Water and Fire

Chapter 16

Lena stared at the waffle on her plate. She didn't know why she had allowed Maria to do decide what they would get for lunch. Lena could have known that Maria would pick something with loads of sugar and loads of fat.

"So, when are you and Brian taking this whole relationship to the next level?" Maria had whipped cream all over her face, but she didn't really seem to mind it.

Lena was still figuring out how to exactly eat whatever was on her plate right now. "What do you mean with next level?" Lena carefully balanced the waffle on the palms of her hands and she opened her mouth. With a sigh she felt how her nose ended in the middle of the whipped cream, but that was all forgotten as soon as she tasted the strawberries. She had never had strawberries before and she had to fight the urge to moan when she tasted their sweetness.

"Lena!" Maria shook her head and she almost laughed out loud. "You're dating an amazingly hot and sweet guy and you're asking me what the next level is?" She raised her eyebrows and she giggled. Her nose was covered in whipped cream too, but she happily took another bite.

"I'm sorry, I don't know anything about relationships and levels." Lena shrugged her shoulders and she swallowed, using her finger to clean her nose before she decided to use the knife and fork next to her plate to eat the rest of the waffle.

"Come on, Lena!" Maria shook her head in disbelief. "I know that Brian is your first boyfriend and that he was your first kiss, but you must have thought about dating!" She raised her voice and Lena felt her cheeks heating up because she was certain that everyone around them could hear Maria loud and clear.

Lena kept silent for a moment. She had read on the internet that usually teenage girls never stopped talking about their crushes. When she had been sixteen, she had been focussed on school.

"So, if you and your friends never talked about dating and boys, what did you talk about?" Maria cocked her head and she put her waffle down on her plate. She was using her sugared hands to remove the whipped cream, but it wasn't helping much.

Lena smiled a little and she thought about her friends.

They had talked about flying, about the tasks they had to do for school. They had talked about the kind of angels they had wanted to become and they had shared the stories their parents had told them. Talking about boys had never even crossed their minds. They weren't looking at how handsome or hot the other angels were. They didn't dream about sharing breakfast with this or that guy. There was no need to. They wouldn't have a choice anyway.

"O no, don't tell me that all your friends are as boring as you are." Maria interrupted Lena's thought and Lena noticed how the waffle had disappeared.

"I never thought I was boring, actually." Lena bent her head and she shrugged her shoulders a little. She noticed that she was literally the only one eating her waffle using cutlery.

"Really?" Maria smiled a mocking smile and she closed her eyes for a short moment while she sighed. "Lena, I don't want to be mean. You're the best friend I have here and you've helped me more than I can ever put into words. Actually, I think I would have fallen for all those parties if you had not been here. But you're joking right now, are you?" She waited for Lena to say yes, but Lena couldn't.

Lena couldn't say yes, because she had not been joking. "No, maybe the place where I live is boring in your eyes, but I was actually pretty normal there. I really thought I was normal until I went to college." She felt her cheeks heating up and she hoped that she wouldn't look too much like a red tomato right now.

"I know one thing for sure, Lena." Maria grabbed Lena's hand, forcing her to put her fork down. "You're far from normal. I assume that's why Brian likes you, but you're far from normal." She let Lena's hand go again and to make sure she didn't have to answer, Lena quickly put another piece of her waffle in her mouth.

Lena had read on the internet that human girls had their first kiss when they were fifteen. She had not dared to look up when they had sex for the first time. Just like she had refused to find out when humans had their first glass of alcohol.

"In my hometown everyone has always said that I was boring." Maria didn't seem to notice that Lena was avoiding the question and Lena was not going to make her any wiser. "But now I've met you, I'm sure they don't even know what boring is." Maria spoke without judgement though and Lena had to admit that she admired that in the girl. Even though she had just called Lena the most boring human being ever, she was still friends with her.

"It's a good thing I have you to teach me everything I need to know about life and boys." Lena tried to lighten the mood and she took the last bite of her waffle. She had no idea what kind of effect the overload of sugar and fat would have on her, but she had to admit that she wouldn't have wanted to miss it.

"You're already wearing the shirts I've bought you, which is a great start." Maria smiled again and she winked a little. "Those shirts look a lot better on the floor next to your bed than yours." She cocked her head a little, but Lena felt her heart skipping a beat in her chest.

"O, but Brian and I won't..." Lena stopped in the middle of her sentence. Her cheeks turned a bright pink now and she wished she had kept some bites to stuff her mouth with. "I mean, I'm not sure if..." She shrugged her shoulders and she licked her lips. "I barely know him and we've just had our first kiss and..." Lena swallowed and she looked away from her friend across the table.

"Lena!" Maria laughed and she threw her hands in the air. "You're a student! I get that your first time is a big thing, but you're being overdramatic right now." She shook her head and she closed her eyes for a short moment. "I'm sure that Brian will be sweet and tender. He made your first kiss amazing, I'm sure he will make your first time amazing too. Probably even more amazing."

The bad thing was that Lena didn't even doubt Maria. Just like she didn't even doubt Brian. If she would tell him that she was ready for it, he would make sure that everything would be perfect. Of course Lena knew that it wouldn't be his first time.

He was a demon and although not all rumors about demons seemed to be true, he had surely commit every sin she had heard about in Heaven. Smoking, drinking, drugs, skipping classes, stealing, murdering. Kissing women and having sex seemed like the least bad sins of all.

"O, it's not that I think Brian won't be sweet, it's just..." Lena stuttered and she stopped in the middle of her sentence again. She simply didn't know what to say. She couldn't lie, even though she tried. And she for sure couldn't tell the truth. Blowing her cover and telling Maria that she was her guardian angel would be even more stupid than falling in love with Brian.

Maria probably wouldn't believe her. She probably wouldn't believe that Lena was sent to earth to keep an eye on the human girl. She would laugh out loud when she found out that Lena would be matched with her soul mate when Lena would return to Heaven.

Apart from that it would force Lena to go home. If she was forced to tell the person she was protecting that she was an angel, her job would end immediately. And going home was the last thing Lena currently wanted. Because if she went home, she would be far away from Brian. She would probably never see him again.

It was weird how things could change in only a couple of months.

When Lena had arrived on earth she had been homesick. She had been longing for her parents' help and advice. She had been missing the world she knew.

"If you ever change your mind and need some tips or advice, let me know." Maria put more money than needed on the table and she stood up from her seat. "And if you change your mind about the underwear, I'll be ready to go shopping with you." She grinned widely and Lena quickly stood up from her chair too.

"I don't see it happening soon, but..." Lena hesitated for a short moment. "I don't get why I would have to buy special underwear if it's about to happen." She smiled a half smile and she cocked her head a little. "Aren't you supposed to take your underwear off when you're having sex?" The half smile became a full smile now and Maria laughed out loud, wrapping an arm around Lena's shoulders.

"Good to know you're at least aware of that."