your notes while I scrub your back in the shower
."

  Parker laughed as he allowed Fola to pull him towards the bedroom. Meeting Fola had been the best thing that had ever happened to him.

  *~*~*

  The next morning, just as Fola had promised, he helped Parker review his notes before they fucked against the shower wall. Parker barely made it in time for his interview, but Fola's ministrations had helped to distract him and calm his nerves so he was able to give his best at the interview and was rewarded by being offered the position.

  When he arrived home, he and Fola celebrated with a nice bottle of Pinot Noir, and they spent the rest of the night making love.

  The months that had followed had him working at his new job and making friends with his new coworkers and neighbours. He joined the local library because Fola had complained that Parker did not have any suitable reading material and Parker wound up making friends there as well.

  His nights were spent in Fola's arms except for the rare occasions when issues arose in Fola's forest that required his presence. Such times meant that Fola had to leave; however, the situations were never dire and eventually Fola would return.

  The year had been good to him and sometimes, when Parker remembered Jonathan and his attempted suicide, he thought about the grave mistake it would have been and thanked all that was good in the world that he had met Fola on that fateful New Year's Eve.

  It was now New Year's Eve once again, and this time around he was in the comfort of his home, snuggled against Fola and watching old movies while eating from a bowl of salted popcorn. Fola spent most of the movie they were now watching analysing the stupid behaviour of the characters, and Parker laughed at his outrage that the protagonist had returned to his boyfriend.

  "Stop being stupid, Michael. He is a lying, cheating cur and does not deserve you. Do you want to spend the rest of your life dealing with him? What the hell is the matter with you? Kick his lying, cheating ass to the curb. There is a good man out there for you, but you won't find him if you're still shackled to that bastard. You need to walk away, boy, just walk away."

  At this point, Parker collapsed off the sofa, laughing hard. Fola stared at him with brows raised in a silent question and Parker replied, "It's hilarious hearing you speak in slang. You have obviously been watching too much television. And you do realize this is a movie, right? You shouldn't be so pissed, considering that it's not real and the writers probably ensured that Michael will still leave his cheating boyfriend for someone better."

  Fola merely huffed and replied, "First, I will not deign to give your initial statement a suitable reply. It is beneath me. Second, the only way to enjoy a movie is to get involved with it, and that means trying to feel the emotions of the characters. Watching movies is an experience, just like eating ice cream is an experience. Clearly it is something you don't understand."

  "There is no need to get huffy about it all. I was only kidding, Fola," Parker said and laughed. "Besides, I can feel the emotions of the characters too—especially Michael—but I know that he will still leave Charles for someone better. I have been there and I can testify that there is always someone better when a man walks away from someone who doesn't deserve him. After all, I did get you, and you are more than I could have ever wished for."

  Fola's eyes turned a bright shade of green at Parker's words, and he leaned down to kiss him. Soon, the movie was forgotten as Fola pressed Parker to the sofa and all Parker could think was that it had been a beautiful year and the years to come could only get better, especially when he had his beautiful and unorthodox Iwin by his side.

  About the Author

  For as long as she can remember, Alessandra Ebulu has always had her noise buried in a book. The characters appeal to her and it is not uncommon to find her talking to the various characters in her head—both the ones she created and the ones she has read about (of course she does this while walking down the street, but she’s not crazy or anything).

  When not reading or writing, Alessandra can be found watching movies, sitting in front of her laptop (watching animes, reading mangas or surfing the Internet), and listening to all the genres of music that make her life complete.

  You can find Alessandra Ebulu on livejournal or twitter, or email her at siteno.ebulu@gmail.com.