Till Death Unites Us

Chapter 21

 I open the door to reveal an angry Angel; I told her about everything on the phone. I hug her, and we break apart too quickly. Wow, she must be fuming.

 “Hey, Anne.” She says.

“Evangeline,” Mom nods at her, and I do my best to drag her upstairs before the second Cold War breaks out in my penthouse. I know I’ll be the only one knowing it’s happening ‘cause my dad would probably think it’s just a fly wandering in our living room or something.

 I close the door to my room and sit down beside Angel on my bed.

 “Why is she here?” Angel asks as soon as I sit down beside her. “Did she suddenly feel that her daughter has been alone for the past six years?!”

“Angel, please, I didn’t call you to talk about my parents.” I plead for her to calm down.

 She was doing just that when my mom knocks on the door.

“Ughh!!!” I groan as I open the door. Mom just pushes me aside and steps in, “I’m sorry, Angel, you need to leave,” she says firmly, “Eternity needs to have lunch and do her homework.”

I snort out loud, causing mom to glance at me, “What? What did you just say, Mom? How old do you think I am?”

“Eternity! Wait! I’ve got this.” Angel interrupts.

 She stands up in front of my mom, holding her gaze like nobody has ever done, “I’m not going anywhere, Anne. The daughter you abandoned needs me, and I won’t let her down. Enough disappointments; she’s had more than her fair share. You’ll walk out that door and have lunch with your husband, and when Eternity is comfortable enough, she’ll join you; I’m sure she’s old enough to decide when to do her homework, too.”

 Mom eyes her up and down before leaving; she turns to me, “We’re leaving after tomorrow to Rome; tomorrow will be our last day here; use it, Eternity. We really miss you, and we want to catch up.” She turns and leaves.

 I’m still looking at the door when Angel’s voice jolts me out of my pondering, “Come, Eternity, I’m ready to hear whatever it is you want to tell me.”

 I sit at my desk across from the bed and rest my head on my hand, “I told him.”

“You told him what exactly?”

“Everything,” I breathe out.

“Everything? Including the…” She hesitates to say the word.

“Yes, including the fire; he already knew about the visions.”

“He did?” She gasps.

“Yes, he has them too.”

“How?”

“I don’t know; it was a secret back then; maybe now he’d be willing to tell me.” I answer and for the third time, wonder what exposed his soul to the darkness.

“And how did he take it?” Angel questions vigilantly, afraid I might shatter at her words.

“I don’t know.. He was really sweet when I first started telling him, even throughout the whole story, he was always there to soothe me. But… when he dropped me off… I felt that he was scared, like his smile was tight and he stared absentmindedly… He didn’t even reply to my thank-you text.” I feel my eyes watering, and I wipe the tears away quickly. “Do you think I scared him away? Do you think he might leave?” I say, my voice cracking at the end.

 Angel’s expression softens as she says, “No, Eternity, he won’t. I’ve seen the way he looks at you and heard the way you talk about him. You two are endgame, Eternity; I can’t describe how happy I am that you found your soulmate after Alex.” She pauses to contain her emotions, which are now all over the place; I haven’t seen her that touched since Alex’s funeral. “You’ve just revealed a big part about yourself that he didn’t know existed, okay? He’s just confused, or he might want time to adjust to the new part added to the Eternity he knows and cares about. Plus, who knows what your story triggered about his past? You gotta be open to all the possibilities that he might need some time to adapt.”

“So, during that ‘time’, he won’t realize he’s better off without me?”

“Eternity, stop it! Your insecurities are getting the best of you. I wanna ask you a question.”

I nod for her to go on.

“How many times have you set expectations for Ace, and he surpassed it?”

I think for a moment and say, “Almost everytime. Starting from the time he stood Chloe up for me to the times he helped me save everyone we see in the visions to him soothing me today when I told him about everything. Not once had he let me down.”

Angel smiles at me and says, “See that smile on your face?”

Only then do I realize I’m smiling; Ace seems to have quite the effect on me.

 “That’s why I know he won’t leave. You make him happy, Eternity, and you know he makes you happier than you’ve ever been.”

Satisfied with her answer I walk up to her and kiss her on the cheek. “I honestly don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Her phone beeps, and she grabs her things, “I’m sorry, Eternity, it’s an emergency, I have to get to the hospital.”

“It’s okay, go save lives!” I yell and get her beautiful laugh as an answer before I hear the slamming of the door. I take out my biology homework and smile dreamily at it, deciding I’d give Ace his space to adapt, knowing he’d be back for me.

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Do you think Eternity is too insecure? Any guesses why Ace is acting strange? :P Well, you'll see next chapter. *evil grin* Don't forget to vote and comment! XD  -M&N