Page 30 of Living with Death

“I want to bake a cake and give it to homeless people.”

“Simple,” he says. “I like it. “

The sun arches in the sky, and we’ve both come up with quite a bit. I can’t imagine getting to some, but I’m excited about the opportunity. I’ve turned the record player on, and Billie Holliday croons in the background. My curtain is still open, and I can see the streetlights.

I inhale. “Do you smell that?”

He nods. I stand and follow the smell toward the kitchen, and my eyes widen when I see flames shooting up from the stove. “What in the world?”

Azrael comes in behind me and grabs a pot from the dish drain, filling it with water. He throws it over the cap. Flames shoot up even higher.

“Oh God, it’s grease,” I say, snatching the baking soda from the fridge. I rip the top open, and it flies all over the place. I shake it toward the stove, putting the flame out.

I look at Azrael. A laugh bursts from my chest. He narrows his eyes like I’ve grown two heads, his lip lifting at the corner. I fall against the counter, my stomach aching from laughter.

“What in the world is so funny?” he asks.

I wipe the tears from under my eyes, holding a hand over my belly. “That was exciting.” A few more giggles slip out, and I inhale, trying to control myself. Goodness, when was the last time I laughed that hard?

He shakes his head at me. The record stops in the living room, and a new song, “I’ll be Seeing You,” begins. I sniff, andhis face turns serious.

“Dance with me.”

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“Umm...”

“Don’t overthink it, Mabel. It’s just a dance.”

I bite my lip but take his hand. “Have you ever danced with anyone before?” I ask.

“Yes,” he answers. He reaches for my hand, slipping his fingers between mine. I gently touch his shoulder as he holds the small of my back.

“Something he has done,” I murmur.

He smirks.

As Billie sings, we rock back and forth. We move over the worn tile, baking soda getting on the bottoms of our feet. I swallow, smelling Azrael’s scent as he holds my back and hand. He smells of soap, fresh and rich. He pulls me closer. I shut my eyes, breathing him in. How long has it been since I’ve been this close to a man? He’s intoxicating.

“Who did you dance with?” I ask.

He looks down at me. “No one that mattered.” He looks between my eyes and down to my lips. Billie croonsI’ll be seeing youone last time, and the song ends. I pull away. “Well, now I can say I’ve danced with Death.” I scratch my ear, grabbing the broom to sweep up the mess. Is that a good thing? Most people would say no, but most people have no idea he’s real.

Azrael gives me a closed-lip smile. “You can cross it off the bucket list.” He clears his throat and runs his hand over the back of his neck. “Are you hungry?”

I look at the clock, seeing it’s already past seven. “Very.”

“Should we get food?” he asks.

“What would you like?”

“Anything you’d like.”

I make a face. “Surely, there’s something you’d like to try. “

He thinks about this. “Fried fish.”

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