AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Anyone would have done the same,” Theo tells her, then frowns when he sees her raised eyebrow. “Er, maybe not. But it was nothing.”
I press my lips together, not wanting them to see how stunned I am by that news. My muscles tighten as the burning sensation in my chest turns hotter while I obsess over the time they spent together. But isn’t that what I wanted? Theo is as antisocial as they come, so I should be happy that he’s taken a liking to her. And after what she’s been through today, I’m sure she could use all the allies she can get.
Shaking off my selfishness, I take a deep breath and focus on the fact that my best friend and the angel of my dreams are getting along. Right now, that’s enough for me.
Hayliel steps farther into the kitchen while Theo adds more food to an already overflowing basket. My mouth waters as I think about all the yummy things I bet he has in there. This is exactly what I need, just a taste of something delicious to keep my charm levels up, but when I reach for it, Theo slaps my hand.
“Oh, no, you don’t. I only just got everything to fit. There’s no way I’m letting you dig around in there.” He takes the basket off the table and carries it outside.
“Psst.”
Hayliel stands in the middle of the kitchenette with her hand behind her back. She pulls it forward to reveal a juicy red apple, passing it to me then placing her finger over her lips as if it’s our little secret.Fuck, what this angel does to me!
Theo enters the room again, grabbing the blanket off the back of the chair before turning to me. I bring the apple up to my lips and take a bite out of it. Juice drips down my chin, and I almost groan.
“Where did you—”
“Your house is beautiful, Theo,” Hayliel interrupts with a playful tilt to her lips.
I take another bite of my apple, looking at Theo to find out if he’ll take the bait or not.
There’s no fooling him, but he gracefully ignores my eating and steps toward Hayliel. “Thank you. Is it much different from your house?”
“Vastly different. But our kitchen has this white marble countertop too, except our cabinets are darker. I can show you both sometime, if you’d like?”
“We’d love that! Alright, come on you two. If we don’t get this picnic started soon, I won’t be held responsible for my charmless demeanor.”
“Oh, no,” Hayliel says, fake worry clouding her features. “I didn’t realize things were that dire. Quick!” She pulls the blanket from Theo’s hand and races out the door. We follow her out, only to find her standing there in the middle of the yard. “Where are we going again?”
“We know the perfect place. Follow us!” Theo and I let our white wings out, stretching them wide behind us, and I can’t help but enjoy the look of awe on Hayliel’s face when she sees us.
It quickly falls as she looks around, likely worrying about who will see her wings and what they’ll say.
“Fuck them,” Theo says, drawing her attention back to us. “Fuck those assholes and anyone who makes you feel like you’re not enough. Don’t let them take who you are.”
“He’s right,” I tell her. “If they have something else to say about it, they’ll have to go through us. We’ve got your back, sunshine.”
“Thank you.” Tears well in her eyes, but she wipes them away before they can fall.
There’s something about her that draws me in, capturing my attention and making me delirious. She wants to be loved for who she is, and that’s something I can relate to.Don’t we all just want to be accepted?
With one more look around the yard, she lets her wings out, and we take to the sky. I claim the lead while Hayliel follows and Theo hangs back a bit, probably scouring the grounds for trouble.
We head to Somersault Falls. The giant waterfall spills from the tall rock face into a pool below. From the sky, I can see students already splashing in the water while others lie on the grass, basking in the sun.
The area between the Fallen house and the falls is almost empty, so I tuck my wings in slightly and dive.
“Holy shit,” Hayliel says when we land as she stares at the roaring waterfall. Our distance muffles the sound, making it more soothing and less of a roar, so it’ll be easier for us to talk amongst ourselves.
“Someday you’ll have to jump off the top of the falls with us,” Theo tells her as he takes the blanket from her arms.
She turns to us, her eyes wide. “People do that?”
I chuckle. “Why else would it be called Somersault Falls?”
“Come on. We’ll tell you all about it over some food.”
“You can’t be serious!” Hayliel says with a laugh.
