Page 16 of Uriel
I whirl around, nearly losing my balance on the smooth stone. There, lounging in one of the terrace chairs as if he’s been there all along, is Azrael. He’s traded his Hawaiian shirt for a black leather jacket, but the flip-flops remain. In his hand is a pina colada, complete with a tiny umbrella.
“You,” I growl, my earlier frustration finding a convenient target. “What are you doing here?”
Azrael takes a long sip of his drink, seemingly unperturbed by my hostility. “Oh, you know, just checking in. Seeing how the whole ‘save the world’ thing is going.” He waggles his eyebrows suggestively. “Among other things.”
I clench my fists, fighting the urge to wipe that smirk off his face. “If you’ve just come to mock me?—”
“Relax, Uri,” he says, holding up a placating hand. “I come in peace. Well, mostly.” He grins, showing far too many teeth. “As for the Big Guy upstairs, He’s a bit busy at the moment. You know, holding up the fort, keeping the universe from imploding. The usual.”
I deflate slightly, the fight leaving me as quickly as it came. “Then why are you here?”
Azrael’s expression softens, becoming almost... sympathetic? “Because contrary to popular belief, I don’t actually enjoy watching you suffer. Much.”
I sink into the chair across from him, suddenly feeling every one of my countless years. “I don’t know what to do, Azrael,” I admit quietly. “This... feeling. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.”
“Yeah, love’ll do that to you,” he says casually, as if he hasn’t just dropped a bomb into my already chaotic world.
“Love?” I choke out. “I’m not— That’s not— We barely know each other!”
Azrael just looks at me, one eyebrow raised. “Uri, my man. You moved her into your house after knowing her for what, a few months? That’s some U-Haul energy if I’ve ever seen it.”
I blink, momentarily derailed. “U-Haul energy?”
He waves a hand dismissively. “Never mind. Human thing. The point is, this whole ‘take the girl and run’ thing? Very unlike you. Unexpectedly rash. I like it.”
I bury my face in my hands, groaning. “This wasn’t the plan. None of this was the plan.”
“Plans change,” Azrael says, his voice uncharacteristically gentle. “Sometimes for the better.”
I look up at him, searching for any sign of his usual mockery. But his expression is earnest, almost kind. “What if I’m not... equipped for this?” I ask, hating how vulnerable I sound. “What if I’m not capable of... of loving her the way she deserves?”
Azrael sets his drink aside, leaning forward. “Uri, my friend. You’ve spent eternity loving humanity from afar. Maybe it’s time you learned to love up close and personal.”
His words hit me like a physical blow, resonating with something deep inside me. Could it really be that simple? That terrifying?
“I don’t know how,” I whisper.
Azrael stands, clapping a hand on my shoulder. “That’s the beauty of it, my uptight friend. None of us do. You just... figure it out as you go.”
With that, he’s gone, leaving behind only the faint scent of coconut and rum. I stare at the empty space where he stood, my mind reeling.
Love. Could that really be what this is? This ache in my chest, this constant awareness of Emilia’s presence, this desperate desire to be near her?
I turn back to the railing, looking out over the moonlit grounds. In the distance, I can just make out the soft glow of light from Emilia’s window. Is she awake too, I wonder? Is she thinking of me, the way I can’t stop thinking of her?
For the first time in my long, long existence, I find myself at a complete loss. The rules I’ve lived by, the certainties I’ve clung to... they all seem to crumble in the face of this new, terrifying emotion.
But as I stand there, bathed in moonlight, I feel something else stirring. Something that feels like... hope.
Whatever this is between Emilia and me, whatever challenges lie ahead... perhaps it’s not a punishment after all. Perhaps it’s a gift. A chance to experience something I never thought possible.
As I finally turn to go back inside, I send up one last silent prayer. Not for guidance this time, but for courage. The courage to face whatever comes next. The courage to open my heart, truly and fully, for the first time.
The courage to love.
CHAPTER 11
Emilia
