A Lily Among Thorns

𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝙵𝙸𝚅𝙴

✞ C E L A I   L a C R O I X ✞

"Hey... you sleep?" Julian whispers to Celai.

"I haven't been able to sleep any night I've been in this place," she mumbles sleepily. "Why? Something on your mind?"

He hesitates for a moment, staring up at the ceiling, and Celai looks over at him. "Do you think you'll be ready for tomorrow?" he asks. "All you gotta do is wake up in the morning and you'll be put in the normal world again."

Celai shrugs. "I don't see why not. I'll have God by my side even if I'm not mentally ready. I think I am though."

"That's true," Julian nods. He places an arm under his head, using it as a pillow. "I was just wondering since the days went by so fast. You got in an accident Thursday night and you'll be back to normal Sunday morning."

"So you're saying I was on your mind?" she asks with a smirk.

He laughs softly and corrects her. "Your situation was."

"Well... do you think you'd be ready if you were in my shoes?"

"Not at all. You're strong. You handled everything well."

"Wanna know my secret?"

"I already know it."

"Jesus," they both say.

Julian turns his head towards Celai. "I really regret underestimating your relationship with Christ."

"At least you realize your mistake."

"When did you find Him?"

"Freshman year of college."

"A lot of people seem to find Him during college."

"Yep. It was nothing dramatic though. I just picked up a Bible one day out of curiosity and never put it down. Back then, it was easy."

"It definitely gets harder the deeper your relationship gets with God."

"It's because the devil sees you as a threat. I can't imagine what you must go through, you being a pastor and all." Celai watches him look quickly at his phone on the nightstand.

"A lot," he says. "But you always get that peace and comfort from the Lord. Every time."

"He never fails. How'd you find God?"

Julian sighs. "Unlike your story, mine was very dramatic."

Celai waits for him to continue but he doesn't. He just looks back up at the ceiling. She doesn't press him to say more and instead decides to close her eyes in an attempt to fall asleep.

Silence fills the room for several moments and Celai feels herself drifting off to sleep when Julian's voice penetrates the quietness. "You still up?"

"Mhm."

"You plan on going to church in the morning?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world."

| ✞ |

Celai pushes back her guilt as she stares at the clock. 2:07 pm. She had officially missed church after she told Julian she'd be there. She genuinely tried going when her alarm went off earlier, but she felt like she had a force against her body that made her stay in her bed.

After allowing herself to wake up, she thanks God for another day to worship Him, and goes downstairs, following the scent of Kassima's cooking.

"Good afternoon," Kassima says. "How were your sixteen hours of sleep?"