“Was Simeon the only one who saw you at the hospital?” I could see a hint of fear in his eyes. I didn’t know why, but I was sure I was getting to the bottom of it.
“What do you mean?” I could see the exaggerated gulp as he sipped his drink.
“Simeon left and came to find you. What about the others?”
Michael fidgeted in his chair as he pondered my question. Why was he having so much difficulty answering?
“Erm, well… There was one other. Luana.”
Seeing Michael fidget some more made me aware that he was hiding something from me. I’m pretty sure it had to do with Luana. Also, the name did ring a bell. I was sure he briefly mentioned her when I was in the hospital.
“Is she okay?”
“Yes, she fine. I assume she’s back home by now.” I was about to respond when he said, “That phone call you made, Cassie. The one before everything happened?”
Now it was my turn to feel uneasy. Very cleverly, he’d diverted the attention back on me.
“I was going to speak with you about that. I just knew we needed to talk. That’s why I asked you to come by the next day instead of straight after work.” I knew he was planning on seeing me. Stephen confirmed as much. When I was running home that night to declare my love to Stephen, I wanted it to be done without interruption.
“I think I got too impatient. I just felt like there was something wrong. I’m glad I went with my gut.”
“Me, too,” I admitted. If it wasn’t for Michael doing his guardian duties, I wouldn’t be here today. If it wasn’t for Stephen, I wouldn’t be here today, either.
“So, are you comfortable talking about it now? Do you want to tell me what it was you wanted to discuss?”
Sighing, I thought it was now or never. I kind of got the feeling he already knew what I was going to say. He just needed me to confirm it. But why did I feel like such a shit? Maybe it was because he poured his heart out to me and loved me unconditionally and now… Now I was about to slap him right in the face. Take all that time, love, and care he had shown me and throw it back at him. In the short time I had known what it was to love, I was stuck between two men I loved unreservedly, but in two completely different ways.
“I wanted to talk to you about us—well, about you, me, and Stephen.”
“Okay. I kind of gathered that. You found where your heart lies, I take it.”
I had to smile at that. He didn’t say “You made your choice”, or “You’ve finally decided to pick one”. What he said was gentle, making it much more bearable for me.
“You could say that.”
Michael took another sip of his drink, placed it back on the table, and sighed. “You chose Stephen, didn’t you?”
I couldn’t say anything. I couldn’t even move. I was in shock. Why did the fact he knew surprise me?
Meeting his eyes, I could see his expectations. From the way he stared, I could tell he wanted closure. Who was I to prolong his agony any further?
I took a deep breath and was about to answer when his phone rang. Looking at it, he said, “Excuse me a minute. This is work, so I have to take it.”
I nodded, watching as his face turned into a frown. “Where is this?… “Okay. I’m on my way.”
With a click of a button, he hung up, rose out of his chair, threw a note on the table, and looked at me apologetically. “I’m sorry. I’ve got to go in. There are riots in Central London and they’re requesting full back-up.”
Without hesitation, I rose out of my seat and followed Michael to his bike. I guess the conversation had to wait again. It also made me wonder whether this would affect Simeon coming later.
Chapter 9
Stephen
Damn, I was pissed! I had just gotten out of the Archangels Council after my request to return to earth. Of course Gabriel was there, it did involve his daughter, and you could tell he was just itching to throw anything at me. Everyone knew about Cassie’s choice now. It wasn’t hard for them to figure out after I begged them to let me go. Archangel Gabriel just shrugged and told me that, in time, he was sure she could learn to love Michael.
Fuck, if that didn’t crush me! Knowing she chose me, that thought made me physically sick. And the fact I know he’s right didn’t help. I might have been an angel, but I was a fowl-mouthed, independent tear-away who never stuck to the rules. If I went by the film she made me watch, Cassie was right when she said I was more like the Michael in the movie.
Fuck, I missed her. I know I’d get into trouble for cursing, but I didn’t care. I needed her as much as earth needed a sun. I was nothing without her. She was suffering. I could feel it. I felt her pain coursing through me like a fucking hurricane. I know she was physically hurting because of her injury, but nothing compared to what I could feel happening on the inside. Didn’t it worry her father that she was in so much pain? Didn’t he realise just how much I could give his daughter that no one, not even Michael, could give her?