Tom and Ezra hurried after Cal. By now, they could hear grumbling thunder on the horizon, and the wind was picking up. "What are you going to say?" Tom asked, a little out of breath when they finally caught up to him.
"I'm not sure yet. Though I think Gren will do all the easy work himself." Cal looked as determined as ever, so Tom trusted him and decided to let him take the lead.
The little butchers shop soon came into view. It's pig shaped sign started flapping in the wind above the door. Gren's mother was placing a sign on the path with the latest deals. She double glanced at Ezra, walking hand in hand with Tom.
They entered the shop but chose to flick through one of the leaflets by the door, one talking about where the different types of meat had come from. Tom wasn't really reading, and neither was Ezra.
Cal approached the counter, immediately grabbing Gren's attention from the demon hovering at the front of the shop. "Hey Gren, how're you?" Cal asked.
"Um, alright," Gren said with a shrug. "Is he your friend?" He pointed to Ezra.
"Yeah, he is." Cal turned his attention to a string of pork and apple sausages. "They look good."
"Is it true he used to be an angel?" Gren asked.
"Yep."
"Is it true that the old angel was unfair to him?"
"Yeah. Very unfair. That angel is strange, isn't he?" Gren shrugged, so Cal leaned against the counter. "He's always asking me about my dreams."
"Dreams?"
"Yeah. It's probably nothing." Cal smiled and asked for six of the pork and apple sausages.
But Gren was intrigued enough to ask, "What about your dreams?"
"He just always asks people if they dream of demons."
"I dream of demons," Gren said as though they were talking about the weather. "I dream about them all the time."
"Me too. Don't you think that's weird?"
Instead of shrugging, Gren frowned. "My mum does too."
"Don't you think it's odd that the old angel wants to know about it, almost like he already knows?" Cal stared innocently.
"Yeah, kind of. Does he have something to do with it?"
Tom turned to face Ezra, smiling with satisfaction.
Now it was Cal's turn to shrug. "I don't know. I'd like to think he doesn't, but after what he's done to Ezra, I would say he's capable of a lot. Anyway, I shouldn't really be speaking about it." Cal smiled and paid for his food. "I heard someone say they always have bad dreams when the angels sing. Imagine if that was true." He chuckled, shaking his head. "Anyway, I've got to go. See you later Gren."
Cal walked out, followed by Tom and Ezra who didn't mention the conversation until they were a few shops away.
"Brilliant," Tom said, squinting into the wind. "Gren will tell everyone that. And everyone will tell everyone else."
"I just hope it works, and we can figure out how to stop the angels if they are responsible."
They returned to the pub just as the rain started and hung out by the pool table until Tom began his shift. Ezra and Cal wouldn't start theirs until later that evening, so they accompanied Tom by the bar, keeping him entertained on a quiet afternoon.
Soon enough, the locals drizzled in. Finn was the first to arrive, looking tired and eager for a pint of John Smiths. He stood at the bar, sipping his pint for a quiet moment before glancing in Ezra's direction.
"How long have you known that old angel?" he asked.
"Too long," Ezra mumbled.
"Well, has he always been so . . . I don't know . . . odd?"
"What do you mean by odd?"
"He's just so cryptic. Has he always acted like he was better than the rest?"
Ezra nodded. "Always."
Finn hummed darkly into his pint. "I don't like him."
"We're not big fans either," Tom admitted.
"There's been some strange talk going round today." Finn shook his head.
"Strange talk?" Tom asked casually.
Finn continued to shake his head. "Very strange." He hobbled over to his usual table to watch the horse racing.
The more locals poured into the pub, the more Tom started hearing about dreams, nightmares, and the angels singing. He stood with Cal and Ezra on his break, hoping the gossip would cause a stir among the angels.
"So, once Othrowan has heard the rumours, what do you suppose he does to put a stop to it?" Cal asked.
"Hopefully, if he is responsible for the nightmares, they'll stop." Tom flattened some grass with the tip of his shoe. "If he's not, they won't."
"I feel like we're clutching at the dark. Maybe we should try to find out who this source is that Kie is talking to. Don't you think it's odd that he's not telling you?" Cal asked.
Tom and Ezra shared a glance. "He's trying to protect them, whoever it is," Ezra said. "I think I might have to visit a few places and talk to a few demons. If the angels are causing this, stopping it in this small village won't really do much for the rest of the demon community."
"When?" Tom asked.
"The sooner the better," Ezra said quietly, stepping closer. "After my shift."
Tom nodded, agreeing. "How long will you be gone?"
"A couple of days, at the least."
Tom nodded again. He didn't want him to leave, but he knew it was for the best if they were to figure anything else out. "Okay," he said with a smile.
For once, Tom didn't want his shift to end. The hours went too fast, and soon he was standing in his bedroom, hugging Ezra close to his chest.
"Be careful," Tom said into his shoulder.
"I will," Ezra soothed into his ear, clutching his waist. "I'll be back before you know it."
"I hope so."
"I will." Their lips found each other. They kissed slowly, cherishing every last second. Tom had gotten so used to having him close all the time, he didn't want to face the night alone.
"If you need me, summon me," Ezra ordered. "Don't even hesitate."
"Okay." Tom made sure to kiss him one last time before they stepped apart.
Ezra's smile was reassuring, but his dark eyes were hesitant. "See you soon."
"See you soon." Tom offered him a warm smile, despite feeling like a wedge of ice had lodged between his organs and bones.
The worry crept in the moment Ezra was gone. Tom wouldn't feel settled until he could see him again with his own eyes. He knew Ezra would be careful, but Tom was too in love with him not to stress about his wellbeing.
He opened his window to feel a breeze and sat on the edge of his bed, in the quiet still dullness of his bedroom. How had he lived before Ezra? How had he been contempt with being alone?
He spotted his jacket hanging up on the back of his door. A leaflet stuck out of the pocket. The leaflet about online learning. Tom had been scared to break away from his families pub. He had wanted more for himself. Running the pub one day would have given him a fun and decent life, but his heart belonged elsewhere.
But now his heart belonged to another. Tom hadn't seen himself falling in love again so soon. He had started the year with his heart in a cage, now it was in Ezra's large and gentle hands.
He laid back on his bed, thinking of Ezra, and his dark hair against pale skin. His expressive brown eyes that gave away any emotion. He thought of the scar on his left cheek, and his full lips that touched his only moment ago.
Tom traced a finger over his mouth, hoping to feel those lips again soon.
He hoped with all his might that Ezra wasn't too long. Each day he would worry. Tom made a mental note to get Ezra a mobile phone. He stripped to his underwear and dove deep under his duvet, feeling the heaviness of sleep on his eyelids.
His room was too silent without the gentle rhythm of someone else's breathing. He was cold without the warmth of another body. Soon, Tom was frustrated by how much he was missing Ezra.
"Go to sleep," he hissed at himself, grumpily rolling over and tucking his duvet under his chin. When sleep finally touched him again, Tom was close to drifting into his dreams, until he heard the faint murmur of the angel's choir.
His eyes bolted open, and he focused. With each soft whisp of his curtains moving in the breeze, the angels choir poured into his room. The noise was distant, but Tom could definitely hear it. He scrambled out of bed and slammed his window shut.
When he got back into bed, his heart was beating wildly. Would he have nightmares now? He turned on his bedside lamp and hugged his knees, too afraid to lie comfortably in case he fell asleep. If he did have a nightmare, Ezra wasn't around to bring him back to the real world and comfort him.
Tom felt a deep sense of dread in the pit of his stomach, knowing the night would be a long one.