The rain hadn't stopped in three days.
Seth stood under the awning of Emma's café, watching the water carve rivers through the city's grime. The cursed pocket watch weighed heavier than usual, its ticking a metronome to his doom. *362 days left.*
Inside, Emma hummed along to the radio, rolling dough with quick, sure hands. She hadn't noticed him yet.
He could still walk away.
But then she looked up—*saw* him—and her face lit like a struck match. "You're back."
Seth stepped inside, the bell chiming softly. "I owe you for the baking lesson."
She wiped her hands on her apron, smearing flour across her hip. "You don't owe me anything."
*Liar,* the demon hissed. *Everyone owes something.*
Seth ignored it. "Then let me repay you anyway. Dinner."
Emma froze. The word hung between them, sharp as a blade balanced on its edge.
"Dinner," she repeated slowly. "Like… a date?"
*Yes.* *No.* *I don't know.*
He hadn't planned this. The demon's rules were clear—*find love*—but Seth had spent a lifetime severing ties, not forging them. Yet here he was, standing in a bakery, heart pounding like a trapped thing.
"If you want to call it that," he said finally.
Emma studied him, searching for the joke. When she found none, she exhaled, half-laughing. "Okay. But I pick the place."
---
The restaurant was small, dimly lit, the kind where the wine was cheap but the bread was warm. Seth sat stiffly across from Emma, acutely aware of every flaw in his posture, every scar on his knuckles.
"So," Emma said, tearing a piece of bread. "What's your deal, Seth?"
"My deal?"
"You don't talk much. You wear a coat like you're hiding a body. And you bake like a toddler with mittens on." She smirked. "I'm curious."
The demon snarled a warning in his skull, but Seth was tired of lies.
"I made a mistake," he said quietly. "A bad one. Now I'm trying to fix it."
Emma's smile faded. "What kind of mistake?"
The words clawed up his throat—*I killed people. I sold my soul. I don't deserve to sit here with you*—but before he could speak, a glass shattered at the bar.
A man lurched to his feet, drunk and snarling. "You think you're better than me?" he slurred at the bartender.
Seth's body moved before his mind caught up. He was out of his seat, stepping between the drunkard and the bartender, his voice low and dangerous. "Walk away."
The man blinked, swaying. Then his fist flew.
Seth dodged effortlessly, twisting the man's arm behind his back. It was over in seconds—the drunkard shoved toward the door, the room exhaling in relief.
When Seth turned back, Emma was staring at him.
Not with fear.
With *awe.*
"Okay," she breathed. "That was… something."
Seth flexed his hands, shame curdling in his gut. "I told you. Mistakes."
Emma leaned forward, eyes burning with something he couldn't name. "Then tell me how to help you fix them."
---
Later, in the alley behind the restaurant, the demon raged.
*Fool! You showed her violence! She'll run now!*
Seth clutched the watch, its gears grinding under his fingers. "Maybe."
But when he looked up, Emma was there—haloed by the streetlight, her arms crossed against the cold.
"You left without saying goodbye," she accused.
Seth swallowed. "You should've stayed inside."
"Why? Because you're scared I'll see who you really are?" She stepped closer. "Too late."
The rain dripped between them, a fragile silence. Then—
Emma reached out. Touched his wrist, right over the pulse. "You're not as broken as you think."
Seth's breath caught. The demon howled.
And for the first time in years, Seth wondered if redemption wasn't a lie after all.
---
**Preview of Chapter 4:**
- **The Demon's Gambit:** The curse tightens—Seth's reflection starts *changing* when Emma isn't looking.
- **Secrets Unraveled:** Emma discovers the pocket watch… and the eye inside *blinks* at her.
- **A Dangerous Offer:** "Let me in," the demon whispers to Emma. "I'll show you who he *really* is."
Would you like any tweaks to the tone or pacing? 😊