Death of an Angel

4:00 pm. Ah, shoot. It’s an hour until I have to be back in the forest and I still haven’t decided what to wear! I’ve changed my outfit twenty times and I’m not satisfied with anything. Honestly, I don’t really know what Ryder’s friends are like.

I keep my under clothes on, put a robe on, and walk out of my room to fetch Ryder.

Luckily, he was right down the hall.

“Hey Ash, you need me?”, he asks with a smile.

“Uh, yeah... it’s a bit of an odd question but, can you help me get dressed?”, I ask uncertainly.

“Princess, you have a thousand servants in this castle to help you do that. WHY are you asking ME?”

“Please...Big brother! No servant can tell me what your friends are like.”

“Oh, so you don’t want me to dress you, you want me to pick out your clothes!”

“Oh, dear daemons! NO!!! I’m not a little girl anymore Ryder! Get a grip.”, I said, backing up into my room. Ryder followed. Closing the main door, I open my closet doors and show him all the outfits I already tried. “None of these seem to work!”

He was checking one rack of clothes and about to suggest something but instead he said, “Wait a second! You just said you don’t know what my friends are like. Why do you need to know that to get dressed?”, he questions.

“Oh, h.. he did not t.. tell you?”, I stutter. My face is clearly as red as a strawberry.

“Who’s “He” in this case?”, Ryder says, raising an eye brow.

“...Lucifer...” I whisper. This being the first time I spoke of him to Ry.

He starts laughing. Laughing! “Way to hurt my ego bro.” I feel hot tears running down my cheeks. Great. Just great. I haven’t cried since Caden either.

Ryder immediately stops. He holds me and lets me cry into him. “Sis, is there something you aren’t telling me?”, he asks softly.

“...I...he... I’m...” Another round of tears begins.

Ryder sighs. “I see... so I’m guessing that since the ball you two have been meeting up and now you’re dating and he did something you didn't like?”

“N...NO!” Sob. “It’s not like that! I just saw him yesterday morning when I went for a run in the woods... and... and he asked me to go with him to your’s and Luss’s cook out.”..I ..I thought he told you that...”

“Ash, that’s not the only thing that’s bothering you. You, of all people, doesn’t just cry because of something like that.”

So I tell him. From the very first time I tripped into Lucifer, the weeks I was feeling all these overwhelming emotions, what I did to stop them, to yesterdays meeting. He listens intently, not interrupting me once.

Then he takes a bowl filled with water from my bathroom and tells me to wash my face off. Meanwhile he’s grabbing my favorite pair of jeans and a cute loose peach colored shirt off their hangers and setting them out on the bed. Finally grabs a pair of gold sandals and sets them on the floor at the foot of the bed.

“Since I know that you feel like you’re cheating on Caden, you should just treat Lucifer like a friend, or brother if you want since he’s a brother to me. If you can manage to think of it that way, then I don’t believe that you will suffer anymore than you have. If anything it should make the situation better. Don’t keep on being embarrassed every time you see him. Accidents happen. Get loose and enjoy yourself tonight, okay?”

“Okay..” I say. Suddenly I feel like a child again. This reminds of the times that I used to fight with so many people and I would come home to curl up on my bed, sobbing. Ryder would always come to me and cheer me up. He made me stronger that way until I never cried for anything. Those years that we were together, he taught me to control my emotions. He would have never left me alone to pay attention more on his friends if he hadn’t known that I could fend for myself first.

“Okay, so you should really get dressed now if you want to meet your new friend on time.” He smiles and walks out the door.

Deep breaths, breathe in... and out. In... and out. I try and calm myself as I near the forest glade where we last met. Softly I land by a tree on it’s outskirts and turn on my heel to find him sitting by the tree next to mine. He was sitting with his back to the tree, his head leaned back. He is so gorgeous. I think about Ryder’s advice about friendship and shake myself out of my fantasy.

Next thing I know his stunning blue eyed gaze was right on me. “Hey Mea!”, he says.

“Hey Halo!”, I reply.

“You ready?”, he asks.

With my nod, he grabs me by the arm and we’re off. “Then let us be on our way.”, he says. He smiles that angelic smile of his.

Good souls! How am I going to survive the night? We fly together, side by side, our wings quickly beating.

My heart fluttering along with them...