The door from the apartment opened as Lys and Noara, carrying Lea on her arms, entered the living room. Both had a very worried look on their eyes, and kept looking back at Lea to see when she would open her eyes. Without exchanging a word, Noara went to her bedroom and gently dropped Lea onto the bed. Lea’s round face was completely pale, making her freckles even more noticeable. Lys left the bags of food on the kitchen marble and went to Noara’s bedroom. She had filled them in on how Lea got here and what her plan was on their way home. Lys was a bit shocked. It was technically not illegal, since it was in the contract, but demons that took humans as payment were seen as the worst of the worst. Still, they understood why their friend would do this and they wanted to be there for her.

- You doing ok? – Lys asked, rubbing the side of their left arm with their right hand

- I – She paused – I don’t know.

- Whatever you need, you can give me a call, ok? I’m here for you, girl – Lys put their hand on Noara’s shoulder and squeezed softly. Noara placed her hand over theirs, looked back to Lys, and gave them a soft smile.

- Thanks, Lys. I can take it from here. If I need you, I will call you – Lys nodded and headed to the door. The door squeaked and then closed, leaving them alone.

Noara left the room and went to the kitchen to put all the food into the fridge. She did so slowly, thinking about the events that happened a few moments ago and her part in them. She still couldn’t believe that Lea tried to kill herself. A big swirl of guilt filled her body, making her feel sick. She was looking down at the dirty floor, a grim look on her face, contemplating the mistake she made bringing that girl here. Before she could reflect more on her actions, she started to hear the noises of sheets moving from her bedroom. She looked back and saw Lea sitting upwards. She walked to the door frame and peeked inside. She was sitting against the bed’s headboard, staring at her own hands, not making a sound. Once she noticed Noara was looking at her she moved her hands towards her mouth and looked away. She started nibbling at her finger. Noara stepped in.

- Are you doing…? – Before she could finish asking, Lea interrupted, looked at her and hastily started apologizing.

- I’m sorry! I’m so sorry, I didn’t want to do it! I don’t know what was going through my mind! I’m just… Oh god! – She was breathing heavily and fast. Her hand was clutching her chest. Noara started walking towards her with a worried look on her face.

- Hey, calm down, please – She walked towards the edge of the bed – I’m not angry or upset. Everything is alright.

Lea started breathing a bit slower and looked at her, trying to find any proof that she was lying, that she was angry and upset. But she didn’t find anything like that. The only thing she saw were the yellow eyes of someone that seemed genuinely scared and worried for her. She opened her mouth to talk but she couldn’t find what to say. She just concentrated on breathing while looking at that demoness that was standing at the edge of the bed. Noara talked again.

- Can I sit with you? – Her voice was soothing, almost motherly. Lea didn’t say anything; she just nodded and started giving her space to sit with her.

Noara sat down next to Lea, smiling warmly at her, happy that she was letting her help her. For a second, she found that she both didn’t know what to say and had too many questions in her mind. Questions that weren’t worth asking now and that would be too personal. She wasn’t going to probe into someone else’s life like that. Still, she had to say something; the silence was starting to get awkward.

- Just – She paused for a second, thinking what she was going to say – Just breathe. You’re ok. You’re fine. And – She looked to the ceiling, looking for the correct words – And you don’t have to tell me why that happened. It’s ok.

Lea was looking down at her own legs. Noara used her right hand to move Lea’s orange, curly hair away from her shoulder and put her hand on it, trying to comfort her. Lea got surprised and looked up. The sudden movement startled Noara, who moved her hand away for a second.

- No, no – Lea said with her voice still trembling – It’s fine. It was good – With that, Noara placed her hand in the same place again and squeezed softly – Why… Why are you worrying about me? – The question took the demon by surprise.

- I don’t know – She said sincerely. She couldn’t figure out how exactly she felt about this human – It’s just… It feels right to try to comfort you and make you feel better. That’s it.

Lea thought about that answer. The fact that a demon said it just felt right to help her and comfort her felt surreal. And even then, it also felt really nice. Like she cared for her, if only a bit. Maybe it was really pity, but Lea didn’t care. For a second, she felt comfortable. She even felt safe. She moved a bit closer to Noara.

- Could you…? – She was embarrassed and didn’t know really well how to ask this – Could you put your arm around me, please? – Noara did so, if a bit awkwardly.

- Like this? – She said after softly grabbing her right arm. Lea leaned against her.

- Yes, just like that.

Lea sighed and completely calmed down. She started to feel a bit more at peace. She could feel her chest rise and fall with her breathing. Then, Noara’s hand started rubbing up and down on her arm. She couldn’t help but tremble a bit and sniffle. Tears built in her eyes as she started feeling overwhelmed. Her fears and anxieties were being pushed away and substituted by a warming and calming presence. She hid her face in Noara’s shoulder, who noticed she was crying.

- Shhhh, it’s ok – She reassured Lea – Crying is good and healthy. You can cry all you want.

- I was so scared – Her voice trembled as tears ran down her face – I don’t know why I tried that. I was just so scared and afraid and I couldn’t think. And, and, and – Noara leaned her head against her.

- Hey, it’s ok. You don’t have to explain anything to me. All I am worrying about right now is for you to be fine.

With this, Lea stopped holding back and hugged Noara while crying onto her. It felt so cathartic, so good and right. She wanted to trust her, to let her keep her safe. She wanted to hold onto her and let her memories of her past fade away. Just grab this moment of peace and quiet. This moment when she could be herself at peace. When she didn’t have to be afraid. When she could just cry to her heart’s content. Noara’s hand started rubbing her back, comforting her. Softly, up and down, letting her know without words that things were ok. That she was safe and sound.

After a while, her tears stopped running down her face. Her body started to feel tired. She was drowsy and started to fall asleep onto Noara, who even then, was still holding her close. Still trying to keep her warm and comfortable. She held onto her until she was completely asleep.