The first time she tried to pay him to forget, he wouldn't take the money. He had just smiled at her, let out an awkward chuckle, and walked back into the Northwest manor. At the time his actions had confused her. Her other friends had always taken the money that was offered to them, regardless of the reason. But, as she began to get closer to him, and began to figure out the way his brain worked, she realized he had probably assumed she was joking. He couldn't have possibly imagined ever being payed by a friend for something as silly as a hug. But it really shouldn't bother her that much anyway. She hadn't meant to hug him. It had been just a reaction to the adrenalin rushing through her body and the excitement after having rid her home of its ghost. It had been a stupid impulse. And maybe thats what embarrassed her the most. Impulsivity was not like a Northwest, that had been drilled into her from the moment she was born. Every action a Northwest committed was calculated and precise. However, for some reason, on that night he had drawn that impulsive side out of her. Even more disturbing still, she had liked it. The impulse had felt nice. Or maybe, she had just liked him, pressed up against her, warm and smelling of pine trees and old books. Yes, she had liked the impulse.
The second time she had tried to pay him to forget he didn't take the money either. Although she knew he wouldn't, it had been kind of a hollow offer anyway. That time he had scowled at her and stomped away angrily. Although she could understand his anger, that is not exactly the kind of offer one would want to hear after kissing someone. But it shouldn't bother her that much anyway. She hadn't meant to kiss him. It had been an impulse. They had just gotten away from one of that journal's crazy monsters. He had been furious at her because she had put herself in " unnecessary danger". It wasn't unnecessary of course, it was to save him, but he wouldn't listen to that. She wasn't sure what had compelled her to do it. Maybe it was the adrenalin, maybe it was the cute way his brow crumpled when he got really mad, or maybe she had just wanted to cut off his angry rant. But she had grabbed his collar and crushed her lips against his. He had responded instantly by grabbing fistfuls of her hair and pressing himself more firmly against her. When she finally came back to earth she had found herself with her back pressed against the rough bark of a tree and his lips trailing down her neck. She had yelped in shock and pushed him away forcefully. Then she had fumbled for the wallet in her jeans pocket and held out a twenty towards him, like a sword. She had asked him to pretend it had never happened. And the furrow between his eye brows had returned.
The third time she tried to pay him to forget, the results were unsurprising. She had asked in a half joking way anyway, trying to dispel the awkward tension between them. She wanted to pretend it had never happened, even though she knew she would never forget. It had been her first time after all. And it had been amazing, her body was still tingling and her voice was still shaky. It had been a mistake though, she had just been swept up in the moment. He had always made her impulsive. She was desperate to put distance between them, so she had taken out the money. It had taken her awhile to figure out why she always tried to pay him, but when she did, it made her even more determined to keep him at arms length. She had never needed anyone more than she needed the man sitting in the bed beside her. It terrified her just how much she needed him. When she held out the money towards him, she had expected him to get angry again, or to walk away, but she had not expected him to laugh. But he did, and then he swept forward and captured her lips with his. And when they finally separated he had pressed his face into her neck and whispered against her skin, " Im not pretending anything, I'm never going to forget that."