The air was warm and dry, and the park was pleasant. They had settled on the edge of a large stone fountain in the park, and Gloria was listening to the pleasant splash of the water in relative silence. He was sitting right next to her and humming a Broadway tune as he thumbed through his newly obtained copy of Dante's first masterpiece.

Gloria couldn't quite place the song. That is, she recognized the melody, but could not add lyrics to accompany the song. The sound was very pleasant though, and the soothing murmurs almost seemed to blend with the sounds of the water.

Suddenly, he found his place and stopped humming somewhat abruptly. He smiled warmly and remarked, "Now don't you think it's far more pleasant to read out here?"

She fidgeted with the hem of her blouse, "You didn't tell me to bring a book. I left the one I'm reading on the night-table at home."

"Good riddance. That book was just common pulp filth. You read too many detective novels."

"I like them," she haltingly attempted to defend her taste in literature but she disliked opposing him. Instead she focused on the stale looking water in the fountain.

He picked up on her discomfort and soothingly took her arm, "I'm sure you won't mind doing without it for one day," he murmured, gently massaging her arm.

She closed her eyes and felt herself give in. She focused on the ground and then closed her eyes, "Of course not. I was just being silly."

He squeezed her arm and smiled warmly, "There's my girl. You're not hungry now are you?"

She shook her head, "No, I won't be hungry for another hour or two."

"Splendid, that's what I thought. We'll have a nice leisurely read and then we can go and have a pleasant lunch at one of little delicatessens nearby."

She hazarded an objection to his plan, "But I told you, I don't have my book."

He waved his had dismissively, "Don't worry about that. I'm always prepared." He glanced at their surroundings, "But I don't really want to relax on the lip of this fountain," he peered into the murky depths of the water, "and risk falling into that." He shook his head distastefully, "You never know what filth could be mixed in there, you can only be certain that it's a high percentage bodily fluid."

Gloria shuddered. She liked the fountain. She liked the sound of rushing water and often played tapes of rainstorms and waterfalls in an attempt to cure her fitful sleeping habits. However, with this new insight into the fountain, she had no desire to be quite so close to it any longer, so she didn't protest when he took her on his arm and led her away.

They strolled at a comfortable pace, although he seemed preoccupied with finding a new place for them to sit. There were lots of other people in the park because it was lunch hour, and Gloria knew she caught a few jealous glances directed her way. She blushed hotly and pressed against his side, letting her hair fall into her face and obscure it. She was not used to drawing this much attention to herself, and she was sure that none of it was positive. She squeezed her eyes shut as she recalled the incident with Ms. Pierce earlier that day. She looked up into his face and tried to gauge if he was enjoying this promenade as well. If he was, it completely eluded her, because he seemed to be quite engrossed in his hunt for a new seat.

She was about to express some disliked of all the attention in hopes he could halt it, he was Lucifer after all, she reasoned, although she didn't really like the idea of being responsible for his meddling with the heads of countless innocent park-goers, when he veered off the sidewalk and led her over to a large oak tree.

The oak tree had wide, spread roots, and in between them was a plush carpet of grass. He presented it for her approval.

"It does look like a nice place to sit, but won't your pants get dirty, sitting on the grass?"

He shook his head absently, adding, "They're green, I doubt it will show, and I can always have them cleaned."

She nodded and he put down his bag and umbrella nearby and settled down into the nook of the tree. She stood there staring at him, unsure of where she was supposed to sit. Slightly embarrassed, she sat down on the grass in front of him and hugged her knees.

He smiled, and shook his head, "Not there," she waved a finger at her playfully, "Otherwise my plan won't work."

Still unsure of where she was supposed to sit, she made no attempt to move, waiting for the plan to be explained. Reclined against the tree trunk, he suddenly shifted, opening a narrow place for her to sit beside him. His book lay open on his lap.

She bit her lip at the invitation and was debating whether or not it was socially acceptable to be that close to him at his point in their relationship when she suddenly stopped flat out. He was Lucifer. The Devil. They did not have a "relationship." She just amused him. She decided it was safe, and when he beckoned again, she moved into the empty spot beside him. Once she had, he shifted again, somehow making her place more comfortable, and Gloria was surprised to find herself cradled in the crook of his arm as he held the book in front of them.

He was pleasantly warm, she felt so safe and protected, caught up in an absent and practical half-embrace. She didn't care if the feeling was intentional or not, on his part. It was worth it. She settled back against is arm and found her head nestled perfectly in the hollow of his shoulder.

"Comfortable?" he smiled.

She nodded and hoped he couldn't hear how fast her heart was beating. Then she chided herself. "I'm sure he could, if he wanted to," she thought.

He directed her attention to the book, "We're reading Dante's Divine Comedy. Have you ever read that?"

She shook her head. She recognized the author and title from stacking books on the shelves of the classical literature section of the bookstore.

"You'll enjoy it, I'm sure. When you're ready for the page to be turned, just poke me in the ribs, and I'll turn it, and don't worry about keeping pace with me. Read at your own speed. I'm sure I'll find other things to amuse myself with while I wait," he finished a bit cryptically.

She blinked.

"And if you come across something you don't understand, feel free to ask. I'll help you to the best of my ability."

She nodded and he opened the book.

It took her forever to get through the first page, not only because the prose was so dense, but also because his warmth so close to her was extremely distracting. She somehow finally made it to the end of the first canto, at which point she began to concentrate completely on the book. It required her full attention, and she couldn't help but admit that it was very enjoyable. It just pulled you in, despite the archaic language and dense style. She stopped to ask questions twice, which he graciously answered. It seemed that he was familiar with the book in its native Italian and he occasionally pointed out translation errors.

She became so engrossed in the book that she didn't notice him bemusedly watching her study the text, nor did she realized the time as it passed, so she was surprised when he gently closed the book and announced, "It's time for lunch."