Page 167 of Breathe Like Hell

I removed my hand from Dakota’s arm, broke our eye contact, then left the room, retreating to the guest bedroom.

And when I slept, I dreamed about Micah.

Dakota had asked me once if angels could dream, and I’d told her we could. What I’d neglected to mention was that I’d only ever seen one face in my dreams.

Micah’s face.

Whenever I dreamed about anyone else, I couldn’t quite make out any of their faces. But after I met him, he became crystal clear.

I didn’t know why. It’d just been that way since the day I met him. I suspected it would be that way until the day I died.

Even Dakota didn’t have a clear face in my dreams, as much as I wished she did.

It was only ever him.

I’d told him that before, but I had no idea if he remembered it now. I hoped he didn’t.

CHAPTER FORTY

DAKOTA

Mila flopped down on her bed with the bag of very-stale peach rings gripped in her hand. She claimed that she’d made a valiant effort to eat all of them, but got sick of the flavor, and they’d been sitting in the back of the cabinet since then. They were the same peach rings I’d eaten with her and Ekaterina on the couch after I met Ivan smoking and stressed out on the stairs.

Mila was lucky I happened to love stale gummy candy. Sometimes even more than fresh gummy candy. It was more satisfying to chew, in my opinion.

“Do you feel prepared yet?” she asked, her voice all muffled in a fuzzy leopard-print pillow. “I think it’s evil that you have an exam on your birthday.”

“I guess.” I laughed. She’d been feeling a bit impatient while waiting for me to finish studying for my Unit Ops final exam tomorrow morning, which yes, was my birthday. My twenty-second birthday, to be specific. December eighth.

I wasn’t a fan of my own birthday, so I didn’t mind the exam. Plus, it was Micah’s exam, so it was almost like a date. Me, sitting in the back row stressed out over multiple choice questions; him, watching me from the front.

“And I really want to watch a movie or something.”

“I know you do. I have one more set of slides to go through,” I promised. “Don’t you have some studying you could be doing?”

“Don’t ask. Just don’t.” She groaned into the pillow before lifting her head to eat a peach ring. I held my hand out and she dropped one into my palm, then I popped it into my mouth.

“Shit, these are really stale.”

I did like stale gummies, but the peach rings were more like rocks at this point.

“I know. I don’t think the bag was sealed all the way.” She inspected the packaging. “But I still have to prove to Vanya that this was a good purchase. It was way too fucking expensive.”

“Well, yeah. The bag is giant.”

“Dakota!” she whined. “I was having a really strong craving! Don’t agree with him.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” I shut my laptop, then rolled my neck out. “Okay. I’m deciding to be done for the night. We can watch something now.”

“Yay!” Mila sprung off her bed and I joined her, both of us heading straight into the kitchen first to fetch more snacks. Ekaterina was filling her water bottle with the water filter pitcher, a sparkly ring on her finger. The sight of it made me smile. Ivan had proposed not too long ago, and I was so happy for both of them.

Mila and I each grabbed a variety of things from the fridge and cabinet, then got cozy on the couch. I stretched to grab a fuzzy blanket from the basket while Mila selected the next episode of Pretty Little Liars, which we’d been rewatching together. It was my third rewatch of the show, and Mila’s…tenth, or something. She was a big fan.

I was so grateful I got to spend time with her like normal again.

She always made me feel good, and it was nice to be away from angelic chaos every once in a while. Sometimes I just needed to see a person who’d known me for years, and who’d never caused me any pain.

I loved her so much.