When Angels Fall (Fallen Angels) (21 page)

“Boys, this isn’t funny. There are young, impressionable minds sitting at the next table,” their father reminded them as Max and his friend watched the older ones.

“Why, Father, our dear sweet mother asked us to be on our best behavior,” Mark stated as he handed a serving plate of food over to Nick.

“And we so do not want to let her down,” Kevin added as he took a drink of his milk and held his pinky up.

Both Mark and Nick couldn’t keep hiding their laughter.

Their mother didn’t seem amused. “So, the three of you will be doing dishes tonight and tomorrow?” she asked them.

“Mom, we can’t. You said we had to supervise the slumber party Max was having. I already got the cute little movie you told me to get. Along with something for us when they go to bed,” Mark answered smugly.

“Who is supervising Nick’s slumber party?” Kevin questioned.

Nick looked over at him, annoyed.“I’m not having a slumber party, Dummy,” he shot at Kevin.

Kevin gave him a grin and Nick threw another roll at him.

“Chloe is our guest this weekend. I expect you three to treat her as such. Kevin, for God’s sake, don’t hit on her,” his mother warned him.

“You’re worried about—me? Seriously?” Kevin spluttered.

 
Nick kicked him hard under the table.

“You know what I mean. Chloe, I have the room ready for you now. Sorry, it took me so long. If there’s anything you need, just ask,” Mrs. Allen said and smiled at her.

“I’m sure I’ll be fine. Thank you for letting me stay,” Chloe answered and went back to her dinner, enjoying the inclusion of being part of their family while she could.

After the little ones went to bed, and the dishes were washed and put away, the boys got set up in the den for their movies. She felt funny sitting there with them, as they talked about the movies that Mark had gotten, and as she was getting ready to head up to bed herself, Nick stopped her.

“Hang and watch a movie with us. I promise Kevin will behave,” he prompted.

“I’m really not into horror films, especially when they deal with werewolves,” she said, a little put off by the way Kevin had been playing around, teasing the younger ones about blood and stuff. Horror films in general freaked her out. She could spend the night in the cemetery but she couldn’t watch scary films.

“If it will make you feel better, you can sit with me. I’ll protect you from the big bad wolf.” He glared at Kevin as though he were the wolf. “Wait! Then who is going to protect me?” Nick teased her.

She smiled at him and sat back down. Crossing her legs, she grabbed one of the throw pillows and put it in her lap. She pulled all her hair together and tied it up with a rubber band, so that there were just a few strands hanging down.

Mark came back in with the popcorn and Kevin turned out the lights.

 
The room was pitch black, except for the glow that came off the huge flat screen TV.

Kevin sat on the floor and Mark was in the lounge chair by the window.

*
   
*
   
*
   
*

Nick and Chloe sat on the couch, inches from each other.

 
Nick was nervous suddenly. His hands were sweating and his heart was pounding. Why did he feel this way when she was this close to him? He sat up and took some of the popcorn that was in her lap. She wasn’t the same girl to him now that he knew her story. In telling him her secrets, she was more at ease with him, but she was shy all of the sudden.

She looked at him with a small smile, and then shyly looked away.

Things were changing for them, but was that good or bad?

The movie started. There was a man walking through the woods at midnight. The glow of the full moon lighted his way down the dark path. There was rustling in the bushes. He could feel that he was being tracked. Suddenly, something jumped at him.

Chloe screamed and hid her face.

“Chlo, they aren’t showing anything. Well, except now, as his body is being dragged off into the woods,” Kevin explained.

Nick grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. “I got you. Just keep the pillow if you need it.” He laughed and held her next to him.

“Why is it so freaking cold in here?” Mark asked, grabbing a blanket.

“To keep the werewolves and zombies out,” Kevin said and kept watching the movie.

“Are you cold?” Nick asked her.

Chloe nodded.

He grabbed a blanket and covered her with it. He wondered if she could feel his heart pounding. He’d been this close to her yesterday, and then again last night, when they’d gone to bed. He hadn’t thought about it then, but now he was well aware of how her sweet body was tight against his.

The movie played out and Chloe buried her face into his chest.

 
He wove his fingers in hers, they watched the animal on the screen eat one person, and then another.

As the beast finally made itself-known, Chloe hid her face in his neck. “Is it over?” She whined.

He tightened his hold. “Almost.” He laughed.

“Wow, do you think they can really do that? Take off a human head in just one swoop?” Kevin had been talking through the whole movie.

“Why don’t you go find one and ask?” Mark threw a pillow at him to shut him up.

 
Chloe hid her eyes and sat up a little. “Now?” she asked him, her face hidden through slotted fingers, trying to be brave to see, but not quite there.

Nick smiled at her. He wanted to tell her no, just to keep her lips close to his neck like they had been, but then thought of something else. “You’re safe now. The sun came up,” he reassured her while thinking of this morning.

She looked at him as though realizing what he meant, and her eyes softened.

 
He touched her cheek, trying to build up the courage, hoping that it would stay dark enough in the room, so that his brothers wouldn’t see.

“I don’t want to be your friend anymore,” she said softly. It was like the world stopped around them. They were oblivious to his brothers and the stupid movie that was playing.

“I don’t want you to be my friend either,” he answered back.

She closed her eyes, seeming to wait for his lips to find hers.

His lips brushed hers, just barely kissing her bottom lip. He kissed her softly, trying not to make too much noise. And with each gentle pass, she opened to him more, allowing him to kiss her deeper and stronger.

The warmth of his mouth embraced hers as he pulled her closer. He couldn’t pull himself away from the sweetness of her lips or the warmth of her hands that were now on his face. When he did pull away, he looked deep into her soft green eyes, he was speechless.

“Oh, my God, did you see that?!” Kevin yelled, referring to the blood that filled the TV screen.

“Yeah,” Nick said, breathless that he’d just kissed her. He never experienced anything like that before. It was like their souls intertwined and they were lost to everyone but each other. Chloe laid her head on his chest, and he felt that this was the way it should have been a week ago. He closed his eyes and held her, wondering if in the morning things would still be like this.

*
   
*
   
*
   
*

The next morning, Chloe found Nick in the kitchen. There was awkwardness between them.

“How’d you sleep?” he asked, as though unsure of what to really say.

“Um, good. No bad dreams about werewolves. What about you?”

He was nervous again, unsure what to say, or how to act. No other girl had this effect on him before. Chloe had him. He was a slave to her eyes and smile. If she turned him away, he would be crushed, but he would wait forever, hoping she would bring him back into her soft embrace. “We need to talk about last night.”

 
“Do you want to talk about it now?” she wondered aloud, looking worried that it wasn’t going to be a good talk.

He thought about it for a minute. There were too many distractions there and anyone could walk in at any minute. “We could talk later. You said you had to go home and get something for Gabbie’s party. We could go for a walk and talk then,” he suggested. He wanted to be alone with her, where they didn’t have to worry about anyone bothering them. He wanted to be able to tell her how he really felt and explain last night.

“I can get changed and we could go right now,” she said

A little while later, they started down the street while both Nick and Chloe realized it was a bad idea to walk. A sudden cold front had come in and made the air crisp to the point it hurt their lungs as they breathed.

“So, do you want to go back and see if we can get a ride?” He stuck his hands in his pockets and was pissed he forgot his gloves.

Chloe, on the other hand, had hers and a cute little knit hat with a crochet flower on it. She’d worn her hair down and it covered most of her gray pea coat. “Come on, we can cut through the park,” she suggested and kept walking.

Nick started pulling stuff out of his pockets when they got to the edge of the park, trying to figure out what he’d hidden in them.

“What’s all that stuff?” She laughed, trying to spy his pocket junk.

“Ticket stubs, gum wrappers, an old tissue, and—a note?” He was puzzled as he looked at the folded paper.

She grabbed it before he could open it. “Is it a love note?” she teased him.

“I don’t know. Let me see it.”

She gave him a devilish grin at that and slowly backed away. “You want it? Come and get it.” She laughed and took off running through the park. They were both laughing as they ran through the swings, and then into the trees. As they got closer to the lake, Chloe could see the gazebo and headed towards it.

Nick was close behind her as she entered it. “See?
 
Now you’re trapped.” He blocked the exit and tried to catch his breath.

Chloe just laughed at him, and then opened the note. “Boo, meet me at the Life Guard station in an hour. Kel,” she read out loud.

Nick remembered when he first read those words. “Wow, didn’t realize I put it in my pocket. I must’ve done it to hide it when we moved,” he replied as he sat on the ledge next to her. He watched her as she sat on the ledge and held on to the pole.

Her hair was blowing slightly in the breeze.

He came over to her and put his arms around her. She was just about his height now and he couldn’t resist the urge to kiss her again. When their lips met, he felt her melt into the embrace, letting him control how deeply he kissed her. He peeked at her face and saw that her eyes were closed, then he felt her soft hand touch his cheek.

She pulled away slowly and shyly touched her lips. “I have a stupid confession.”

“What?” He moved a stray hair from her face.

She giggled without even seeming to realize it, and when she looked at him, he was smiling at her reaction. “Last night, when you first kissed me, it wasn’t only our first kiss, it was mine. I know that sounds silly, but it was.”

He was taken aback by that. “Um, okay, thanks for telling me that now and not before last night, because that would’ve put a lot of pressure on me. It still kind of does though.” He laughed and thought about it. “How was it?”