Faith Heights

Chapter 28

"Do angels need to eat?" I asked and sat up on the bench.

He lifted his head at my voice, banging his head on the shelf at the process. He shrugged and rubbed his head before turning to the fridge, which was just as overstuffed.

"Not to survive, but what is survival without tacos and...ice cream?" He retrieved ingredients from the fridge for those very dishes, laying them out neatly on the bench beside me.

I couldn't help a small laugh. "Now, when you say things like that, it makes me think you really could be my soulmate."

"You still doubt?" He asked, his voice suddenly serious. He turned back to me, perched on the kitchen bench. Even on the raised seat, he stood taller than me.

I averted my eyes as he moved closer, my hands reflexively moving to fiddle with my skirt. Before I knew it, he was standing before me. He reached out and brushed a strand of hair from my cheek, smiling softly.

"I told you, Lila. I don't have any expectations. It's different for every soulmate, but I never thought you'd see me and instantly beg to sign over your soul. I just want to spend time with you, and I hope that you will trust your instincts as much as you have in your past lives."

Before I could reply, he'd shifted to the side, already flurrying about chopping vegetables with expertise. 

I watched for a moment before teasing, "And impressing said soulmate with your cooking skills can't hurt, right?"

He grinned across at me. "Right."

I jumped down and helped with the preparation as much as I could without slowing down the process. I was used to making meals for my family back home, but I would hardly have called them gourmet.

We chopped up a mass of vegetables, emptying at least a third of the fridge. He seemed just as nervous as I was, happy to prolong talking, which somehow comforted me. After we'd slid the shredded veggies into bowls, he cooked some mince in a mouth-watering sauce. We threw a box of taco shells in the oven, and before I knew it, we were eating together in the cabin- like an old married couple.

We were still relatively quiet as we ate, which I was grateful for. I hadn't been able to stomach much over the past week, but my appetite had suddenly decided to return with a vengeance. I tried to eat daintily, but a few minutes passed and I convinced myself that if he was already my soulmate, then I didn't need to fret about maintaining composure while gargling down sloppy food.

After we cleared the table, I couldn't resist prompting, "So, what now?"

"What now?" He frowned. "Now, I take you back to school."

I felt my eyebrows raise into my spilling fringe. "Just like that?"

He laughed, ducking his head. "Yeah, just like that. The plan wasn't to kidnap you on our first date."

I let out a long breath that I hadn't realised I'd been holding, and rubbed my face. "That's a relief to hear."

He moved closer. "I'll say it as many times as I have to, Lila. There are no expectations. I'm not taking away your free will. Our past is a little heavier than most couples your age, I'll admit." He chuckled tensely. "In time, yes, I'd like to take you away and show you what our life could be like. But for now, I'm happy just being a normal guy taking a girl on a date in the woods." He finished with a grin.

As Lucas drove me back to school, I decided to use the last few minutes of our time together to pick his brain. To truly test my soulmate.

"Where are your wings?" I probed.

He laughed. He seemed to like the sound, although more often than not it was shaky. "Oh, they're there. I could summon them, but only if you'd like to spontaneously combust."

My jaw dropped open. "Seriously?"

He nodded. "They kind of exist in this middle plane, between heaven and earth. If I summon them here, anyone without angelic blood wouldn't be able to physically stand the sight."

"Does the same go for the halo?"

He shook his head. "I don't have a halo, at least, not in the sense you're thinking. It's just the wings." He didn't really need a halo. Every time he smiled, it was as if he glowed from within. Surely he knew the effect he had.

"But you can fly?" I let my head fall back against the head rest. "That must be incredible."

"It's definitely something you don't take for granted." He guaranteed, sounding understandably proud.

"It must have killed you, when they were broken." I mused.

"Broken? What do you mean?"

I explained, "A friend of mine told me parts of the story of how we met. How I found you at a river, all broken and battered...Is that when you fell from heaven? That's why you were hurt?" Putting the pieces together on my own had been near-impossible.

His expression turned to stone, and I assumed I'd entered a touchy subject. 

I turned to him as we parked. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

"No, it's alright. It's just... hard to explain." He ran a hand through his dishevelled hair. Everything about his appearance was immaculately kept, but his hair ran wild like a mane.

Lucas continued, "To answer your question, no, my wings weren't broken, and yes, we first met not long after I'd fallen." He smiled. "And I couldn't have asked for a better reception on earth."

He quickly walked me back to my wing in the school's building, earning a few disbelieving glances as we crossed the lawn. A few of the scholarship students saw us in the doorway, and appeared curious, but their eyes held none of the same awe.

In a rush, Lucas leaned in, kissed my cheek, and dashed back across the lawn. When I reached my dorm room, I realised that the day hadn't ventured anywhere near where I'd thought it might. I wouldn't say I'd been entirely relaxed, but at least we'd shared in our nerves. Lucas had a similar taste in music, and he appreciated being enveloped by a good book, which boded just as well as he'd clearly hoped for. He'd spoken with a clear optimism in his voice, as if he desired the sun, and with his abilities, it wasn't a totally unfeasible dream. He had been a perfect gentleman, opening doors and pulling out my seat at the cabin's dining table. He'd been everything I'd told Leclair I wanted in a soulmate.

It should have been enough.