The Angelic Paradox

Well. . .

We had a scrumptious as well as fancy dinner of onion marmalade tartlets, rack of lamb with garlic gratin, and a red berries crepe for dessert. Wow. And I thought my mom's salmon salads were fancy. It was weird, but if this is what Arty eats every day, I really need to introduce him to American foods. Imagine life without Massey's Pizza, Wendy's frosties or simply Doritos. Life would be terrible. Though I do admit that crepe was amazing and it took all my will power not to scarf the whole thing down like that kid in Christmas Story. Another thing. Artemis needs to watch some American movies. Hunger Games, Glory, Big Hero 6, Peter Pan. Watch a couple Spongebobs. I need to take him on an utterly average American adventure. Maybe after we save the world.

Anywhoo, after dinner, Arty gestured for us to depart, "If you'll excuse us, Emerald and I have business to discuss."

So currently the two of us are scaling the marble stair case, me absently babbling.

"So you're a writer, " he says when I stop for a breath.

"Yup. Since I learned proper penmanship."

He nods, "I would like to read a piece sometime."

I grin, "'Kay. Hey, I have a bad joke for you. Why'd the juvenille genius cross the basketball court?"

"Why?" he says, giving me an odd look.

"Because," I giggle, "The ref was calling Fowls!"

He shakes his head, chuckling.

"Or how do you make varnish disappear?"

He sighs, "How?"

"Just take out the R! Or why is the longest human nose on record only eleven inches long?" He stops and glances at me as I come to a halt beside him, "'Cause if it were twelve inches long it would be a---"

Before I can finish the punchline, he sweeps me off my feet and kisses me. I feel myself melting into him, wanting to be closer. He caresses my face, cupping it in the palm of his hand. I run my hands though his beautiful, black hair. I need this. I need him. Breathlessly he pulls back.

"Foot..." I finish.

Wordlessly, Arty leads me up the rest of the way to the lounge. I lean into him, quiet for once. I breathe him in, loving every second in his strange (in a good way) company.

Finally, at the arched oak doors, he breaks the silence, "Here we are, darling."

Oh my God, I love how he called me darling! This night is truly a dream come true. Except for the evil angel part. Ya' know...

He pushes the doors open and leads me inside. I gasp in awe as my gaze gobbles up the sight of this magnificent room. Along the wall of the door we just entered through is a grand entertainment center crafted out of polished oak containing an equally magnificent TV placed between a potted indoor plant---something expensive I assume---and a tall backed chair made of red leather clearly extraordinary in some not-apparent way. The left wall perpendicular to the former is lined with one of those corner couch thingies that are really like two couches joined at a right angle and glass table bearing a unlit lamp with an elaborate pattern. The wall parallel to the first is covered partly by the other half of the couch. Be hind the bend (probably on a table) a bright lamp resides, casting a dim glow across the room. The rest of the wall is taken up by a wet bar, making my mom's wine selection look miniscule. Okay, well I guess that's not hard given she rarely drinks but still. A crimson recliner and tope lounge chair circle the glass coffee table.

But that's not even the cause for my sudden intake of breath. The whole entire right wall is. Or rather the window. But it isn't the window, but the view it portrays.