Pure Soul Book 2

6. Cassiel

All three stare at me as Aza hands me the napkin. They don’t hear him whisper into my ear to give him a call. After he says goodbye, I watch him walk out the door, the stone washed torn up jeans fitting him quite nicely. With his white cotton tee shirt tucked in and his pants cuffed above his black combat boots, he reminded me of the type of person from the 1950’s referred to as a greaser especially because of his black hair being styled the way it was. As I’m admiring his back side I hear Daniel in my ear, “who was that?” I roll my eyes at his question and instead of answering it I pick up my burger and take a big bite out of it. For some reason his twin, Ana, is glaring at me, and I can’t help but feel it’s because she wants me and her brother to end up together. I realize I’m going to have to have a conversation with both her and Daniel because as far as I know, what Dan and I were doing was something fun to pass the time, not a relationship.

When we are finished eating Turiel takes his magic card thingy and pays for the food and then we head back to the van and onward to home base. We are surprised that Zadkiel and Baraqiel are still deep in conversation but at least they are not yelling at one another. Turiel, Ananiel, Daniel, and I all part ways going to our perspective rooms for the evening. Standing in my room I stare at the bed and then begin to pace around. I have an itch in the metaphorical sense causing me to feel restless. My body should feel drained, I should be wanting to willingly crawl in that bed, limbs aching from all the walking/hiking we did today, but I’m strangely energized. The only way I know how to disperse of this energy is to go running. So, I decided to do just that.

The neighborhood is quiet as I leave the house and come to stand on the sidewalk out front. After some simple stretches I start with a light jog down the concrete pathway. Feeling my feet hit against the cement has a soothing effect upon my body, quieting the thoughts in my head. Why am I putting off having ‘that’ chat with Daniel? I know it’s not because I’m in love with him, I’m not. I care about him just not in a be all, end all type of way... Apparently this is one of few thoughts I’m not able to shake from my mind. So deep in thought over how to broach the subject with Daniel, I miss out on hearing the pounding of feet on sidewalk running behind me; so, when I feel a hand on my shoulder, I pretty much scream bloody murder!

“Oh, my stars!” I shout out as I whirl around to see who the hand on my shoulder belongs to. My eyes grow as wide as saucers when I see it is Aza. “What in God’s name made you think placing your hand on my shoulder while running in the darkness was a wise idea?” I stare at him in shock, my breathing ragged as I had gone into a full run by the time this happened. “What are you doing here anyway? How did you know I was out here?” I rapidly fire off both questions because come on, it’s a bit odd that he is here...

He has the most adorable grin and as much as I want to keep questioning him, I am sucked into his aura and return the grin with one of my own. “I’m so sorry if I startled you. I live a few houses down on the right back that way,” Aza said as he turned to the side and pointed behind us. “Typically, I run the whole block about this time every night. What about you? Do you live around here?” His golden-yellow eyes look at me quizzically and I automatically nod and then bite my lip knowing I shouldn’t have admitted that to him. However, I don’t stop there as I actually point out where I live because I’m stunned that he lives just across the street from us. “What? No way! We’re freaking neighbors, awesome.” His statement has me smiling widely.

“So, we are. I’m glad I ran into you though. I didn’t have a chance to tell you I don’t own a mobile device; I mean cell phone.” I blush at my blunder about the phone because I’m supposed to be able to pass myself off as a human and here I am, forgetting the name of such an important human item as the cell.

Thankfully he just continues to smile and then says, “well then, it must be fate that we find ourselves out here otherwise we wouldn’t have found out that we are neighbors and that now you’ll be able to swing by my place whenever you feel like it.”

I arch an eyebrow, “is that so...hmm.” His eyes sparkle in the moonlight and that’s when I realized the lateness of the evening. “Oh gosh, I need to get back. I didn’t know it had become so late.”

Aza nods his head, a strand of his black hair falling across his forehead as he does so, unconsciously I move my hand to brush it back off his face. Thankfully I realize what I what I’m about to do and stop myself before I can embarrass myself. “Do you care if I join you? We can jog or walk back, whatever you’d like.”

Happiness courses through me as he asks this. “That would be nice, and we can walk. I’m sure I’ll be feeling that run tomorrow when I wake up.” As we walk, we talk and I find out he is just a few years older than me, having just turned 21 the month prior in August. I told him I was 18 and then our conversation turns towards music which we both seem to like the same genre, rock and metal. Unfortunately, that’s all the further our conversation progresses as we are nearing his house. Saying goodbye, we parted ways, and I make my way to my house. Before I open the front door I turn back to see if he is still outside, and he is. My heart races to see him standing at his front door watching me. He waves at me and then enters his home; I do as well, shutting the door behind me, I lean against it the dumbest grin ever plastered on my face. With a sigh I lock the deadbolt and then clamber up the steps and into my room.

Having just changed into my sweatpants and baggy tee shirt, I go and flop on my bed. I truly did not expect to fall asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow but when I laid my head down and closed my eyes, I was out faster than a lightning strike! I don’t think I’ve ever slept so soundly before and when I wake before the sun rises the next morning, I feel like an entirely new being. Waking a half hour before my alarm is set to go off, I get up and go take a shower. After I’ve dried off, I go and pick out an outfit that is functional for another hike, but also one that I’ve been told I look amazing in. Once satisfied that my black hair looks good in its high ponytail, I take the brush to my bangs flipping it under so that they curl and then I head down to the kitchen and begin to brew a pot of coffee.

Happily sighing as the scent of the coffee hits my nose, I pour the hot liquid into a simple black mug and go to the front door stepping outside. I had eyed the porch swing the morning prior and knew I wanted to try it out. Since my housemates were still asleep, I didn’t want to accidentally wake anyone. Placing my cup on the stand next to the swing thing, I ease myself onto the swaying bench reveling in the soft fabric of the cushion beneath my butt. The neighborhood is quiet except for the few birds just beginning to stir. Closing my eyes, I breathe in deeply the fresh air relishing my surroundings.

Out of nowhere a noise breaks the silence that sounds as if a door is being shut. As my eyes snap open, I also hear the flick of a lighter being lit. Turning my head to the right I see something light up before my brain can comprehend that it is a cigarette and the person behind the cigarette is Aza. My heart flutters and I feel like butterflies have just begun to bounce around in my stomach. I suddenly become a statue unable to move any limbs, even my eyes are frozen, glued to his silhouette. Before I pass out from lack of air in my lungs, I force myself to take a breath in and then I’m able to move and avert my eyes from his form. Picking up the mug of coffee, I pretend I don’t see him there, his sexy ass looking even sexier as he puffs on the cigarette, growl!

A battle between going over and saying hi and just going back into the house rages in my head. Luckily for me I don’t have to make that decision as the front door is swung open and out strolls Daniel. He unfortunately obstructs my view of Aza, making me want to punch him in the stomach. Instead, I pretend to be happy to see him. “Hey Dan, what you doin’?” I allow my gaze to travel up to his green eyes that appear to be black in the predawn darkness.

He smiles at me oblivious that my attention had been focused on someone else seconds before. “I looked for you in your room and no one was in the kitchen, so I thought I’d come out here and voila, here you. Do you mind if I sit with you?” he asks as he nods his head towards the swing. I shake my head no and scoot closer to the arm of the swing as Dan sits down very close next to me.

“Cass...” Daniel starts and then stops, clamping his mouth shut, jaw clenching as he looks as though he’s debating with himself. I see him squint his eyes as though he has made his mind up. “Cass, can we talk? I want to know what’s going on between us?” Dan turns sad eyes towards me and that is when I realize he has fallen in love with me, shit!

“We’re friends having fun, right?” I turn questioning eyes on him, but I know what his response is going to be, and I brace myself for the words about to tumble out of his mouth.

He winces as though I’ve just stuck him in the heart with my dagger. I sigh.

“At first yes but I’ve fallen in love with you, and I thought you were starting to feel the same way about me. But then I saw you flirting with that dude last night and I realized you don’t. I just want to know if that’s all we’ll ever be, “friends’ or something more could come of this?”

Taking his hand in mine I give it a squeeze before I give him the answer he’s dreading to hear. “Daniel, I like you and I care about you but I’m not in love with you. I’m sorry. I wish I could say things could change that there is a possibility of me developing those feelings, but I don’t want to give you false hope.” I hang my head, my chin hitting my chest. My heart hurts for him but I have never lied to him and don’t plan to start.

Thankfully I don’t see anger in his eyes but the heart ache I do see doesn’t make me feel much better. “I understand,” Dan says as he pushes himself up from the swing. “Well, I better get back inside. I want to get a cup of coffee in me before we have to leave.” Nodding my head, I whisper ‘okay’ and then hear the door shut as he enters the house.

“Hey Cass!” I hear Aza say from close by. Looking up from where my gaze had been transfixed on the flowing cement as the swing rocked back and forth across it, I give him a small smile.

“Good morning. How are you today? Awfully early to be up, isn’t it?” Eyebrows arched I look at him curiously. The ass actually laughs at me for having said this.

“Uh, I could ask the same of you. I was going to walk over and say hi as soon as I saw you but then that dude came out and I didn’t want to intrude. Are you okay? From the expression on your face, I would say the conversation you two had wasn’t a pleasant one.” While he’s saying this, he has climbed up the two steps and with a nod of his head he silently asks if he can sit down next to me.

Letting him know that he can, I glance over to him as he sits down debating if I should tell him about my conversation or not. I’ve never felt so comfortable with someone in such a short amount of time as I do with this stranger, so I divulge. “That was my friend Daniel that you saw walking back into the house. We were, what’s that phrase? Um, sort on the path of friends with benefits. I didn’t know he was in love with me but looking back I think he was in love with me before we ever started fooling around. And unfortunately, I just had to break his heart.”

“Ugh, that sucks. I hope it wasn’t because of me chatting with you last night at that café?” He grimaces and I rapidly shake my head no.

“No, no. Well, not really because of you. It was a conversation I had been putting off, but it was needed and when he saw me talking with you, it triggered him to ask what was going on between us and then of course he revealed that he’s in love with me and wanted to know how I felt about him.”

“Ah, that is never a fun topic to discuss. So... may I ask what you had told him in response to his question?” Aza looks at me, his golden eyes seeming to darken in a weird way, and I have to wonder if he’s the jealous type.

“I told him the truth. I care about him but I’m not in love with him and I don’t want to give him false hope that there is a chance I might fall in love with him. That’s when you saw him go back inside the house.”

Before Aza could say anything, I realize the sun has broken the horizon. “Oh crap! I’m sorry but I have to get back inside. My friends and I are leaving shortly to go on a day trip.” On a whim I lean over and place a quick kiss on his cheek. He looks at me as though I’ve somehow managed to confuse him. Standing up I say, “thank you for listening to me. Maybe I’ll see you later this evening?” and then I disappear inside the house mentally preparing myself to get yelled at by Ana.