Now and Forever

Chapter 1 At thirty-three years old, Harley Green wasn’t exactly old and decrepit, but he had been single for nearly five years now ever since his fourth and last ex-boyfriend had dumped him for someone else. He had first started dating at twenty years old. At the time, he had thought that he and his first ex-boyfriend would last forever, but the man had ditched him after less than a year. His dating life hadn’t gotten any better with his second ex-boyfriend, their relationship lasting only nine months before he’d been kicked to the curb. Figuratively speaking. His relationship with his third ex-boyfriend had been slightly better. They had stayed together for almost two years. When his third ex had broken things off with him, Harley had been hurt and even more discouraged than before. After dating his fourth and final ex-boyfriend for almost seven months, he’d made up his mind to take a temporary break, but that sabbatical had stretched on for longer than he had intended. Now, he was more than ready to get back into the dating scene. Unfortunately, it wasn’t smooth sailing. “Look, Harry—” “Harley,” Harley corrected Joshua, his third date in a span of five days. “Right. Whatever. Listen. You seem like a great guy, but—” “This isn’t going to work out between us,” Harley completed on Joshua’s behalf and tried his best to ignore the hurt somewhere around his chest area. “It’s cool. I get it.” Joshua smiled. “Great. Glad we’re on the same page. Let me get the check. My treat. Then we can leave.” Harley wanted to roll his eyes. It was obvious Joshua wasn’t being a generous gentleman by paying for the meal. He wanted only to make himself feel better. The date grew more awkward toward the end when Harley and Joshua were standing outside of the diner. Neither of them exchanged a single word. Harley was too dejected to play nice, while Joshua appeared at a loss as to what he had to do. They didn’t make any eye contact for several excruciatingly long and painful seconds before Joshua waved farewell to Harley and walked away. Harley heaved a sigh and made his way toward his car. He chose to take the scenic route home, and along the way, he passed Golden Gate Park, one of the most famous parks in San Francisco. He wasn’t surprised to notice the large gathering of people, even though it was close to eleven o’clock at night on a weekday, because there would be an eclipse at around half past eleven. Or so he’d read online. He wasn’t in the mood to admire it, though. All of those men he had dated always had similar excuses. “It’s not you. It’s me.” “You’re really cute, man, but I prefer my boyfriend to be taller than me. Or at least around the same height. You know what I’m saying?” “No offense, man, but I like an athletic or muscular guy.” Harley was aware he didn’t have the most ideal build. He was only five feet, six inches, and weighed one hundred and thirty-six pounds. He wasn’t skinny. He had a bit of muscle, and could be considered as lithe and lean. Unfortunately, all the men he had dated were more interested in bulky and muscular guys. He huffed a loud breath a few minutes later as he steered his car into the road where his house was located. It didn’t matter that he was successful at his job. It meant nothing that he owned a house, and he actually had savings, private insurance, and profitable investments. At the rate things were going, he would be single for the rest of his life. “This is f****d up,” he muttered as he drove the car into the garage after opening the sliding door with a click of the remote control. He remained inside his car and leaned against the back of his seat for several seconds before eventually getting out and tapping the button on the garage wall. The door quickly slid all the way to the ground. Then he set the security alarm before heading into his house through the connecting door. He went straight into the kitchen and pulled a medium-sized tub of ice cream from the freezer. Then he got several cans of beer from the refrigerator before striding toward the living room as fast as he could. He switched on the television and logged into the account for the online streaming service. He searched for the next episode of his current favorite series before pressing the PLAY button. Then he drowned his sorrow in ice cream and beer while watching vampires, werewolves, and several other supernatural creatures battle it out on the screen. There were some romantic scenes in that episode and the next one, but he wasn’t in the right mood to properly enjoy them. He was nearing the end of the second episode when he heard some weird sounds outside. He lowered the volume of the show that had him so engrossed. His heart beat a little faster and harder when something banged on one side of his house. He heard screeching or growling as well. He shook his head a little, but that was the wrong move. He had consumed way too much beer in a short period of time, and he felt a little dizzy. He might be a tad tipsy at the moment, but he was definitely not drunk. His trepidation escalated when he detected similar noises a few moments later. He was terrified because he had no idea what might be out there. He decided he needed to take a peek through the windows. He had to know if he should call the cops or animal control. His palms felt clammy as he tiptoed toward the nearest window before pulling the curtain slightly apart and peering out. He couldn’t see a thing. He bit his lower lip and wondered what he should do next. He was frightened, but also worried that somebody might have gotten injured. His house was the second to the last along the road, and the last house had been vacant for the past couple of days because his neighbors had gone abroad for a short trip. In the next instant, a couple of questions came to his mind. What if someone is being attacked on my side of the fence that separates our houses? Or what if someone is attempting to rob the house next door? I can’t just ignore those possibilities. With that in mind, he glanced around the room, seeking a potential weapon he could bring along with him while he checked things out. It would be good for his peace of mind if he at least knew what was going on. In the end, he grabbed one of his golf clubs. It wasn’t the best weapon, but that would be better than nothing. After that, he put on a pair of slippers, unlocked the front door, and exited before shutting the door behind him. He did his best to be stealthy as he took small, light steps toward the source of the sounds. Or from where he thought they might have originated. He was rather lightheaded with relief seconds later when he didn’t see anything on his side of the fence. However, he was taken aback when something bumped hard against the other side of the fence. He ran out his front gate before rushing toward his neighbors’ house. He might not be super close to the residents, but they were friendly enough. He had to at least make sure no robbers were trying to get into the house or something. When he finally stood outside his neighbors’ gate, he almost yelped in shock. A man, probably eight or nine inches taller than Harley, was choking a woman. The victim had her back against the fence, but her feet dangled about twenty inches off the ground while she struggled and thrashed about. Judging by their side profiles, Harley didn’t recognize them, but that didn’t matter. He couldn’t stand idly by. “Hey, asshole! Let her go.” The unknown man turned toward Harley, who gasped upon seeing the guy’s face. His neighbors’ house might be completely dark, but enough light came from the porch of his own house that he could clearly study the man’s features. He had gray eyes that looked almost silver, and his hair was as black as his clothes and shoes. Moreover, the assailant had a huge build—very muscular—and Harley gripped his golf club even tighter. He might have bitten off more than he could chew, but he wasn’t going to let the man kill an innocent woman. Not under his watch. “f**k off, human. This is none of your business.” Harley gaped. “Excuse me? You’re trying to murder—” “She’s not human. She’s an evil spirit. Now, get lost.” Harley couldn’t explain why he did what he did next. Perhaps it was his terrible date, or perhaps being a little drunk. But it astounded him when he threw his golf club in the man’s direction with all the strength he could muster, and it hit the guy on the side of his head. So astonished, the assailant relinquished his hold on the woman. Harley would have crowed victoriously if the woman hadn’t gazed toward him a second later. He felt chills all the way down his spine when he finally noticed she had empty eye sockets. Her skin was unnaturally pale, and visible blue veins marred her face, neck, and arms, and even parts of her legs not covered by her dress. Then she sneered at him before vanishing on the spot. “What…what was that?” The unknown man suddenly appeared right in front of Harley, who pressed both palms against the man’s muscular chest. Harley gulped. He could feel the stranger’s firm and warm body even through the tight, black T-shirt. Now that they were standing so close together, Harley could see that the man was unfairly gorgeous. If there was a god, Harley would have cursed him or her for the injustice of it all. Bestowing a man with so much beauty and perfection should be a crime. This man would have no problem landing himself a boyfriend. Or a girlfriend. Meanwhile, all Harley wanted was a good and kind boyfriend, but he had been denied that satisfaction over and over again. “You are the stupidest, most insolent, most stubborn motherfucking asshole I’ve ever had the displeasure to meet in my thousands of years of existence.” Harley was so mesmerized by the stranger’s handsomeness, it took him an extra few seconds to comprehend what the man had just told him. “Whoa! What? Thousands of years?” The man snarled at Harley, who cowered backward. Then the man pointed at the fence. “That woman has been roaming the mortal realm for a while now, which shouldn’t have happened in the first place. Unfortunately, that took its toll on her, and consequently, she had caused plenty of harm on many innocent humans. The moment a spirit does something bad toward a living, breathing human, he or she will instantly turn into a malevolent spirit. My job is to capture her and drag her into the underworld, but you, motherfucker, just have to ruin everything.” Despite the unbelievable things the man had said, Harley felt guilty, but he was also furious. “Me?” “Yes!” Harley clenched his left fist while poking the unknown man’s chest with his right index finger. Not that it had any effect whatsoever. Harley felt as if he was jabbing his finger against an extremely solid, immovable wall. “Whose fault is it in the first place? If you had done your job properly and snatched her off the face of the earth all those years ago, she wouldn’t have…have…uh, transformed into…into that thing. Whatever she was. Is. s**t! You know what I mean!” The man’s gaze hardened. “Listen here, you little maggot piece of s**t! I’m not the Angel of Death. I’m a soul collector. We are two different entities, and our job descriptions are not the same. My duty is to chase after and catch the spirits who, for one reason or another, have yet to make their way into the underworld.” Harley was stunned into silence. He didn’t know there was such a thing called a “soul collector.” In fact, he couldn’t believe any of what he had just witnessed, what he had just been told, was real; perhaps he was dreaming. Actually, he decided right then and there that this was indeed a dream, a nightmare, thanks to having fallen asleep while watching that TV show and having had several beers. So now he decided to simply surrender to it, to go with it, to follow the outlandish dream wherever it led and deal with all the memories of it once he woke up. Besides, what this “soul collector” had just said ticked him off, and he wasn’t going to admit defeat, not even in a dream. What had happened wasn’t his fault. Not really. He honestly thought he had been trying to rescue a woman from being assaulted by a beast of a man. “How was I supposed to know any of that? You both looked like humans to me.” The man glared at Harley. “It’s the f*****g eclipse. It weakens the barriers between the mortal realm and the other side. Under normal circumstances, you shouldn’t have been able to see any spirits.” “And you.” The man snorted. “I’m not a spirit.” Harley’s eyes widened. “What are you then? A human who catches souls for a living?” The man scoffed. “As if. I’m a lowly angel who works for the Angel of Death.” That astonished Harley. He tilted his head. “Where are your wings?” The angel folded both impressively muscular arms over his even more remarkably muscular chest. “They’re folded away into my back. Why?” Harley’s cheeks heated in embarrassment. “Nothing. Never mind. See you around. Or not.” He was about to walk toward his neighbors’ gate when he was dragged backward by his shirt collar. He narrowed his eyes upward, but the angel simply seemed amused. “Where do you think you’re going?” “I need to climb over the gate and get my golf club.” “You don’t have to do that.” “But that’s my golf—” The remainder of Harley’s words died in his throat when his golf club materialized in his grasp. Then the angel leaned down close to his face. “Name.” “What?” The angel smirked and shifted even closer. Harley gulped and tried to step back, but he couldn’t because the angel slipped one hand over his waist and prevented him from moving. He couldn’t escape, especially not when he was outweighed by approximately eighty pounds. At least that was his estimate based on the angel’s build. For all he knew, the angel might even be two hundred pounds heavier than he was. “You have such beautiful green eyes, and your thick, black hair is so silky soft,” the angel said while running his other hand over Harley’s hair. “What’s your name?” Harley gulped again as he glanced sideways for a second or two at the angel’s hand. “Green. Harley. I mean, Harley Green.” “I’m Connor Bowman. You owe me one, Harley.” “What?” Connor stood upright and tightened his hold around Harley’s waist. “I would have captured that damn spirit if it wasn’t for your unnecessary meddling.” Harley became pissed off again. “I told you—” “I don’t care. Where do you live?” Harley grew suspicious. “Why?” Connor’s expression turned serious. “I’m going to live with you until you’ve paid me back for this loss.” That shocked Harley. “Whoa! No way!” “You owe me one,” Connor repeated. Harley wanted to argue further, but he already felt guilty. Connor was sort of right. Harley had caused Connor to lose that evil spirit, albeit unintentionally. “Fine.” “Good.” After that, Harley led the way to his house. Inside, he gestured toward two guest rooms. “You can sleep in either one of them.” “What about you?” “I’ll be on the second floor. That’s where the master bedroom is.” “Okay. I’ll sleep with you.” Harley almost choked. “What? You can’t do that.” “Why not?” “Because…because I don’t know you.” “I’m Connor, and you’re Harley.” “Yes. I know that. What I meant earlier—” “I’m offering you my protection.” That stunned Harley into silence for a second or two. “What?” “The spirit has seen your face. She might come after you next.” Harley stared into Connor’s eyes. Connor’s face had a neutral expression, and Harley couldn’t be certain if the angel was simply attempting to scare him, or make fun of him. However, he couldn’t erase the memory of the spirit’s terrifying face. “Uh, well, when you put it that way, I guess maybe it’s best if we sleep on the same bed. Just in case. I mean, we will be safer together. Right?” Connor chuckled. “Glad you see it my way.” Although Connor had said that in a mocking tone, Harley wasn’t hurt by it. Connor might be poking fun at his expense, but the angel didn’t sound cruel while doing so. Besides, even if this was all nothing but a dream, Harley wouldn’t mind sleeping next to another man. It had been a really long time since that had happened. Harley would just think of it as two acquaintances sharing a single bed during a platonic sleepover. Plus, he owned a king-sized bed. He wouldn’t have to worry about the lack of space. There would be plenty for both of them. But Harley received yet another surprise when they entered his bedroom. Connor started stripping, including his sinfully tight black leather pants, until he was fully naked. Harley gaped at Connor’s hairy body, from the muscular chest all the way down to the angel’s firm, hard calves. “Why are you naked?” “I always sleep naked.” “Do angels sleep?” Connor snorted. “Of course. I have a house in the underworld, and it can get quite hot down there, so I never wear anything in bed.” All the new information proved to be too much for Harley. He didn’t quite know how to process it all. “Okay.” Then Harley removed his clothes, down to his trunks. Connor chuckled while staring unabashedly in Harley’s direction. “You’re a very beautiful man.” Harley abruptly felt self-conscious and tried to cover himself with his arms, but Connor slapped them away. Harley glared at Connor and blurted the first thing that came to his mind. “Have you no filter inside your brain? And stop ogling me. It’s creeping me out.” Connor shrugged. “You humans are weird. Just say what you mean, and mean what you say. Also, being naked is completely natural. Do you sleep in your underwear?” Harley pouted and shook his head. “No, but it’s common courtesy—” “Don’t bother. I’ve existed for thousands of years. I’ve seen enough naked men and women over the years. What’s another one?” Harley was annoyed by how rational and calm Connor was, but the angel was right. He hesitated for a few seconds longer before deciding to ditch his trunks. Then he hurriedly got into bed and pulled the comforter over his naked body. He also made sure he was sleeping near to the edge of the mattress, far away from Connor, who simply snickered and climbed onto the bed at a more leisurely pace. Harley attempted to peek at Connor’s extremely well-endowed d**k as discreetly as he could, but he failed. “Sorry.” Connor shrugged. “Don’t be. I’m flattered.” Harley could feel his cheeks heating even further from mortification, so he turned away. “Right. Whatever. Good night.” “Sweet dreams, Harley.” Harley didn’t bother to provide any response. Instead, he shut his eyes and lay still. He thought he would have a tough time falling asleep that evening, especially with such an attractive, naked man on the other side of the bed. He was wrong. The last thing he remembered was the proximity of Connor’s body to his own. He could also feel the angel’s warmth, even though they didn’t have any physical contact. Connor was like a damn furnace. Before Harley realized it, he started to feel drowsy, and thought that perhaps when he woke up, he would discover that this had all been a dream, a nightmare, just like he had suspected earlier. Then he couldn’t recall anything else.