Baby?
He can’t be serious.
I’molder. If anyone’s the baby here, it’s him.
Oh, wait. He’s not serious—my mistake.
I’m already falling behind, and Idreadfalling behind.
My grip on his hand tightens subconsciously as we venture into the party, ensuring I don’t physically fall behind and get lost in the crowd.
Ugh.I detest crowds like this. Why did I entertain this plan? I could be reading from the comfort of my cozy office couch right now, but instead, I’m gallivanting among a sea of loud strangers.
A golden-haired angel has already shoved a glass of alcomist into Kai’s free hand and regarded me with a bit of a pout, obviously perturbed at the sight of me with him.
I can’t say that I blame her. As much as I dread admitting it, he’s showstopping. With his white button-down and camel trousers, he appears even more refined than usual. His top two buttons are undone, too. His sense of style is better than I thought it was while serving as his Watcher.
He must’ve picked up a tip or two from his sister.
I mean, while serving as a Guardian, he hardly changed his clothes—not that he really had to worry about his wardrobe while serving. Only a handful of souls could see him, and angels don’t sweat unless they’re severely weak or in pain, like when I shoved that ring on his finger.
The thought of his pained expression from earlier makes my heart stir uncomfortably.
He inhales his glass of alcomist while sauntering, striding in with all the confidence in the world. Multiple angels greet him, patting him on the back and grinning widely. He takes time to greet every single person kindly, not releasing my hand for even a second.
“Having fun?” He bends, his voice a gentle rasp in my ear.
“Define ‘fun.’”
I gaze up at the platform to get a closer look at the live winged band. Complete with a guitarist, pianist, percussionist, and a male and female singer, it’s a whole team. Their music isn’t half bad. I find myself bopping my head to the rhythm of the beat subconsciously.
I glance around at the angels surrounding us. Looks like Matt and his girlfriend found us. He grins widely, saying, “Kai, you must be gifted. This one”—he gestures to me—“hasn’t attended a party up here inages.”
Kai gazes at me, smirking. “Oh, is that so?”
I deadpan, “Sure, it’s been a while.”
“I’m just glad to see you out, Cleo,” Matt says warmly. I smile softly at him in return. “So, are you two…?”
He wiggles his eyebrows.
I fight the urge to shake my head. I look up at Kai adoringly and let go of his hand to wrap my arm around his waist instead, fully committed to the act at this point.
Odd. I didn’t expect his waist to feel so… solid. “It’s new.”
He gazes down at me, a subtle look of confusion crossing his features, then hooks his arm around my neck and pulls me in tighter, placing a kiss on my head. “Verynew.”
My stomach drops. I can’t tell if the sensation is a good or bad thing—it’s never happened before in my afterlife.
He takes another breath of his alcomist, and I glance over my shoulder. I don’t spot Stephen, but I know he’s here. As Kai said, he never misses a party.
A song I’m familiar with begins to play. I start swaying—only a little bit—to the music when he leans down to breathe in my ear, “Let’s dance.”
I almost instantly regret swaying my hips, halting the movement at once and shaking my head incessantly. “Oh, I’m actually not much of a dancer.”
“With legs like yours? I don’t buy it,” he says, eyeing my legs and making my cheeks burn simultaneously. “You can’t be worse than me. I’ve only had one glass of alcomist, and I already feel like my right foot has morphed into a left one.”
Unable to stifle a laugh, I obnoxiously chuckle, covering my mouth as soon as it escapes me. His eyes light up, drifting back and forth between my eyes and lips.
