Archanghel: Tale of the Universe

Chapter 24

“Xandriel, where are you?”

Janus kept muttering it like a spell. He sure does wish it could be one. He hoped that Xandriel was safe. That nothing happened to her. That he would find her sleeping in their bed. He was still holding himself accountable for being distracted.

Xandriel’s life were precious. Not just for him, but also for all of humanity. She needed to be protected but all he did was to get drunk and lose sight of her.

Janus neared Lola Isma’s house and his breathing got ragged. Drunkenness finally left his body and was replaced with tiredness and worry. He was at the front of the house when he finally saw Xandriel. She was in a crouching position, her back was against him, and her head was kept between her knees. The whole place was so quiet that it almost felt like her sobs echoed through his ears.

Janus quickly went to her. He gently pulled Xandriel to make her look at him. The sight was heartbreaking. Her eyes were brimming with tears. There were tear stains on her face and she was trembling. Something must’ve happened, is what Janus thought, and it didn’t take long for him to know what.

“Janus… why are you late? He almost… got me… He almost… Asmodeus, he…” The rest of her sentence was drowned by her cries.

“I’m sorry. Sorry. I should never have left you alone. Why did you leave without me? I’m sorry.” Janus chanted while consoling Xandriel.

He pulled her in a hug that was immediately replied by another hug coming from Xandriel. Janus can’t let this thing keep going on. He has nightmares about this. Xandriel is being chased by that lustful demon. She was being dragged and bought to a place. Asmodeus will consume her, not just her body, but as well as her soul.

He told Lola Isma about it and the older woman presented him with only one solution. Janus and Xandriel need to consummate their marriage. Since they didn’t know anything about the couple, according to Lola Isma, Asmodeus always preyed on the newlywed couple because they excited him even more. Especially if they leave lust towards other people aside from their own partners. Janus came to a final decision.

“Xandriel, do you trust me?” He asked.

It was so sudden that Xandriel immediately stopped crying and looked at him curiously. Janus explained his plan to her. Xandriel’s eyes grew as the idea sank into her mind. She and Janus will do that deed. She knew that it would eventually happen, but not in this kind of situation. She had imagined it numerous times, even though she also thought that Janus would just do it with ‘let’s get on with it’ attitude. She didn’t think that he would ask her this determined and almost felt passionate.

“Do you trust me?” Janus asked again.

Xandriel stared at him for a moment. He looked refined and handsome. There was also that reliable look on his face, as if he was telling her that she could trust him. That she would be safe with him. That she had nothing to worry about.

That night, Xandriel and Janus shared a passionate and hot night. It started with a kiss from the front door and they just found themselves inside their room. Janus gave all his emotions and feelings and he let it all out. Xandriel, too, felt bare.

Cherubims can be heard singing and it echoes through the Cosmos.

+++

Isma woke up early the next day. There was a knowing smile on her face. She happily did her chores while whistling and singing. It was the song she always heard when Cleo was comforting his wife every time she had nightmares.

She looked at the clock. Both the short hand and long hand were pointing at the number six. She then inspected the whole house. Upon confirming the cleanliness of the place, she then got her purse and was about to leave. She stopped in front of the couple’s bedroom. Rachele was supposed to come with her, but after last night, she decided to let the couple have their own time.

She fetched a white scarf from her wardrobe and a black skirt and blue polo to match. She straightened herself before looking at herself in the mirror one last time to check her appearance. She put some money on the kitchen table and left a note for the couple before heading out.

She looked up at the sky and smiled. The morning greeted her with a nice atmosphere and nice weather. She wanted it to continue throughout the day, or maybe her whole life. Not just for her, but also for the couple.

“Lola, are you going out alone? Where is Rachele?” Isma stopped when she heard Liza’s familiar voice.

“The husband and wife are still asleep. Do me a favor, don’t wake them up. They are both tired from last night.” Isma sweetly smiled at Liza and there were some hidden meanings in her words and upon seeing the frown on Liza’s face, she confirmed that the point had been across.

“Okay... I will. Anyway, be careful on your journey, Lola.” Liza turned her back and was about to walk away when Isma talked again.

“I would also appreciate it if you started distancing yourself from Cleo. Whatever you’re doing, it was not acceptable anyway,” Isma firmly said, and she took the initiative to walk away.

Liza was rooted in her spot. Goosebumps ran around her body, frightening her of the unknown. She looked at Isma’s house when one of its windows opened. She saw Cleo, who was half naked and was oblivious of her standing not too far away and staring at him. Gently, Cleo pushed the other side of the window, gently not to wake his wife.

Liza felt it, some kind of jealousy. She could see the dream boy she had been wishing for Cleo and she also despised the fact that the man was already married. If she can, she will get him from Rachele.

+++

I turned to my side when the sunrays touched my eyes and produced some heat on my side. I hugged the pillow beside me tightly as I burrowed my head into it. Wait. Something’s not right. The pillow was hard and we didn’t have a hard pillow since Janus and I hated sleeping in one. And the pillow was moving, as if it was breathing.

I jolt in bed when I remember something. Slowly, one by one, my mind relished the memories of last night. I slowly turned my head and saw Janus leaning on the wall and his eyebrow was raised in question.

“I was just about to wake you up. You look really comfortable so I was debating whether to do it or not.” Janus’ voice was hoarse and deep, indicating that he too had just woken up.

“Oh... yeah. I’m fine,” What? Xandy, you’re fine? “Where is Lo-lola Isma?” I cleared my throat.

Heat spread out of my body. I can feel the tips of my ears burning and I can’t look at Janus in the eyes. After doing it, I felt shy being around Janus. Plus, I'm still half naked. Great, Xandy! Janus must’ve felt that as he turned his back on me before answering me.

“I have yet to go out. But I think she had already left because the house was quiet. You prepare yourself first. I'll just go and cook some breakfast.” He gently said and, without looking back at me, he left the room.

I sighed when the door clicked. What happened yesterday felt like a movie. I covered my hands with my face when I felt a tinge of blush creeping out of my cheeks. Reminiscing on last night’s event made me feel giddy and warm. I can’t help but kick the air in front of me. My heart felt like it was about to explode and I just didn’t know how to release it without really exploding. I was in that state when Janus opened the door.

“Xandriel, the breakfast is...” He wasn’t able to finish his sentence when he caught me in a weird position.

My feet were up in the air, thankfully I already had pajamas, and I was shrieking a little.

When our eyes met, I quickly put my feet down and slowly retracted my hands on my face and acted as if nothing happened and put the blanket around me. I could feel Janus watching my every move but I was avoiding his gaze again. My eyes landed on his shirt, so I quickly grabbed it and dressed myself in a flash. I stood up and I was looking past him when I went out of the room.

I got a glimpse of his face and there was a teasing smile on his lips. That man! Can't he see I'm embarrassed here! Janus followed me to the kitchen. There was already a bowl of fried rice and a scrambled egg served on the table.

“You did all this so quickly?” I sat down in my usual place and Janus sat in front of me.

He served my plate with a ladleful of fried rice and some eggs. I said a small thanks before he proceeded with serving his own plate.

“Lola Isma, did all this. I just put those on the table.” Janus said, which earned a chuckle from me.

That is when I remembered something. Lola Isma and I had a plan today! I completely forgot about it. Gosh, Xandy! How can you forget? Janus must’ve seen the distress looked on my face.

“I think she went by herself so as to not disturb us. There was a note here earlier with some money. I put it in the drawer, you can look at it.” He said.

That didn’t actually make me feel better. It made me feel worse. My conscience was eating me. I should've helped her.

Janus and I finished our food and all the while, he was assuring me that it was fine and it had already happened. There’s no point in crying over spilt milk, so I decided to just do the house chores. In that way, I could make it up to Lola Isma. I started with the dishes. Janus almost made a fuss saying that he would do it and I just had to sit and take a rest in the room. But I strongly turned him down and tried to compromise with him. In the end, I win, so I get to do what I want and he will help. Life is good.