Page 27 of Widow

"I got it out of impound for you. Mind if I drive?" I couldn't tell what his feelings were on the situation; he didn't let his emotions show.

I shrugged in response. I was exhausted. Spending the night in jail didn't lend itself to sleeping well.

I looked over at him a few times as he drove. I felt like I had spent a lot of time in a car with him.

We both started talking at once.

"Let me explain…"

"Are you really that Lucifer?"

We both laughed awkwardly. I played with the hem of my scrub top. What was the hospital going to do once they found out about my arrest? Even though Lucifer somehow got the charges dropped, it would make its way back to the hospital. Maybe even to the medical board. My stomach knotted at the thought.

"I am that Lucifer. Before you freak out on me, let me just tell you I am grossly misrepresented." He looked over at me and then looked back at the road. "I share the duties of Hell now with the other archangels."

I didn't quite know how to respond. I didn't even believe in God or angels.

"So, God is real?" I turned towards him in my seat, and he worked his jaw back and forth.

"He's... It's hard to explain. Once you uh... die, it will make a little more sense. We aren't permitted to talk about it." He turned off the highway. "Let me just put it this way. He will be whoever you want or need him to be."

That wasn't vague at all. "Am I going to Hell?"

He pulled into my parking space and turned off the car. He turned and looked at me thoughtfully.

"Not if I can help it." He reached out his hand and touched my cheek. I shut my eyes and sucked in a breath of air.

When I opened my eyes, he had shifted a minuscule amount closer. Was he going to kiss me? The bigger question was, would I let him kiss me?

Just as I was considering what I would do if he did lean forward, he dropped his hand. My stomach clenched, and I bit my lip.

"Tomorrow night there's a big New Year's Eve party at Blue Wave. I would like it if you joined Kai, Ric, and me."

"Are you asking me on a date? What about my arrest?"

"The charges were dropped. They traced the man's car and found footage of you abandoning it in a parking lot. I have my team of people, angels, working on clearing your name."

"Maybe I should let them arrest me. It's not like I'm innocent. Maybe I don't remember killing those men, but I'm the one that got rid of their cars. I haven't done enough to stop the spiders." I ran my fingers through my tangled hair. I had no clue where my ponytail holder went. "You didn't answer my other question."

He turned back forward and looked out the front window at the concrete wall in front of us. "Not a date. I don't date."

Of course he didn't date, he was Lucifer. I couldn't help but feel a little rejected.

I got out of the car and grabbed my bag out of the backseat. He handed me the keys.

"I need to get going." He looked around awkwardly. He seemed nervous, but I could have just been reading too much into it.

"Thank you. For everything. I don't know why you guys are helping me, but I really appreciate everything you've done."

Before I could think twice about it, I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around him. He immediately stiffened, but then he wrapped his arms around me too. I felt safe with his arms wrapped around me. I pulled back and looked up at him.

"It's not a date," he repeated. "I mean, not that there's anything wrong with you. I just don't date. Besides, Kai and Ric will be there too." He was stumbling over his words like an awkward teenage boy. He had seemed so put together up until this point.

I stepped away from him and nodded. It wasn't a date.

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