Page 17 of New Beginning

Teddy slid his hand over Mikkel’s and when Mikkel turned his hand so he could curl his fingers around Teddy’s, he felt brave for the first time since the crash. He hadn’t been brave for taking the bags out. It had been ridiculous that he’d not managed it before now. But this, holding hands? This was brave.

“Shall we sit somewhere more comfortable?” Mikkel asked.

Teddy nodded and pushed to his feet. He was thrilled when Mikkel kept hold of his hand.

“How about we have a drink,” Mikkel said as they reached the couch.

“I don’t have anything left other than water.”

Mikkel groaned. “That’s my fault. I thought…”

“That I’d go shopping?”

“There’s a good shop in the village. I left you money.”

“I saw.”

“If you could have anything you liked to drink, what would you have?”

“A margarita?”

That made Mikkel chuckle. Then Teddy jolted in shock as two margaritas appeared on the coffee table, the blue rims of the shallow-bowled glasses edged with salt. Mikkel handed one glass to Teddy and picked the other up himself. Teddy already missed holding Mikkel’s hand.

Mikkel touched his glass to Teddy’s. “To new beginnings.”

“New beginnings,” Teddy echoed. One sip and he groaned. “Oh, it’s lovely. Sweet and tangy. Maybe being dead isn’t that bad.”

He felt pleased with himself for being able to make a little joke.

“Being alive is better than being dead,” Mikkel said. “But just as in life, death is what you make it.”

“Unless you get sent to hell, I guess.” It made him wonder what Mikkel had done to become a demon. Been good at being bad? But Mikkel wasn’t bad. He was kind.

He was looking at Teddy as if he knew exactly what had gone through his mind.

“I try not to be bad now,” Mikkel said. “Though I sometimes am.”

“Are you reading my mind?”

“I’m reading your face.”

Teddy chuckled.

“I was demon made. I was very bad until I decided not to be.”

“You didn’t have parents?”

“I was never a child.”

“Lucky you.”

Mikkel sighed. “I went to see your mother.”

Teddy gaped at him.

“I know how badly she treated you. No child deserves to be treated like that.”

“Did you do something to her?”