Project Archangel Book One: The Conspiracy Project

Chapter 14

We stopped at a restaurant called The Sunset Patio Bar and Grill to get some dinner, considering I had already missed dinner at home. The hostess escorted us to the actual patio area and seated us at a table for two people. The sun was already setting when we sat down.
“Your waitress will be Duchess today, and she should be here to get your drink orders shortly. Enjoy your meal.”
“Thanks,” Michael and I both mumbled.
She gave us a final smile and walked away.
He looked over to the open area of the patio and smiled faintly at the sight of the pink and orange sunset.
“What a way to end the day,” he sighed. “Especially one that could have been the end of the world.”
“The end of the world?” I asked in confusion.
He turned his gaze on me. “The end of my world, of my happiness. I almost gave all that up, trying to be noble and shit. I'm not doing that again.”
It was interesting to watch how easily his mood changed as he spoke, how he started talking like he was sad and had somehow managed to end with a joke. Only Michael could do something like that. He was definitely weird, but I loved it. I loved all his little quirks that made him who he was, that made him mine.
I smiled. “Well, I'm never going to ask you to.”
He sighed. “In all seriousness, are you sure about this? I really don't want anything to happen to you.”
“I'll be fine.”
“If you're sure.”
“I am. Now stop worrying so much. Forget about sunglasses guy and just be happy that we went back to your park and had fun.”
He smirked. “We did have fun, didn't we?”
I nodded.
“I still think something is up though...”
“Well, it's none of our business. Your parents obviously know about whatever is going on, so I think we should just not worry about it.”
“You're probably right...”
Our waitress showed up about then. She was a dark skinned lady with her hair styled nicely in a bun. She had a very bright personality and a beautiful smile. “Hey, y'all. My name is Duchess. I'll be your waitress today. What can I get y'all to drink?”
We placed our orders, and she glided off to prepare them, leaving me and Michael staring at our menus. Did I want a cheeseburger? No, too messy. Steak? No, restaurants never seemed to make them right. Ribs? Still messy. Chicken? No tenders. Maybe a slightly fancier dish. A La King? That sounded good.
Duchess returned a few minutes later with our drinks. “Y'all need a little more time or are y'all ready to order?”
“I can't decide. What would you recommend?” I asked.
She smiled. “Well, my son loves the spaghetti, and my daughter likes mac and cheese with a fruit cup. My husband always gets the steak -- he's a meat eater. I like the Chicken A La King or the steak fajitas with a little fruit salad, but it's all about what you like, Honey.”
“Well those last two sound good. I just like food, especially if it's cheap.”
“Don't worry about what it costs,” Michael fussed. “How many times do I have to tell you that?”
I smiled shyly. “I know, but you've already spent so much on me.”
“I can afford it.”
Duchess laughed quietly. “You two sound like me and my husband. He told me I didn't have to get a job if I didn't want to because he makes enough to support our family, but I feel so bad making him spend his hard earned cash on my nails and hair and clothes all the time. That's the only reason I'm working here, really. I don't need the job, but I don't want to make my husband always pay for everything.”
“That sounds like me,” I admitted. “My parents told me not to get a job because they want me to focus on school right now, but I feel bad making them spend so much on me, especially knowing I could be working and paying for my own stuff.”
“Honey, you enjoy that while you can. Once you get out in the real world, you're stuck.”
Michael nodded in agreement.
“What would you know about that, Richie Rich?” I teased, nudging him under the table with my foot.
He laughed. “A lot more than you think.”
I shook my head and looked back at Duchess. “I think I'll get the A La King.”
“What are your sides?”
“Fruit cup and the California blend.”
“Good choices. That's one chicken A La King.” She scribbled in her receipt book and looked at Michael. “And for you?”
“That fajita thing sounds good.”
“And for your sides?”
“Can I just get a crapload of french fries?”
She smiled. “Of course, Honey.”
I feigned shock. “You're eating commoner food? No caviar or lobster?”
Michael grinned. “Shut up. I always eat normal food.”
Duchess gave us a smile. “I'll bring it out to you shortly, okay?”
We both nodded, and she tucked her receipt book in her apron pocket and went on her way.
“I like her,” I stated once she was out of earshot.
Michael nodded. “Me too. She seems really nice. I'll be sure to leave her a good tip.”
 
Duchess didn't take long at all to return with our food, and my stomach was very grateful.
“Okay, you had the chicken.” She placed my plate before me. It was Chicken A La King over Texas toast. “And steak bits with fajita shells on the side, and a bunch of french fries.” She gave us a smile.
“Thank you,” I responded.
“Not a problem. Oh and by the way, I love your nails.”
I blushed. I had forgotten they were even there. “Thank you. I got them done for homecoming.”
“They look really cute. Where did you get them done?”
“I don't really remember. My friend took me there and paid for it. I think it was called Head On Nails and Spa or something.”
“Oh, I love Head On! That's the only place I get mine done.” She showed me hers. They were white with pink flowers painted on them and much longer than I could ever imagine wearing my nails, but they were lovely.
“I love them!” I giggled. Was I actually taking about girl things with another girl? The world must have turned upside down or something.
“Thank you. Maybe we'll run into each other there one day.”
I shook my head. “I doubt it. I don't really have that kind of money.”
“Don't worry about it. Why don't I just give you my social media, and we can go together one day? On me.”
My eyes were wide. Well, this was odd. “Uh, yeah, okay, sure.”
We traded social media information, and she left Michael and I to eat our dinner, occasionally coming back to check on us and talk a little bit until we finally had to leave. It was getting close to my curfew.
 
---
My parents were once again huddled up on the sofa with a blanket and a bag of popcorn, watching a movie. When we entered the house, they paused the movie to greet us.
“Welcome home, Honey,” my mother said with a warm smile.
My father's gaze fell on my companion. “Michael, you coming to church with us again in the morning?”
Michael didn't hesitate. He simply replied, “well, I wasn't really planning on it, but honestly, I don't have any other plans, so I guess I could.”
“That's wonderful!” my mother cheered.
“You're a good man, Michael,” my father said with a nod of approval. “I hope Kelsey will one day marry a man just like you.”
“A good Christian man,” my mother agreed.
I groaned. They were starting with the embarrassment already.
Michael laughed nervously. “I'm really not. That great, I mean.” He added quietly so no one could hear him “or a Christian...”
“Why don't you kids spend some time with us old folks?” My dad joked. “This movie is actually pretty good. I thought it was gonna be just another chick flick, but it's got a good bit of action, if you can count lassoing and wrangling farm animals.”
“It's about a farm?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
My mother nodded. “It's called Beautiful Rose, and it's about a city girl named Rose who moves to the country. Everyone thinks she's really pretty, but no one takes her seriously. All the men just wanna sleep with her, and all the women think she needs to go back to the city. But this one guy named John takes her under his wing and teaches her all about farm life and living in the country, all while falling in love with her.”
“Sounds pretty basic, as far as romcoms go,” I muttered.
“Just watch it,” my mom insisted.
With a sigh, I walked over to the loveseat that faced away from the door and sat down. Michael hesitantly came over and sat beside me, and my parents unpaused the movie.
 
Apparently John took a long time to confess his feelings to Rose because when he finally did, my mother exclaimed “finally!”
He had taken her horseback riding to the river, and they laid out a picnic. They ate together and talked, and afterwards, he said some cheesy romantic lines, and they kissed. From there, the kiss turned into something more, and the clothes disappeared, all with the horses watching from where they had been roped up to a tree.
As Rose and John got it on, I found myself feeling very uncomfortable. I always hated when I was watching movies like this with my parents and a sex scene came on. I looked over at Michael, wondering if he was feeling anywhere near as awkward as me, but he didn't seem to care. He was just watching the film with a blank expression on his face.
Feeling my eyes on him, he turned his head to look at me. I blushed and quickly looked away, not wanting him to get the wrong idea. I felt his hand come down on top of mine, and our fingers interlocked. I looked at our hands and then back at him, but he had already returned his attention to the screen, a tiny smile gracing his lips. I blushed and looked back to the TV.
Now my mind was going to dark places that it shouldn't have. Places that I would have never allowed it to go when I was dating Lance. But Michael wasn't Lance. They had nothing in common, and that was exactly why I liked him. Michael wanted to keep me safe and protect me, but all Lance ever wanted to do was hurt me. Michael wouldn't hurt me, I knew that much. Maybe that was why I was thinking about this now, wondering what it would actually be like to be with him, to take our relationship one step further. Would he be slow and gentle like the couple on the movie? Would there be candles or a starry night? What would it feel like to be pressed against his body, for his hands to run over my skin, tracing my curves?
Stop it! I scolded myself. We weren't even dating! Or were we? We kissed a lot, and he had his pet names for me. We were pretty much always together, and I was happy about that. But neither of us had given a name to this relationship. We just sort of did couple stuff, but we weren't a couple, I didn't think. We were friends. Maybe really close friends, but friends.
I looked at Michael again. He now had his elbow propped up on the arm of the couch and his knuckles pressed to his cheek. His right hand was still holding mine. He looked really attractive today, even in the blueish glow that radiated from the TV. Of course, he always looked attractive, even when he was exhausted and had bags under his eyes from not sleeping. I wanted to kiss him right now, just like we always did, but I knew my parents would freak out. Instead, I just inched closer and laid my head against his shoulder. He smiled and pressed his cheek against my hair, letting go of my hand to pull me close and put his arm around me.

---
Eventually, the movie was over, and my parents got up and stretched. I quickly moved from where I was and stood up as well. Hopefully they wouldn't ask any questions.
“Well, we should get to bed,” my mother announced.
I nodded in agreement. I was tired as well. Last night had been long, and today had been draining. If there was one thing I needed, it was definitely sleep.
My parents and I said our good nights, and I walked Michael out to his car. We stopped by the driver side door to say goodnight, but something was still on my mind.
I looked up at him. “Michael... Are we dating?”
He looked back at me. “I don't know. Are we?”
I shrugged and averted my gaze. “I was just asking because, I mean, we do all this stuff... And we spend a lot of time together.”
“Friends spend time together too, you know.”
“But do they kiss?”
He shrugged. “Some do, I'm sure.”
“Are we just friends then?”
“No. We're more than that. I don't know what the proper label is, but we’re more than just friends.”
“Friends with benefits?”
He smiled. “Not quite, but maybe one day. I just have a lot going on in my life, believe it or not. There are things that I wish I could tell you about, but I can't. I hate having secrets from you, but that's just the way it has to be right now. Hopefully, I can tell you everything one day. Until then though, just trust me, okay? Stay with me.”
I nodded and gave him a small smile. “Okay.”
I felt like I was just as confused about our relationship as I had been before, if not more. His responses hadn't helped at all.
After a moment, I asked “so you're seriously coming with us again tomorrow?”
He smiled and pulled me in closer. “I don't think I have much of a choice.”
“You always have a choice.”
“Well, I wouldn't want to disappoint my future in-laws.”
I gave him a surprised look. “In-laws?”
He laughed. “I'm kidding. Mostly.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, I'll be back in the morning. It gives me an excuse to spend another day with you.”
“You actually want to?”
He hugged me tightly. “Of course I do, Babygirl. I'm always looking for excuses just to be around you.”
“Why are you always like this?” I asked quietly as our eyes met again.
He tilted his head in confusion. “Like what?”
I laid my head against his shoulder and gave his body a gentle squeeze. “This. You're always so nice to me, even after all the drama that happened the other night.”
“That's just because I like you.” He squeezed me back.
I looked up at him. “You like me?”
“Well, yeah. Isn't it obvious?”
I shrugged. “I mean, Brenda said you did, but...”
“Well, if I haven't made it completely obvious up until this point, let me do it now.” He looked directly into my eyes. “I like you, Kelsey, and I don't just mean as a friend. I like that I'm the person you call in the middle of the night when you can't sleep, and I'll never refuse to come over if you need me. I like that you're always scolding me about my smoking because you care about me. I like that you actually want to spend time with me, especially when it's just us. I like the way your eyes light up when you see me and how you throw yourself into my arms. I like it when you fall asleep beside me, and when you hold my hand and ride in my car with me. I like everything about you, from your looks to your personality and hobbies and everything in between. I just like you, and honestly, I would kiss you all the time if you didn't have a problem with me tasting like cigarettes.”
I blushed, and I could feel my eyes actually tearing up from his words. “I like you too, Michael. I know you're weird, and you have a lot of secrets, and sometimes you lie to avoid telling me, but I really do like you. I like being around you and seeing you everyday. It actually makes me sad when I don't.”
He gave me a sad smile. “You're a bit too smart for your own good, you know that? But I'm glad. Maybe one day I can explain everything to you.”
“I hope so.”
“Anyway, my point is that I like you. I have my reasons for not asking you to be with me, but don't think even for a second that I don't want to be with you. I just...” He sighed. “I need to sort some things out first.”
I nodded. “I understand.”
“By the way...”
I met his gaze again, and he smirked. “I haven't had a cigarette today. I'm doing pretty good with this quitting stuff.”
I smiled and stood up on my tip toes to press my lips to his. He tightened his arms around me, holding my body close, and I allowed myself to get lost in his sweet delicious kiss once more.
When we pulled away and looked at each other, he gave me a faint smile and brushed my bangs out of my face with his fingers. “Can you promise me something though?”
“What is it?”
“Just... Wait. Wait until I get everything figured out.”
“Um... Okay.”
“I'll still be around, and we can sort of be together if you want to. I just won't be able to tell you everything like I want to. I just... don't... want you to be with anyone else...”
I smiled. “I don't want to be with anyone else anyway.”
He returned my smile. “Good.”
He kissed my head and gave my body another gentle squeeze before breaking away from me. With one final little kiss to my lips, he said “night, Babygirl. I'll see you in the morning.”
“Goodnight, Michael,” I said quietly as he got into his car and drove away.