Chapter 36: He's Here
Angelo stood by the door like a raging bull. It was a comparison I never thought I would make for someone like him, but it seemed to be the only thing befitting for his state. His eyes scanned the room. They were a bloodthirsty hue of silver that instilled fear but as they landed on me they immediately softened. I felt like a fish out of water as he approached me like a man on a mission.
He had successfully found me.
For some reason, I felt like that was something to dread with everything I had done. My actions had gone against everything he had advised me not to do. I defied him and to the greatest height of even winding up here in the heavens.
I braced myself for the worse, physically clenching my fists and preparing my heart for the scolding of a lifetime.
However, none of it came.
Nothing but the warm embrace of his strong arms as he pulled me roughly to his chest.
I was stunned as I felt him sigh into my hair, his hold onto me painfully desperate.
"I'm so glad you're okay," he breathed out in relief.
I felt my heart skip a beat.
W-Wait...he wasn't mad at me? I thought in confusion.
My mind was unable to delve any further into his lack of criticism of me. I could only focus on the alluring scent of him. It was as intoxicating as I remembered it. All over my body tingled from the sensory overload and the combination of other things; like the way he hugged me, breathed me in like a drug and his gentle voice.
I couldn't break free from his embrace even if I wanted to. A part of me was smart enough to give him this reassurance he obviously craved from me physically still being here. I didn't know that my absence had such an effect on him. I was conscious of the fact that he would have been upset for sure but not this. I didn't expect for him to be this torn apart by what I had done. It made me feel guilty of a crime. The one of putting him in a scary place that he had been before and never wanted to relive. Yet I had forced him to.
Just how much more of a terrible person will this narrative make me become in his eyes? I wondered defeatedly.
I got that overwhelming feeling again of not being able to do anything right. It was gut wrenching and I hated the incompetency that came along with it the more that I dwelled on the matter.
My arms were beginning to ache with how he was holding onto me. It didn't seem like he had any plans of letting me go. It took Azrael to break up the seemingly romantic reunion. He cleared his throat—once, twice and then thrice when the former attempts didn't work.
Unwillingly, Angelo slightly pulled away and looked up at him. I felt my heart stop at the resurfacing of those hardened silver orbs.
I was sure he knew the effect of them with how appropriately he used them based on his emotions. Or was it a natural reaction like someone's pupils dilating in lust or joy?
Whatever it was, Azrael appeared struck by them, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "What are you looking at me like that for? I never stole her away from you. She came here of her own accord."
"And why did it take God himself to make me aware of this, Azrael?"
The words were gritted out like heavy boots on cobblestones.
Azrael—just like myself—knew better than to provoke him when he was like this, but he seemed like he couldn't restrain himself in the situation of a blame game.
"Are you seriously inculpating me for not informing you of this? An impromptu visit from your past? Our past? Newsflash Angelo; I'd like to remind you that if you hadn't gone completely rogue on us in the first place then maybe you'd have been here when this happened. To dive a little deeper, if you'd been reasonably contactable then I'd still believe we have a relationship where I could be held accountable for something like this. But you aren't. And I'm not taking the blame for your mishaps. So don't be projecting your feelings of ineptitude onto me."
His words were harsh as he held nothing back. It was clear that there was some residual of grudge left between the two men. I had no idea (again) what all of it truly meant and where it stemmed from, but hated the fact that they were fighting in the first place. For some reason, it made my heart ache with a burning sensation. I instinctively put my hand on Angelo's arm. He looked down at me, his expression becoming the complete opposite of angry.
I took that as a sign to try and convince him against whatever plans he had of quarreling or maybe even fighting with Azrael.
"Don't argue with him. It's not his fault. Azrael's right. I was the one that brought this upon myself. He shouldn't be blamed for something he took no part in. I stole your magical pendant to get us out of the house but somehow it ended up taking me and Genie here. I didn't...I didn't expect for things to get so complicated by trying to figure out the truth behind all of what's going on."
"The truth?" He echoed with a light scoff. "You mean what you suspect me of hiding from you?"
My eyes widened in surprise and fear as he read me so easily like an open book. It was terrifying—his calmness of saying something so heavy while brushing the side of my cheek. I began to wonder if this was the way he was always and I just hadn't been in a situation that exposed me to it.
Him acting like this made me feel like some sort of traitor. Was this what reverse psychology felt like? I couldn't get a grasp of my heart and emotions around him.
It was clear Azrael could understand the underlying meaning to his words more than I could when he was in this state.
"Angelo..." he warned, but his friend continued on anyway.
"Now that it's come to this, if you have any questions you're free to ask me, my love. I'm sure Azrael, being the honorable man that he is, will intervene if there are any lies within my speech. Won't you, Az?" His now gray eyes found him in a crooked and almost nefarious manner.
He was taunting him.
Even the nickname was like a thorn in the side.
It gave me the chills that there was a silent revelation in Azrael's gaze that he was doing just that before he had arrived here. His friend had been enlightening me on the things that Angelo was more than one step behind on. That was a problem in and of itself because of how territorial he was about my knowledge of this world. The hypocrite in him couldn't be partly or wholly suppressed when it came to this. Moreover, the fact that Azrael unstintingly told me about these so-called "truths" possibly made him feel like he had paled in comparison to him. I wasn't particularly thinking that, but I could see the root of Angelo's expression that somehow he had thought he had been deftly one-upped.
It all just didn't sit well with him.
"I would be offended if I didn't know petty you can be when it comes to Elisabetta—"
"Isabelle. Her name is Isabelle."
Struck by his sharp tongue, Azrael blinked continuously.
"Again, proving my point." He removed himself from off the wall and walked closer to him. "Do you have any idea how stupid you look right now? Take those thoughts out of your head. I'm not your enemy and neither can I call myself your friend. If it weren't for Larissa I wouldn't have the smallest sentiment to understand you because I can't contemplate even losing her the way you did...you know who. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is get it together. Hiding from the past won't do anyone good; that includes her." He said eyes landing on me notably.
Looking like he had been slapped across the face, the remainder of Angelo's grip loosened around me, contrary to his intentions. He was crippled by Azrael's words as the man left the room without glancing back at either of us. He had made his point and that was it.
Angelo could choose to take heed to what he was saying or not.
It wasn't his call; it seemed he was just content with airing it out there.
There was a tense mood that lingered in the room after his departure and I couldn't look Angelo in the face for the fear of what I would see.
I could guess as much from the corner of my eyes, but he didn't seem to feel very virtuous about his withdrawal and looked towards me.
"Look at me, Isabelle."
My eyes quickly averted themselves onto him.
I felt my heart sink into my chest at his expression.
We were about to have a long and heavy conversation.