Chapter 5
1470 Words
The boy had pulled up a chair from the corner of the room and sat quietly, watching her.
He had caught her the moment she fainted, arms quick, almost too quick, and carried her to the bed with surprising ease.
He’d covered her with the blanket she’d kicked off earlier.
Humans got cold easily, and he didn’t want her waking up shivering.
The boy waited no more than fifteen minutes, and in that short time, he couldn’t stop replaying what had just happened.
It didn’t make sense, not entirely.
Somehow, he had ended up in this room. Drawn here. Called, maybe.
He wasn’t sure. But he knew deep down, without being able to explain it that it had been her. The human girl.
She had called him.
The how and the why were still a mystery, and that unsettled him more than he liked to admit.
The human felt strange to him.
He wasn’t sure why.
Something about her presence had thrown him off the moment he caught her.
His senses had sharpened, instincts kicking in like he was bracing for something.
Even now, sitting just a few feet from the bed, he felt uneasy, like he was too aware of her.
It wasn’t normal. He didn’t usually react like this to humans.
But this one… something about her made it hard to ignore.
Eve’s eyes slowly opened, unfocused and heavy.
She frowned as she tried to make sense of her surroundings.
She felt groggy and disoriented, her head aching and her back sore like she was waking from an unexpected sleep.
The dim light blurred everything around her.
For a moment, she wondered if this was all a dream.
But it felt too real.
Her gaze landed on the boy next to her, and a sudden panic hit her chest.
She jolted upright so quickly that the boy moved back, startled by her sudden movement.
“Who are you? What are you doing here?” Eve asked, her voice shaky and wary.
The boy stood up from the chair, moving slowly, like he didn’t want to startle her.
Still, something about him felt... off. Calm. Controlled. Not like any normal person.
In a voice that was low and strangely gentle, he said, “Do not be afraid. You are not in danger.”
Eve blinked. Was that supposed to make her feel better?
He watched her carefully, head slightly tilted. Then he asked, “Do you remember what happened?”
Eve rubbed her eyes, trying to force her brain to cooperate.
She swallowed hard, her voice barely making it out.
"I—I had this weird dream," she started, voice shaky, her words tumbling over each other, "a-and I wasn't able to fall back asleep. I think I asked f-for a sign... a sign?"
Her lips twisted into a confused frown, as if hearing herself made it all sound more ridiculous.
"My dad somehow showed up that same second. I heard his voice outside my door, calling me. But when I opened it… there was no one there."
She paused, her brows drawing together. "Th-Then..."
Her eyes widened slightly as the memory flickered, impossible, surreal.
"The wings," she whispered, more to herself than him.
Her voice rose just a bit, the fear trying to bubble up again.
"I think I’m hallucinating."
The boy winced inwardly. He knew he shouldn’t have exposed his wings like that.
“You are not hallucinating,” he said calmly.
Eve’s expression turned more serious. “I am.”
“What you saw was real,” he replied, eyes steady on her, already bracing to keep her from panicking, or waking the rest of the house.
He didn’t know why he wasn’t leaning into the human’s idea of hallucination. It would’ve been easier.
But the truth was, appearing in her room out of nowhere wasn’t something he could explain away. Not convincingly.
So he went with honesty.
Eve’s mouth opened and closed again, like she wanted to speak but didn’t know where to begin.
She decided to keep her mouth shut, slipping into quiet thought.
The boy let the silence linger, until he couldn’t help himself. “Are you not going to ask why I have wings…or?”
He watched her carefully as she lifted her gaze to meet his. “Do I look dumb to you?”
The boy froze, clearly caught off guard. His eyes widened slightly as he sputtered,
“Oh—no! Believe me, that was not my intention.”
Eve raised a brow, a flicker of amusement tugging at her lips.
It was oddly satisfying to see a celestial being look so flustered.
“Of course I know what you are. You’re an angel." The words felt surreal leaving her mouth, like they belonged to someone else.
“I never thought I’d get a visitation from one. This feels like a dream.” She studied the stranger with wide, wonder filled eyes.
“Can I see your wings again?” Eve asked, her voice softer now, almost curious.
The boy shifted uncomfortably, an unsure look settling on his face.
“I… don’t think that’s a good idea,” he said slowly. “I’ve been around humans long enough to know they get overwhelmed pretty easily.”
“I won’t,” she insisted quickly, shaking her head. “I promise. I just… didn’t really get a good look before.” Her eyes searched his face, hoping that would be enough to convince him.
He hesitated, clearly torn.
Then he let out a sigh and drew in a breath like he was bracing himself.
“Alright,” he said under his breath.
A moment later, a bright white light filled the room, so sudden and sharp that Eve flinched, throwing an arm up to shield her eyes.
It wasn’t just light, it was warmth and pressure and something else entirely.
Her eyes blinked hard against it, struggling to adjust.
But when her vision cleared and she finally saw the wings, something in her brain short circuited.
The sheer scale of them, the glow, the impossible grace, they didn’t belong in this world.
Her body swayed before tipping back, collapsing into the bed.
The angel moved in an instant, lunging forward to catch her before she fell at an awkward angle.
He let out another long sigh, like he’d expected exactly this to happen.
As he adjusted her gently on the bed, his hands brushing against her skin, something strange pulsed through him.
A faint, electric tingle that lingered even after he pulled back.
He frowned.
That definitely wasn’t supposed to happen.
━━❃❃❃━━
The angel waited barely two minutes before she stirred again.
Eve slowly sat up, leaning against the bedpost, blinking the daze out of her eyes.
“I guess you were right…” she mumbled, glancing up at him.
The angel gave a faint smile, just relieved she seemed okay.
A sudden knock interrupted the quiet.
“Eve? Can I talk to you about something? I know you’re not sleeping in there,” Jayden called softly from the other side of the door.
Something in his voice caught her attention, it was lower than usual. Off.
“I should go,” the angel whispered, already backing away toward the window.
“Uh—yeah. Wait, what’s your name?” she asked quickly, matching his low, rushed tone.
“Caelum,” he whispered back.
“Eve, what are you doing?” Jayden knocked again, more insistently but still trying not to wake the house.
“Well, nice meeting you, Caelum. I’m Evelyn—but most people call me Eve,” she said, standing up.
She slipped her slippers on, neatly placed by the side of the bed, probably by him.
“I have a feeling we’ll meet again,” he said.
And just like that, she blinked, and he was gone.
She rushed to the door, knowing how short Jayden’s patience could be. Not unlike her own.
“What?” she opened the door, voice edged with irritation.
But her expression softened the second she saw his face.
He was biting his lip, his foot tapping anxiously.
His brows were furrowed, eyes darting like he was lost in thought.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, more gently this time.
“I—I don’t know what to do,” he muttered, barely getting the words out.
“What are you talking about, Jay? Did something happen at Jordan’s place?” Concern threaded through her voice.
He hesitated, looking like he was rethinking his entire life.
And that… that wasn’t like Jayden at all.
“I… I… You know what? It’s fine. I’ll figure it out,” he said eventually, forcing a small smile before turning to walk down the hall.
She watched him disappear into his room.
Weird…
- Writer
