What Is Love? | My Inner Demons x Reader

Chapter 39: Feel Better! {Lorelai's Route}

~Third Person PoV~

The sound of (Y/n)'s phone vibrating was enough to wake them, and they let out a small groan. Their eyes flicker up to their nightstand with an annoyed glint. So much for getting sleep and recovering... They reach for the device and check the caller ID, squinting at the brightness of the screen. They realized they shouldn't have been surprised to find Lorelai's name.

They stare at the screen for a long moment, debating whether or not they should answer the call. On the one hand, they could be getting sleep right now, because the sooner they catch up on sleep, the sooner they can go back to looking after Ava and effectively make it up to the Daemos for yelling at them. But at the same time, they want to talk to Lorelai. Their last chat had brought the two of them closer and (Y/n) couldn't help but feel curious about where their unlikely friendship could lead.

It went against every instinct they had, but they answer the call and lay back in their bed. "Hello?"

~Lorelai's PoV~

"Hey, (Y/n)? What's up?" I ask, smiling. I honestly wasn't expecting them to pick up the phone, but the fact that they did makes me grin. They're finally starting to warm up to me!

"Not much, I guess..." They mutter in response, and I notice their voice lacks energy. I mean, I feel like (Y/n) and Ava always lack energy, but this is different. "Why are you calling me...?"

"I was just wondering if you were free, I thought we could get a group together and go out somewhere." I hum. "I wanna learn more about you, and I think over dinner could be a great way! Plus we could catch a movie after! Or maybe go dancing? You in?"

They let out a sigh on the other end and I hear fabric ruffling. "Sorry, Lorelai, I'm not up for that..."

I frown, falling back on my bed. This was terrible. First Steve cancels on me last minute and now I can't even make other plans to forget about it. "Aww, why not?"

"Well, Ava has a fever and I actually kinda passed out this morning from exhaustion and stress, so..." Their voice trails off and they spoke so quickly I almost didn't register what they said.

"You fainted?!" I gasp. "Oh my gosh, are you okay?"

"Yeah, yes, I'm fine, I just-"

"Have you been overworking? That's so like you, (Y/n), I really hope not, you have to take care of yourself! Next time you get stressed, just call me, we can go out and do something fun together, just the two of us! I'll take your mind off of everything else, promise!"

"That's really sweet, Lorelai, but-"

"Oh oh! What if a brought you guys some soup? I know this great little place downtown, I could bring some over for you!"

"Lorelai, please, just..." (Y/n) lets out a small huff. "I appreciate you worrying so much, but you really don't have to. Ava and I will be fine in couple days from now, really. And you don't have to bring soup, I don't want you to get sick or, like, catch my stupidity, or anything..."

I sigh, sinking back into my mattress. "You're not stupid... but I guess you have a point..." I mumble. "That's so disappointing though. I'm gonna miss you guys if I can't see you for now. The last time you and I talked was so nice, I wanted more of that!"

"I-I'll miss you too, Lorelai..." (Y/n) replies, and I swear I can hear the smile in their voice. "A-And I liked talking to you too, but we can always do that another time, right? I'll make time..."

A smile spreads across my lips before I even realize it's happening. "I will do! Let's stay in touch! Call me when you're feeling better so we can start planning a hangout, I have so many places I want to take you!"

"Oh, really?" (Y/n) asks and there's a quietness to their voice that I like. They sound kinda... cute. Cute and shy. I think I like them like that, it feels real.

"Of course, of course!" I hum. "If you want, I'll plan it all out for the both of us! You just go back to sleep, call me later!"

I'm about to say my goodbyes before (Y/n) speaks up again. "W-Wait!" They call, softly. "C-Could you maybe, um..."

"What is it?" I ask.

"Could you stay on the line a little longer?" Their words make me want to jump to me feet. They actually want to keep talking to me? "Just until I can fall asleep maybe?"

"Yeah, we can do that!" I beam. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Anything's fine..." They say, softly. "Just... keep talking to me, please."

I smile as I wrack my brain for things to say which takes me longer than even I'd expect. Normally, I can pull topics out of thin air, but right now with (Y/n) my mind is drawing a blank. I can't focus with the sound of their gentle breaths and quiet voice on the line. Did they always sound like that and I just never noticed?

"Lorelai?"

"Yeah, sorry, I couldn't think of what to say..." I admit, and it feels honest to say that. I let my energy dip with theirs and they don't seem to mind the change.

"That's okay..." They give a small hum and I hear fabric rustle again. "How's your day been?"