Page 61 of Heal Me

“Again, I apologize. I just want my girl happy.”

“Dad, I am happy,” I say, taking Gabe’s hand. He brings it up to his mouth and gives it a kiss, and I can feel Dad’s gaze burning a hole through us.

Our server brings the check, and of course Dad and Gabe get into a dispute about who is going to pay. Gabe wins, only because Dad paid for dinner last time. Gabe also wins because he got out of answering the question about his work without my dad even realizing it.

“We’re so close to campus, let’s just walk over so I can hand deliver your deferral paperwork,” my dad says.

“Sure.” Who would have seen that coming?

Gabe and I take a seat on a bench outside in the quad while Dad walks to the Dean’s office. “And you’re sure you wouldn’t want to be part of this?” Gabe asks.

Following his gaze, I take in the prestigious campus—ornate buildings steeped with history, the lawn manicured within an inch of its life. “I’m sure. This was always my dad’s dream, but not mine.” I watch a group of students sitting in the grass furiously studying their notes. “The energy here is a weird mix. Competitive and yet fearful at the same time.”

“What would happen if I materialized behind that group in my angelic form and said boo?”

“Don’t you dare.”

“Why did you blow me off the first time we met?”

“Don’t tell me Turek got to you?” I playfully bump my knee into his. “Something about your angelic energy disturbed me. Of course I didn’t know you were an angel at the time.” I lace my fingers through his. “It turns out I like being disturbed by your angelic energy.”

“What every guy wants to hear—he disturbs his girlfriend.”

“Disturb in the best possible way, like this morning,” I say quietly, feeling my cheeks heat. Gabe woke me early this morning in his angelic form…I didn’t mind the disturbance.

“Then I won’t apologize for disturbing you.”

“How did I not know your name is Gaberick?”

“Only my father calls me that. Turek did it, I’m sure, just to ruffle my feathers.”

“And the Cupid nickname?”

“White feathers. Bow and arrow. Unfortunately, the nickname stuck.”

“Why do I get the feeling there’s more to the story?”

“I was fifteen years old and had my first girlfriend. I was supposed to report at 1600 hours to tag along on a mission with Sam. Four o’clock rolled around and I was rolling around with my girlfriend instead.” Completely irrational, but hearing about Gabe with another woman, even teenage Gabe, makes me see red. Shaking away those absurd thoughts, I tune in as he continues. “I’d warded the place to make sure there’d be no interruptions. Sam was not happy I made him wait. He told me if I wanted to play Cupid, it’d be on my own time, not his. He stuck me in a cloth diaper for the rest of the day,” he says, shaking his head. “I’d use my power to try and change, but nothing worked. I was stuck in that damn diaper.”

“Wow, that’s—”

“Go ahead.”

“I’m sorry, but that’s funny,” I say, letting out the laugh I’ve been suppressing. He gives me a disgruntled look. “Hey, if it makes you feel better, my first time was mortifying too. My boyfriend snuck over when I thought I had the house to myself. We were putting our clothes back on when my Grandmother Opal came bursting in. She poured a bucket of cold water over both of us, gave my boyfriend a good chewing, and set him on his way in dripping wet clothes.”

“I like this grandmother,” Gabe says.

“Hey, whose side are you on?”

“Your grandmother’s,” he says in all seriousness.

My dad returns with a noticeable spring in his step. “Everything is squared away,” he announces excitedly. “I thought we’d take out the boat. How does that sound?”

“Great,” I say.

“What kind of boat?” Gabe asks.

“And here we go,” I mutter to myself. They talk boating performance the entire car ride to the marina.

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