The Divine Temptation (18+) (Forbidden Priest Romance)

19. Her Boyfriend

'But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.'

2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV)

♱

Gabriel

♱

I'm fucked, well and truly fucked.

Evangeline lets out a yawn midway through the film. I haven't moved an inch from my seat, my attention wholeheartedly on the screen but my mind elsewhere.

Last night, I wanted to kiss her, to latch my lips onto hers, and run my fingers through her hair. To take the lead in a situation, not be scared of the idea of intimacy with another person. But all I did was caress her face like an utter weirdo, and to make me feel better, she did the same. It made things a thousand times worse because all I can feel is the absence of the heat from her hands.

I need to figure out a way to tell her, but she's already distanced herself from me after I touched her face. I'm not so sure how she'll react if I tell her I have a crush on her.

I shift in my seat, and at the same time, I hear light snoring coming from beside me and feel the pressure of Evangeline's head on my shoulder. I stay still, holding my breath as she moves slightly, as if getting comfortable. I let out my breath and relax my shoulder, enjoying the sound of her quiet snoring.

She doesn't move for a while, until the credits of the second film roll, and we're still in the same position. I want to rest my head on hers and stay like this. It's things like this that feel different from whatever it was that I had with Bethany. I didn't want to touch Bethany's face and gaze into her eyes or have her sleepy head on my shoulder. But with Evangeline, I do. This is the intimacy she is trying to teach me, but she doesn't realise I'm getting it from these brief moments with her.

I move to the side and pull out a blanket from a small basket nearby. However, I move my body too far forward, causing her head to fall from my shoulder. Still asleep, she unknowingly adjusts herself so that her entire body is now on the couch and her head is resting on my thigh. I hold my breath again, fearing any slight movement could wake her up.

When I realise she's settled into a deeper slumber, I lay the blanket on top of her, pulling it up towards her chin. I go to get up, hoping to replace my leg with a pillow so she doesn't wake up uncomfortable in the morning. However, as I move, she shifts again, gently pulling at my leg as if thinking it's a pillow, and adjusts it to her comfort.

I keep still, relaxing deeper into the seat as I watch her chest rise and fall with her breathing. I gently pull back a piece of her hair that falls over her face and place it behind her ear before resting my hand on the back of the couch.

Her cheeks are tinged a light pink, and her lips are slightly parted. There's a certain glow to her, her features softer. By some miracle, she's even more beautiful, as if that were possible. I was and still am worried about what she proposed about spending time alone with this imaginary lady. What is she going to be like when she finds out I've lied to her? I already creeped her out once; I think she has zero attraction to me whatsoever.

I run my fingers through my hair, feeling the stress of a headache forming with my ever-spiralling thoughts. "I'm sorry," I simply say into the night. I settle on continuing to watch her breaths until I succumb to my own tiredness.

♱ ♱ ♱

I awake to the bright morning light streaming through a break in the living room curtains. Evangeline is still sleeping, barely having moved from her original position, much like me. I stretch out my top half before gently lifting her head from my thigh. Her hand has latched onto the blanket instead, and she rests her head on a pillow. I walk over to the kitchen and rummage through the fridge, pulling out eggs and milk. I decide on making breakfast, saving us from any awkward encounters of her resting her head on me.