The next morning, Sylvia woke up feeling somewhat refreshed. She didn't know when she had fallen asleep; and before she knew it, a new day had come, and her alarm was ringing its usual monotonous tune. When she turned to her side, Mephistopheles was lying on his back as she had left him last night, only he had his eyes closed (because their brightness had bothered her yesterday.) Since he does not sleep and had been awake this whole time, he immediately opened his said eyes then met hers.

"Good morning, Sylvie." 

"Hey." She half smiled at him, grateful for her peaceful night and well rested body. Mephistopheles turned his body so that he was lying on his chest with his arms hugging the pillow. "Slept well?"

"Yeah, I did, thanks." 

"Do I get a reward for helping you out?" He teased with a smirk.

"Yeah, my soul, after I die." She shrugged, sitting up to get ready for work. She walked up and fully pulled the curtains away from the window so that the morning light would seep in. It was a sunny day outside from what she could tell.

"But what if you die at like, 100?" 

"God forbid. Though even if I had the misfortune of living a whole century, shouldn't that feel short to a demon?" She shot him a side glance then headed for her closet to pick out her outfit. "I thought you guys live forever." 

"Yeah, but your wish is suuuuper boring, which makes time go super slowly!" The demon in question pouted, kicking his legs up in the air. Sylvia scoffed, then placed her clothes on the bed. "You could have had the exciting one if you weren't so useless." Her reply was cold and amused at the same time. It felt nice to have someone to talk to so casually and freely like this. With that thought in mind, she walked to the bathroom. 

Today, Sylvia felt like tying her hair up in a high ponytail. As usual, she was fixing her looks in the mirror while Mephistopheles read his book. She glanced at his reflection behind her, then patted some of the light brown strands poking out of her forehead. 

"Are you enjoying those books?" She asked him and saw him look up at her with his mesmerizing crimson eyes. "Yeah, actually, they're super interesting." The demon's answer made her raise an eyebrow. So demons enjoy rom-com novels? Who could have thought? But then again, it might be because he was stuck here all day, so maybe he had no other choice but to read them. 

"You know, you can leave the house while I am not here. You don't have to stay here all the time." This time, she turned to face him, crossing her arms. 

"Oh, really?"

"Yup. Just make sure not to act weird or attract too much attention from others, especially with those eyes of yours." As she spoke, Sylvia gradually came to realize the risk his going out could entail, with him being so casually comfortable and at home with everyone. She could easily visualize him sitting close to someone in a park and taking a sip of their juice because he was curious about what it tasted like. "Actually, stay here for now. We'll go out together this weekend. How about that?" Mephistopheles seemed almost excited at the suggestion and nodded aggressively. With that danger out of her mind, she turned back to the mirror for one final look, then, with a swift 'goodbye,' left for work. 

The world outside was as busy as always with its traffic and crowds. Sylvia braved herself through the chaos of it until she was at the café. When she got in, her manager was not by the counter, and she guessed she was at the back preparing some materials. Instead, she was met with David, who was cleaning the tables. When he noticed her, he smiled brightly. 

"Good morning, Sylvia!" 

She was in a good mood today, so she smiled back, though not as brightly. "Morning, David." Seeing her positive response urged him to push the conversation past its quick and superficial status. "You tied your hair today." He pointed with his free hand. "It looks super nice on you. Brings out your facial structure." 

"You mean my pancakey facial structure." Sylvia joked, though she always truly thought her face was overly circular and resembled a pancake. David, however, did not take her comment too well, and slightly frowned. 

"No way, it looks gorge_" Realizing what he was about to say, he blushed and coughed awkwardly. "It looks nice! So don't say that." Then, to save himself from her reaction, he pretended to focus on a non-existent spot on the table glass and started scrubbing it intensely. The sight of him performing this task reminded Sylvia of a certain clean freak she had waiting for her at home, which made her smile a little. Maybe today was going to be a good day, she told herself as she walked towards the back, not that she deserved one, her self replied with disdain. 

It was now lunch time and the café was bustling with customers who had come during their breaks to get something light and quick. She was at the kitchen preparing some orders with the manager, while David attended to the people outside. 

"Here, have some." Her manager reached out a plate with salted mini-crepes to her. Since they had no time to have their own lunch, the manager would always prepare similar dishes in advance, and have her employees gradually eat them when things got busy. With a thankful nod, Sylvia threw one crepe in her mouth and chewed on it. It tasted nice enough; and, after the manager had placed the plate on the counter next to her, she took a second one. 

"Do you like it?" 

"Yeah. It's light and delicious." Sylvia had returned to preparing a customer's whipped cream chocolate pancakes. 

"You seem in a better mood today." Her manager gave her a compassionate motherly smile, and Sylvia instantly knew where she was going with the conversation. She squeezed out the whipped cream as fast as she could, impatient to escape the situation, but to no avail.

"That's just how life works, Sylvia." The manager continued after a sigh, and Sylvia felt her heart drop. She did not want to hear this. She was trying to forget, as futile as it was. She did not need any further reminders. With a shaking hand, she placed a strawberry atop the cream.

"Don't forget the cookies," quickly added the old woman, noticing that she was about to leave with an incomplete order. "Just put it to the side. David will come get it." Sylvia complied hesitantly. There wasn't much she could do, and she was beginning to panic.

"Anyway, you'll get over it eventually. You're still young, darling. Time heals all wounds." Oh how Sylvia hated that phrase, how she utterly loathed it. Time heals nothing. It only numbs out the pain, but the pain will always be there, waiting, lurking, for the right night. Seeing her silent demeanor, the manager gave her a second smile, then added:

"It was not your fau_"

"I need to go to the bathroom!" Sylvia interrupted her, almost shouting, then ran out of the kitchen. Now in the bathroom stall, she sat on the covered toilet seat, and wept. Not her fault, she said, as if she knew a damn thing! What did she know, a complete stranger, who only heard about it from rumors? Nothing! Sylvia pulled at her hair, sobbing as quietly as she could. It was completely her fault. Everything was her fault. If it wasn't for her obliviousness, if it wasn't for her naivety, if it wasn't for her stupidity, it would not have happened! He would still have been alive today. Sylvia was now pounding violently at her head, trying to shut out the overflowing stream of voices screaming inside her mind. She had to calm herself down. She had to go back to work. But she killed him. She killed him. Sylvia was now on her knees, struggling to breathe amidst her uncontrollable sobbing.

Then, suddenly, the stall door was forced open. It dropped on the tiles with a loud crash. Sylvia looked up to see none other than Mephistopheles, standing in front of her with a serious look on his face.