The new week had just begun, and everything went back to it's original schedule. You had to go to work once more, then go to bed at a decent hour. Work is becoming increasingly busier, but you blamed it on the upcoming holidays. December was just around the corner, and most of your coworkers were working their hardest for that Christmas bonus. But, you had no one to work for. You didn't find it absolutely necessary to work overtime, either.

If it was just you, you knew you didn't need the extra money. You had no one to buy gifts for, either. No real friends, or family you associated with anymore. You were virtually always by yourself for every holiday, but you didn't exactly mind. A quiet coffee at a local cafe was enough excitement for you during the holidays.

You sat quietly at your desk, typing away at the blocky keyboard supplied to you by the company. Your lids felt heavier than usual, and yawns often sneakily slipped up your throat. The heater in the office was blasting, and it was becoming uncomfortably hotter by the minuet. Suddenly, a hot coffee was placed upon your desk by a pale, slender hand. You followed up the sleeved arm to see a young, handsome man with a cheeky smile.

"Good morning, [y/n]. How are you today?", the man asks cheerfully.

A soft blush fills your cheeks as you gratefully grab ahold of the coffee. You look up at the man and return the warm smile. This person happened to be one of your newest coworkers. He happened to join sometime last week, and he has the office in quite the buzz. He's a very kind, cheerful person, and he fills the office with plenty of good vibes. You felt like it was too good to be true that someone like him ended up in your department. His name was Alex, and he was barely a year older than you. He was very tall, and well-built. Slim, but not scrawny.

"Oh-! Alex, you didn't have to!", you said with shock as you tried to lift the coffee back up into his hand.

He has a middle part, which perfectly framed his face. His hair was lengthy, and the light brown locks fell in front of his hazel orbs every time he laughed. He was very handsome, and many of the young women in your department had already tried to leave their mark on him. Either he isn't interested, taken, or very dense, because he often pushes them off in a very polite way, but it's hardly noticeable at the same time, so the women never stop trying to pursue the young bachelor.

"Keep it, it's my pleasure! Please, I really don't mind.", Alex says, pulling his hand back.

"What's the occasion?", you question curiously, trying to hide the pounding in your chest.

Alex looked upward for a moment with a beautiful smile, then with a gentle shrug of his shoulders, he only turns his back to you. You blinked with confusion, calling out to him. You were only met with a wave, as Alex disappeared into his cubical. You exhaled softly, bringing the coffee to your lips before drinking up it's bitterness.

The small encounter you had with the office hottie reminded you of Cain. A small shiver traveled down your spine as you thought of what he might be doing at the moment. Cain was still extremely manipulative, and cruel. You didn't expect him to soften up either, but you wondered if there is a real reason he was in your life. Was it some sort of sick punishment for a past mistake? You never even really did anything worthy of something like this.

Soon your mind became bored with the idea of Cain's devious behaviors, and you switched it on to what you'd eat for tonight's dinner.

✞✞✞

You walked out of work right as the sun began to hide behind the horizon. Your stomach growled at you the entire way out, and you came to the realization you didn't feel like eating another instant noodle for dinner. You decided you'd have a nice night out, and settle for a salad at one of your favorite restaurants.

You walked slowly along the busy sidewalk, swiping through your phone to the beat of your steps. The atmosphere was calming, and you found yourself smiling without even noticing. You genuinely found yourself enjoying your evening for once, even if it was just a silly walk to get dinner. You slowly walked up to the restaurant's doors, opening them and then getting in line. Reading through the menu from the back of the line, Cain, once again, crossed your mind.

"Perhaps I should order something for him too?", you whispered to yourself, but that thought was soon cut off by the sound of the door swooping open from behind you.

Your hair flew into your face from the sudden gust of air that entered the small room. As it settled back down to your shoulders, a familiar and warm smile filled your vision. Alex, as shocked as you were, only smiled wider and waved gently. He quickly walked up to you, and his wind-tangled hair flopped in front of his eyes. You let out a quiet giggle as he rushed to push his hair back over his scalp with his hand.

"What a surprise! Didn't expect to see you at a place like this.", you said, with a hot blush hiding at the nape of your neck.

"I could say the same to you! What are you here for?", Alex chants enthusiastically, his young, hazel eyes sparkling with interest.

"I'm here to get a set of salads for dinner. They are my favorite.", you said as a smile creeped up to your lips.

Alex looked at you strangely as you said that. His smile dropped a bit, and all that was left was a half-hurt expression, followed by a weary smile. He quickly rubs the back of his head, stuttering to get out a sentence to save the atmosphere from becoming thick with awkwardness. You felt beads of sweat begin to form along your hairline. You wondered what you could have possibly said that turned him off so quickly.

"A set of salads? Is there- Someone?", he stuttered, his eyes darting around the room with anticipation.

Suddenly, you found your cheeks hot with embarrassment, biting hard into the side of your cheek. You quickly stumble back, laughing awkwardly as you tried to avoid his gaze.

"O-oh! No, there isn't! This is just going to be for my, uh, roommate?", you said with uncertainty.

But even so, it was enough for him to spring back to life and return to his cheery self again. You finally got up to the counter, and decided that Cain and you would be having grilled chicken salad for dinner, thinking that'd be somewhat enjoyable for a demon. You slowly walked off to the side, watching Alex order his own meal secretly. The more you stared at him, the better looking he became. You'd say he was almost as beautiful as Cain, but you guess demons were supposed to be charming, and good-looking.

Well, Cain lacked in the charming department.

Alex soon met with you off to the side, and you both exchanged a warm conversation about work and the food. He was very interested in your words, and you truly felt engaged with. When it came time to pick up your order from the counter, he quickly stopped you. You looked at him with surprise as he slowly pulled out his cellphone.

"Do you mind exchanging numbers with me? Maybe we could continue this conversation sometime else?", he said with a smile, as he pushed his phone towards you.

"Ah- Sure, that would be nice!", you stuttered, quickly fumbling through your bag for your own phone.

Once numbers were exchanged, you picked up your bag at the counter and waved him off, quickly making your way out of the restaurant before he could see your blush, or hear your pounding heart.

✞✞✞

Your key quietly slipped into the lock as you opened the room to your apartment. Snowball came running to your legs, rubbing her soft, small body against your shins. She circled around you with excitement, causing you to smile as you went to fill her food bowl. You set the bag that contained the salads on the counter and picked up Snowball's dish. Scooping her small pellets into the bowl, you went to set it down but she had run off to the back of the apartment.

"Huh? Snowball?", you call out, as she would never run off during feeding time.

"What took you so long?", a deep voice said sternly from behind you.

You almost jumped out of your skin, forgetting Cain had existed for just a moment. You slowly turned around to greet the demon, bowing your head just a bit.

"Ah, well I decided to pick us up dinner. I thought maybe you'd like to try grilled chicken salad with me?", you mumbled to him softly.

You didn't understand why, but your heart pounded a bit as you explained this to him, but it could just be fear. Cain yawned into his hand lazily, deciding not to question you further. You thought about Alex, and wondered how Cain would have reacted. But, you remembered the train pervert, and decided against Cain knowing about Alex for the safety of both of you.

Snapping out of your thoughts, you saw Cain going through the bag with a displeased look on his face. You swat at his hands and look up at him with a pout.

"Hey, at least wait for me to get yours out!", you puff at him.

He smirks slightly, grabbing ahold of your chin with his large hands. He licked his lips seductively, his face close enough to yours to feel his hot breath against your skin.

"Oh~ I like when you get all bossy~", Cain coos at you softly, causing you to quickly pull your face back from his hands.

"Just, please- Go sit down at the table.", you said softly, a heated blush taking over your cheeks.

He obliged, and took his seat, watching you with those golden eyes of his. His horns were so intricately curved around his hair. You pulled out your salads, and sat them down on the table, one in front of Cain. You then slid him the dressing, with a smile on your face that you didn't know you had. You never had dinner with anyone before, and at this point, the fact it was with Cain didn't seem or effect your mood.