“I know,” I told her.
Her grip on me tightened.“I didn’t get to tell her how much I loved her.”
Her voice was faint, like a whisper, but her body shook with sadness.Grief, I realized.
“I know,” I said, because it was the truth.We both loved her.
She was impossible not to love.
I watched as her father hugged her, apologizing and leaning over her.
He told her he hadn’t had a drop of alcohol since the accident.
He worried he’d never see her beautiful face again.
And then she looked our way.
I knew she couldn’t see us, but for a moment, I pretended she could.
“She knows,” I told Valory as I nudged her.
She looked back at Mercy.
“Even if she does not understand, she knows.”
I led us out of the hospital, down the winding corridors until we hit the exit.The sun on my skin was warm, and Valory did not move from my side.There was no point in sheathing our wings, so we did no such thing.
I looked at the horizon, with Valory curled to my side, knowing we had completed our mission.
We would need to return to Heaven as soon as possible.
We would need to be judged.
But before we left, there was one thing I wished to do.
“Are you hungry?”I asked.
Valory bristled in my grasp, her voice tinged with sadness.“What?”
I turned to look at her.Her bright blue eyes, her eyebrows furrowing.
I grasped her chin with my fingers.
“I said, are you hungry?I could go for some tacos right about now.”
She laughed through her tears.My thumb grazed her bottom lip, reveling in the softness.
“Tacos sound really good,” she said through a sob.
“Perhaps I’ll even throw in some strawberry margaritas, too.”
She nodded as I brought my lips to hers, kissing her softly.When I let go, I reached for her hand.
“Come, angel.Let us celebrate our victory.”
She followed me without question, until we found a suitable bar that served tacos, which happened to be at a hotel.
I knew we would need to rest, if only to recharge enough to ascend.Food would help, but I also knew we were running on fumes and a nap would probably do both of us wonders.I sheathed my wings, and so did she.For the briefest moment, we stood there, appearing as nothing more than human.And for the briefest moment, I pretended that is what we were.Just a man and a woman, on a...date.
