The Incubus Under my Bed

Chapter 13

“How was your night?” Henrí asked.

“Loud,” Grant replied dryly.

Henrí smirked and tried his hardest not to look at Aria who was blushing up a storm. “I’m really sorry about that, and it won’t happen again.”

“It better not,” Kaitlyn warned. She was putting her blond hair into a messy bun so she could eat without it getting in her way. She sat in her chair with her legs crossed and picked at her pancake with her fingers. “It’s not fair that you get to pull a naked all-nighter and we get the boring academic kind.”

“And it was pointless because of the freaky snowstorm,” Ieshia added as she poured herself and Kaitlyn a cup of coffee.

Once again Henrí tried not to look over at Aria who was blushing up a storm. “I wonder where that came from, it was almost like magic,” Stella smiled into her cup of coffee, as Henrí mentally pleaded with her to stop talking. “God must have answered your prayers not to have your test.”

“Not quiet,” Kaitlyn said.

“She made it an online quiz, so we have to do it by midnight,” Ieshia sighed.

“Well I hope breakfast makes you feel better. I’m really sorry about last night,” Henrí smiled.

“Wait you made this?” Grant asked.

“Yeah I did,” he smiled. “It’s an apology breakfast.”

“I’m not eating this,” Grant said.

“Andrew Donte Grant don’t be rude,” Ieshia said. She was usually the peacekeeper between Kaitlyn and Grant, but she was also really quiet. She was somewhere between Kaitlyn’s loud and out there personality and Grant’s quiet neurotic one. She was some kind of Spanish the girls had settled on, but Henrí thought she was Italian. She wore her dark hair in a short pixie cut and it fit her pettiness. “He’s just trying to be nice.”

“He probably poisoned it,” he grunted.

“Why would I waste perfectly good food to poison you?” Henrí asked.

“Because you’re a sociopath,” Grant yelled.

Henrí honestly had no argument for that. He had been a little on the meaner side to Grant and he deserved the label. “I’m sorry for being crappie,” he said.

“Yeah well maybe you should f**k your sluts at their place,” he shrugged.

Henrí could handle Grant saying whatever he liked about him, but he disrespecting Aria wasn’t going to be tolerated. “One she’s not a slut and two I can do whatever and whomever I like in MY room. I pay my tuition just like you,” Henrí yelled.

“That still doesn’t give you the right to come into our space and treat us like guest. And any girl that would be loud and unruly with you as if it weren’t a school night, and you didn’t have roommates, could only be classified as such.”

Aria hung her head allowing Grant words to make her feel like what they did was wrong. Henrí damn near jumped over the table to grab Grant by his collar. “She is not a w***e and if you ever use that disrespectful word to talk about any other woman in my presence I will make you swallow your teeth,” Henrí said before he forcefully let go of Grant causing him to stumble a little. Henrí returned to his seat and ran his fingers through his long dark brown hair. “Sorry.”

“I don’t have to take this s**t,” Grant said going back to his room and slamming his door.

“He just needs to get used to you guys. He’ll come around soon,” Ieshia said as she continued to eat as if nothing happened.

“You must really like Ashley,” Stella started. “It was really sweet how you defined her even though she’s not here to know it,” she smiled at him.

“She’s a really wonderful and beautiful person, but no one should say things like that about a woman,” he smiled in her direction, but it was meant for Aria who was seating across from Stella.

“I have to let Ash know to hold on to you tight, ‘because I might come still you away,” she said using her flirty voice.

Henrí looked over at Stella and they smiled at each other. The way they looked at one another made Aria’s stomach turn. She was extremely uncomfortable with her cousin flirting with the guy she was sleeping with. “Ella, down girl,” Aria said cautioning her. “Ash is our friend, girl code,” she said in a playful tone.

“She’s not my friend,” Kaitlyn smiled.

Aria and Stella both snipped their necks in her direction. “I thought you were gay?” Stella asked.

“Stella,” Aria yelled at her.

“What, we live together. The point of this thing is for us to get to know each other,” Stella said dismissing Aria’s embarrassed look.

“I’m bi and Ieshia’s gay,” she smiled.

“Have you two ever?” Henrí asked.

“We dated freshman year, but we’re mostly just friends,” Ieshia said.

“You learn something new every day,” Stella said seeming really fascinated.

“And Grant is...” Stella asked.

“He’s Bi, but you didn’t here that from us,” Kaitlyn said, and they resumed their meal talking and laughing. It was really everything Aria dreamed it would be. Henrí never seen her smile so freely. He was glad that they got to have this moment.

Chapter 8

Henrí was dressed in a tight Henley and dark jeans with his wavy hair falling to one side of his face. He walked across the hall to Aria’s room. “Are you ready to go?” he asked.

Aria was wearing a red sweater dress with plaid tights. She had her hair braided up into a puffy ponytail. She turned to him and gave him a warning look. Her eyes bounced from him to Stella. Crap, he thought. I keep forgetting about her.

“Where are you guys going?” Stella asked.

“Dinner,” he smiled.

“Like a date?” Stella asked with rised brows.

“No!” Aria stressed. “He’s with Ashley.”

“Oh, shut up Aria,” Stella said shaking her head. “I was only teasing.”

“Well, that’s how rumors get started,” she yelled.

“Please take her away immediately. I can’t survive another minute with her in this room,” Stella begged Henrí.

“As you wish,” Henrí said bowing to Stella. Then he picked Aria up and carried her bridal style out of the room.

-IUMB-

The moment they got to the door of Dr. DuPont’s house Aria’s heart started to race double time in her chest. She knew this was going to be a disaster, but she kept telling herself that everything was going to be okay. She knocked Henrí’s hand down when he went to ring the bell and turned to him and said. “I can’t do this. I can’t sit there and eat with his family knowing how I feel. I can’t do that, Henrí, it’s not right,” she pleaded as if he were about to kill her.

“Aria, it is going to be okay. I’m going to be right here beside you the whole time. And if all else fails talk to Maddie. She really likes you, and she already wants us to get married,” he said with a sly expression on his face.

Aria laughed. “I’d love to see you get married.”

“You’ll have a front row seat,” he said reaching over her and ringing the doorbell.