The Devil's Love

||. Chapter 30: Morning After the Rain .||

Ansel stretched lazily in her soft comfortable bed. The blanket rolled in between her legs, shielding her from the immense cold air and provided her with enough warmth to sleep in. Wiping her face with her right palms, Ansel shifted away from the sunlight that seemed to be preparing her for an intense baking session. She rolled onto the right side of the bed, denying the heat's satisfaction to ripen her skin. Her hair sprawled against her sunflower scented pillow. Cracking her eyes open to see her favourite teddy bear laying on the ground, Ansel pushed herself up before grabbing her phone to look at the time. 

Patting her fingers on the pillow, she placed them neatly above each other. Ansel hummed at the satisfaction of getting a good nine hours of sleep, thanks to the cancellation of her morning classes. The rain served as a good company to sleep. She remembered returning home with Angelo while they ran in the rain to escape the sudden storm on their way back. Standing up from her bed, Ansel recalled the memories from the night before, tapping his fingers gently across her bottom lips. She raised her eyebrows, facing the window before looking around her empty room.

"That was real?" she questioned softly only to be responded by the sight of a lizard scurrying across the wall. "Honestly, that was real? He isn't a human. It happened."

Turning around, she jumped onto her bed, squealing into her pillow. Her fist tightened at the sides before sucking in the cold air to calm herself down. She was right all these years, angels, demons and mythical creatures do live around the mortal world. Ansel made her bed neatly, picking up the book she left lying on the floor after yesterday's night reading and changed into a pair of comfortable clothes. She applied the lip balm on her dried lips and dashed down the stairs like an Olympic runner.

The minute she reached the kitchen, Ansel was welcomed by the sight of Angelo sitting by the table, reading the stack of papers attentively. His black hair fell neatly by the sides as his eyes focused on the words. It was his deep concentration that made him looked extra handsome at such an early hour. Ansel felt her cheeks heating up as he stared at Angelo for a good five minutes before taking her steps forward and claimed her seat. When Angelo lifted his gaze, Ansel felt the blood rushing through her veins as she bit her inner cheeks. His adorable smile that plastered on his pale features made her heart skipped.

"Do you want coffee?" Angelo asked, already standing up from his seat to grab her mug. "I could whip you up some waffles too if you want. Jun Ho bought a new waffle maker last night. I didn't know he had been experimenting with waffles until he told me he destroyed two waffle makers back at his own house."

Ansel barely concentrated on his words. All she could remember was how calm the boy had been throughout the times he stayed here. She understood that everyone has a burden to bear and to think of how long Angelo had to hide his identity, was unfair to him. She wished she knew it earlier, not to obtain any advantage, but to share a tiny bit of his burden. It was when Angelo turned to face her for a fixed answer, Ansel realized that he had been truthful to her about himself, unlike her past. Shaking her head as a no for waffles, she tilted her head to study Angelo's delicate fingers working on the coffee machine.

"Jun Ho has always been a destroyer," Ansel assured, straightening herself. "He almost burns his clothes with an iron the last time we lived together. Angelo," she called out seriously and met his shining black eyes when he turned. "Can we talk about last night? Everything you told me under the hut, about you not being human and the angel of Death - that was real? You are not human. You are like the mythical beings in my fantasy storybooks and you are not lying about it?"

The cup clicked against the marble table gently as the fresh aroma of coffee filled the place. Angelo settled himself down on the chair and slipped the papers back into the files carefully. She watched him pushed the stack of papers aside, grabbed his cup of coffee and stared right into the core of her soul.