Chapter 5:  In the Quiet Spaces

Days later, Briar sat on Cassie’s lap, her body warm against Cassie’s as they both settled into an unusual rhythm. Cassie, focused and intent on her work, typed steadily on the keyboard. She didn’t flinch, didn’t fluster. Briar had tried, many times, to break the contract between them, and many times, she had failed. Now, she simply had to endure the close proximity.

“Don’t you think this is... a little inappropriate?” Briar drawled, her voice thick with annoyance. She leaned forward slightly, her chin resting on Cassie’s shoulder as she watched the screen. “I mean, I’m a demon. A being of power and chaos. I should not be reduced to this.”

Cassie, unfazed, just gave a small smile as she typed away, fingers moving fluidly. "You’re the one who insisted on sitting there."

Briar snorted, flicking a few strands of her long, raven-black hair behind her ear. "It’s my right as your... um... partner, right? As the one bound by your ridiculous, binding contract.”

“Yeah, sure,” Cassie said, her voice light but with a touch of teasing. “You're my girlfriend, after all.”

The word hung between them for a moment, thick and awkward, but Cassie didn't seem to notice. She had become strangely accustomed to having Briar cling to her, to having her presence felt at every turn. It was almost... normal now.

Normal, except for the fact that Briar was a demon, and that their "relationship" had started in the most unusual way.

Cassie’s gaze flicked to the clock. “I really need to finish this report. I’ll take a break in a bit.”

"Uh-huh," Briar replied, her voice suddenly becoming playful. "Sure, just keep pretending that I’m not distracting you with my unbelievable beauty." She leaned in closer, her breath hot against Cassie’s neck. "Or my devilish charm."

Cassie just rolled her eyes, her fingers never slowing on the keyboard. "Your charm doesn’t work on me. You can’t break the contract just by being obnoxious."

Briar growled softly, a low sound that could only have been made by something ancient and mischievous. She ran her hands up Cassie’s arms, tracing the outline of her sleeves as if she were cataloging every inch of the girl’s body. "You’re boring, Cassie. I’m trying everything I can to get out of this, and you just... keep typing."

"That’s the point of your punishment, remember?" Cassie’s lips twitched with a suppressed grin. "You’re my girlfriend, and until you figure out how to break the contract, you’re stuck with me. So, what’s it gonna be today, Briar? Are you going to try to turn into a cloud of smoke and flee? Or maybe you’ll claim you’re ‘too powerful’ for such a mundane existence?”

Briar’s expression faltered for a moment, a flicker of irritation flashing across her face before she regained her usual bravado. She leaned back slightly, crossing her arms over her chest in a dramatic fashion. "You think I haven't tried everything?" she asked, her voice suddenly dark. "You think I haven’t tested every loophole and incantation to break this contract? Trust me, I have. And nothing. Nothing works."

Cassie’s lips curled into a smirk, but she didn’t take her eyes off her screen. "You’ve only been trying for a few weeks now. Maybe if you put in as much effort into staying as my girlfriend as you do breaking the contract, we’d actually get somewhere."

Briar narrowed her eyes, a spark of mischief returning. "You’d like that, wouldn’t you? To have your very own personal demon at your beck and call."

Cassie hummed, pretending to consider it. "Well, it would make life interesting. But I think you’re a little too much of a troublemaker for me to handle long-term."

Briar’s eyes gleamed with something dark, playful, and yet oddly affectionate. She shifted on Cassie’s lap, moving so her back pressed against the desk and her body fully aligned with the girl’s. "Is that so? I thought you were the one who summoned me in the first place. Don’t forget that you wanted me. I could make your life a living hell... if I wanted to."

Cassie raised an eyebrow, finally glancing at Briar. "I haven’t forgotten, but I also like my life the way it is. No need for hellish interference.”Briar smirked and leaned closer, her lips brushing Cassie’s ear. "Maybe I’ll find a way to make you need me. Perhaps a little... persuasion, hm?"

Cassie stiffened for a moment but then rolled her eyes with a chuckle. "You’re such a handful."

"Only for you, sweetheart." Briar’s voice was almost too sweet, too sugary for the usual dark, mysterious creature that she was. She held Cassie's gaze for a moment, waiting for any sign of weakness, any flicker of desire. But Cassie just stared back, her focus unwavering.

It was true. Briar had been trying relentlessly to find some way to break the contract. The binding magic that held her to Cassie was supposed to be simple—one soul, one contract—but there was something in Cassie’s spirit, in her essence, that rendered the magic unyielding. Every time Briar tried to escape, she was drawn back, like a tether refusing to snap.

And so, here she was, stuck with Cassie, her so-called "girlfriend." Briar had hoped that being difficult, being cruel, would be enough to make Cassie want to cast her aside. But the human girl was strangely resilient. There was something about her calm, about the way she simply accepted Briar’s presence, that made Briar question everything.

Cassie didn’t fear her, didn’t run away or try to hide. Instead, she had started to… enjoy the chaos Briar caused. Maybe it was a strange human thing, the way Cassie was slowly weaving Briar into her life, despite every attempt to drive her out.

The thought annoyed Briar, but she couldn’t help the tiny, gnawing feeling in her chest. Could it be that the one thing she had been trying to avoid was becoming something... unexpected?

Briar glanced down at Cassie, who was now absentmindedly tapping a pen against her notebook. There was no fear in her eyes, only mild amusement.

The demon growled quietly, slouching against the desk in frustration. "I hate this. You’re impossible."

Cassie chuckled, tapping a few more keys. "I know. But you're stuck with me."

Briar's fingers twitched at the words, and despite herself, her gaze softened ever so slightly. Maybe… maybe there was more to this than she’d expected.

Briar followed Cassie into the bathroom, her footsteps light on the tile as she moved with the effortless grace that came with being a demon. Cassie, of course, didn’t react, as though it were the most normal thing in the world to have a demon follow her everywhere—even into a bathroom.

It was routine by now, and routine was exactly what Briar hated most about this contract. She had tried to disrupt it in any number of ways, but Cassie, ever calm and composed, refused to be rattled.

Cassie turned to face Briar as she stepped inside, crossing her arms. "Out. Now."

Briar raised an eyebrow, hands on her hips, tilting her head with a faint smirk. "You’re really going to kick your poor, loving girlfriend out of the bathroom just because she wants to be near you?" she asked, her tone dripping with mockery.

Cassie didn’t flinch. "Yes. Out."

Briar’s smile faltered as she realized there was no negotiating here, no clever retort that would get her what she wanted. Cassie was serious. With a resigned sigh, Briar turned on her heel and walked out of the bathroom, but she didn’t go far—just slouched against the wall, arms folded as she waited. Her eyes were narrowed, sulking in silence.

She could feel the annoying stirrings of frustration building up again. She hated being told what to do, especially by someone so... ordinary. So human.

Time seemed to stretch on as Briar leaned against the wall, the soft hum of the bathroom fan the only sound filling the otherwise quiet apartment. She could hear Cassie moving around inside, the sound of running water, the soft clink of metal as the faucet was turned off. She didn’t know what Cassie was doing in there—probably just washing her face or something equally boring—but it annoyed Briar more than it should have.

Briar squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, trying to shake off the strange feeling that had started to cling to her. The realization that, despite all her attempts to escape, to leave, she was... here. With Cassie. And she didn’t know how to handle it anymore.

The girl had become something of a constant in her life. Cassie didn’t beg her to be perfect. Didn’t expect her to be anything other than what she was. In fact, Cassie expected Briar to be difficult, to cause trouble, and yet somehow… somehow Cassie never seemed to care.

Briar tapped her foot against the floor, leaning her head back against the doorframe as she sighed loudly. "You're really going to ignore me for the rest of the night, huh?"

A soft laugh came from the other side of the door, and Briar’s irritation flared at the sound. It was that mildly amused laugh of hers that made it impossible for Briar to predict Cassie’s next move. It always made her feel like she was the one who didn’t have control over the situation. Which, in truth, she didn’t. The contract was binding, and Cassie was—despite everything—undisturbed by Briar’s antics.

"Are you done sulking?" Cassie’s voice came from the other side of the door, casual and soft.

Briar frowned, standing up straighter. "I’m not sulking." She was, of course, but admitting it aloud felt far too weak.

"Sure you’re not." There was that laugh again. "You’re always so dramatic. Just come inside, already. It’s not like I’m going to kick you out again."

Briar’s lips parted as if she were going to argue, but the words died in her throat. Instead, she simply found herself stepping forward, her fingers pressing lightly against the door, pushing it open just enough to peer inside.

Cassie, now leaning casually against the sink with a towel around her shoulders, smirked when she saw Briar's hesitant stance. "Well? You coming in or not?"

Briar hesitated, arms crossed again as she lingered in the doorway. "I wasn’t inviting myself in," she muttered, though the sulkiness had gone out of her tone. She was still annoyed, but there was something in Cassie’s calm acceptance of her presence that made the demon feel... a little less irritated.

Cassie shrugged, tossing the towel over her shoulder and turning back toward the mirror. "I didn’t think you were the type to ask for permission."

"I’m not," Briar shot back. "I just don’t want to intrude on your... personal time."

The silence between them stretched out, punctuated only by the sound of Cassie brushing her teeth, a mundane act that should have felt trivial, but somehow felt... comforting. Briar watched her for a moment, studying the girl’s casual movements as if she were simply existing in a world where demons weren’t a constant presence.

It was odd. A part of Briar wanted to protest, to pick a fight, to stir things up as she always did. But another part, the one she kept trying to suppress, felt something strange. Something... soft.

Cassie finished brushing her teeth and looked up into the mirror, catching Briar’s gaze in the reflection. "If you’re going to hang out here, you might as well make yourself useful," she said casually, as if it were just another normal day.

Briar blinked, thrown off by the change in tone. "Useful?"

"Yeah. Hold my towel, will you?"

Briar’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Hold your towel?"

Cassie, still not facing her, nodded. "Yeah. You’re in the bathroom, you’re not doing anything, might as well be useful."

Briar's lips parted in mock indignation, but she found herself grabbing the towel anyway, holding it awkwardly in her arms like a servant, her own resistance failing under Cassie’s casual authority. It felt strange, but not as bad as it should have. Cassie didn’t demand anything from her other than her presence, and Briar... didn’t mind it as much as she should have.

Cassie finally turned around and grinned. "You’re doing great. See? You can be a good girlfriend after all."

Briar stared at her, something almost like... affection twisting in her chest. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out at first. Then, finally, she allowed a slight grin of her own. "I’m not good at anything, Cassie."

Cassie shrugged again, her smile only widening. "That’s what makes you fun."

For the first time in what felt like weeks, Briar couldn’t quite argue with her.

It started as a joke—Briar’s usual, devilish way of testing Cassie’s limits. A harmless request, made with a wicked smile and a challenge in her voice.

“You know, Cassie,” Briar had said one evening, stretching out on the couch, her eyes glinting with mischief, “I think I deserve something more. I demand… hourly forehead kisses.”

Cassie had glanced up from her book, the smallest of smirks curling at the corners of her lips. “Hourly forehead kisses?”

“Yes,” Briar said, stretching her arms above her head dramatically. “I’m a loving, devoted girlfriend. The least you could do is show your affection. It’s the bare minimum, really.”

Cassie had raised an eyebrow, a quiet chuckle escaping her lips. “Is that so?”

“Of course! I’m practically the perfect girlfriend,” Briar said, throwing herself dramatically against the back of the couch. “And you can’t possibly resist. I mean, how could anyone say no to me?”

Cassie, never one to back down from a challenge, had simply nodded. “Fine. If you want forehead kisses every hour, I’ll give you forehead kisses every hour. But only because I’m generous.”

Briar had smirked, not expecting Cassie to actually take her seriously. "You’ll regret this, Cassie. You’ll see. I’ll make it… interesting."