Deal with the Devil (18+)

05| Mr Darcy

Some people are able to orgasm while working out, thanks to repetitious core movement.

Evelyn's p.o.v

There were few things I liked more than sitting out on the terrace on a Wednesday morning, watching people dashing across the crossroads and listening to the not-so-delightful, yet necessary sound of traffic from the road below.

With a book in one hand, and a calorific breakfast in the other, what other situation could be better? I was currently reading a book of dark poems, specifically conversations with Persephone. It was a battered copy of the hardcover I'd found in a nearby charity shop. Something about the sadistically illustrated cover and the dark romance of Hades and Persephone pulled me in and I'd bought it without even thinking.

'I asked Persephone,

"How could you grow to love him?
For he took you from flowers to a kingdom
where not a single living thing can grow."

Persephone smiled,

"My darling, every flower on your earth withers.
  What Hades gave me was a crown
made of immortal flowers in my bones.' -Nikita Gill

I flicked over the page and had just finished swallowing my last bite of the sickly-sweet, apple pastry in my mouth, when there was a sharp knock at the front door. I wiped down the crumbs of flaky evidence from my mouth and lap before removing the dainty, little box it had come in, taking extra care to hide it beneath the plastic salad container already in the recycling bin.

Denial at its finest ladies and gentlemen.

No evidence. No calories, that's how it worked right? Nobody need know about the pastry massacre that had just occurred. My logic might be a little flawed there, but was nice to pretend.

"You ready to kick some running ass?" Alicia's chirp voice cut through the apartment and I rolled my eyes at her early morning enthusiasm, placing down my hardcover. Why had I given her my spare key again? It's not clever and certainly not needed at 7am on a Wednesday morning.

I had taken yesterday and today off work by calling in sick as the thought of going back into the café after the whole gun incident was not a welcome idea. Yesterday I had only left the safe confines of my bedroom to pay rent, in the form of meeting up with Mr absurdly-rich-stranger and sharing his bed. However, today Alicia was pulling me out for our usual early morning trip to hell... oh sorry I meant the park. Running is a passion of Alicia's that she enjoys transferring onto me and although I happily reap the benefits it bestows on my figure, I don't appreciate the actual process- especially at 7am.

As we wandered into the kitchen, Alicia graciously pretended not to notice the empty bottle of vodka on the side and I mentally thanked her for it. Last night I had needed a little dutch courage, in the form of straight vodka shots, before meeting up with Hope's medical cheque. She normally tried to help out or give some preachy advice, but I think even she could see that I'd been going through a rather rough patch this last month.

"I can't believe you're forcing this on me." I groaned while. reluctantly pulling on my running trainers from the shoe pile by the front door. The collection recently seemed to be growing at a rather alarming rate despite my best efforts to save what little money I actually earned.

Shoe addictions are real people, and they are dangerous.

"You'll thank me later." She hummed the same little phrase she told me every morning, yet I never actually thanked her at this metaphorical later time. Our daily circuits took up a good portion of every morning, however the early weekday runs before work always seemed to be the hardest. "Besides, we need to keep our immune systems on tip-top form as I refuse to become an anomaly youth victim to the virus."