Page 12 of Wings of Torment
I pick a chocolate chip up off his plate and chew it while I think. “Damn. There’s an entire list of top contenders, but if you’re really going to make me choose, then I think it would be the sandwich I had. The baguette was cooked perfectly, and it’s like they justknewhow much of a sauce girl I am. What about you?”
He hums, smiling at me like I’m the center of his entire fucking world and making my heart squeeze.
“This is going to sound lame, but the chocolate chip oatcake took first place for me. If I could eat one of those every day, I’d die a happy man.” He leans back in his chair, looking like the cat who got the cream just as Theo joins us.
“What was your favorite part of lunch, Theo?” I ask him.
“Hmm.”
Before he can answer, the waitress comes back to take the rest of our empty dishes. She drops a couple candies on the table, but no bill before saying, “Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy the rest of your day.”
“Wait. We haven’t paid yet.”
“Oh, it’s no problem, Miss. The young gentleman took care of the bill inside. You’re good to go.”
I glance at Theo, who’s suddenly looking anywhere but at me.
“Theo …” I start, but Raphael threads his fingers through mine and pulls me up from my chair. It’s only when we’re a few feet from the café that I stop walking. “You didn’t have to pay for me. I could have covered myself.”
“You both could have covered your own. I know that. But I’d just eaten what was quite possibly the best gourmet grilled cheese I’ve ever had, so when I saw the waitress on my way back to the table I just decided to pay. That’s all.”
I laugh, trying to let the old thoughts of being someone’s charity case seep from my mind. “That’s great, but I’m still paying you back.”
“Whatever you want, firefly.”
Our eyes lock for a long moment, and the tension I’d just been feeling floats away. His nickname for me plays on repeat, sinking into my soul and warming me from the inside out. I want to ask him what it means, and if it has anything to do with the random ray of light that apparently shot out of me during the attack, but part of me doesn’t want to know, so I stay quiet.
We keep walking, turning down random side streets with no real destination in mind. The food settles in my belly and the heavy feeling of overeating leaves as we enter a busy street lined with shops.
Ignoring the businesses selling food, we pass by a few sophisticated places withPure Onlysigns in the windows. I expect to feel embarrassed, or like a burden, but Raphael and Theo don’t even seem to notice. Like they’re more than happy to avoid those places on their own. My heart does a little flip.
The first shop we enter is a little craft boutique with different kits to make jewelry or tie-dye shirts. From the corner of my eye I catch Raphael pull a flyer off the wall and tuck it into his pocket. When I ask him about it, though, he only smirks and changes the subject. Curious.
It doesn’t take more than a few minutes for me to find several kits that I just know Dina would love. Perhaps someday we’ll get to do them together.
After an hour exploring the aisles, we leave empty-handed and continue down the shop-lined street. Angels bustle about in the late afternoon sun, everyone smiling and happy like they don’t have a care in the world. This place is like a little slice of perfection, and I hold tight to the idea that maybe this can truly be the future. Maybe once I graduate, all the drama will float away and leave me in peace.
Raphael, who had gone ahead, skips back toward Theo and me with a shit-eating grin on his face that has my own lips turning up in a smile. “So there’s a thing wehaveto do and I need you guys to trust me. Deal?”
“Well, you know I’m in. How about you?” Theo watches me, the smile on his face almost a challenge.
“Alright, I’ll bite. What is it?”
“Follow me!” Raphael heads further down the road with Theo and me hot on his heels until we stand in front of an antique photo parlor.
A chuckle escapes me as I look through the front window at the display of photos. There are couples and families, all dressed up in outfits I’ve definitely never seen before. Further along are a few more pictures of the same angel, her long, flowing hair half tied up with intricate braids. She looks fierce, like a warrior.
Raphael tugs on my arm, pulling me inside with him and Theo. Inside there are even more photos, and I haven’t seen a single full-color image yet. Each one has this old look to it, either black and white or slightly tinged with sepia.
A gorgeous woman approaches us, and I can’t help but notice how similar she looks to the angel in the window.
“Welcome to our photo parlor. I’m Esther. Are you looking to get some photos done today?”
“Oh, absolutely,” Raphael responds eagerly.
“Perfect! Come with me. You’ll have a choice of theme, period, and style before we get started. It can be a touch overwhelming, but don’t worry. If you find several you like, we can definitely do multiple.”
We follow her through the back, stopping at a slate to choose our themes and time periods — Raphael goes a little wild, picking more themes than we can possibly photograph today, but it’s easy to get caught up in his enthusiasm. Esther is more than happy to play along, her bubbly personality easy to get along with.
