Page 12 of Something Like Daybreak
“Jace has given us another gift,” Tim said.
“How so?”
“I always wished I could’ve been there for you when you lost him. You’ll see each other again. For now, it’s just me and you, Benjamin. That’s not so bad. Is it?”
“No,” Ben said, slinging an arm around Tim’s neck. “Just stay close to me. Okay?”
Tim nodded, still carrying Ben as he began to walk away. “That’s all I ever wanted.”
Chapter Four
Tim opened the front door, relieved to see two of his most trusted friends standing there.
“I’m terribly sorry we’re late,” Marcello purred. “We saw the most delectable angel on the way over, and I insisted on trying to attract his attention.”
“By attempting to lasso him,” Eric said. “With a whip.”
“It was the first thing that came to mind,” Marcello replied.
“No surprise there,” Eric murmured. “I shudder to think what would have happened if the angel’s altitude wasn’t so high.”
“Indeed,” Marcello said, shaking his head. “I have yet to master flight, much to my ongoing dismay.”
Eric snorted. “You’re lucky they let you into Heaven at all. I always thought you’d end up at the other place.”
Marcello didn’t seem at all offended. “I’ve been toying with the idea of buying a vacation home in Hell. You really should come visit. As pleasurable as it is to gaze upon angels, they don’t elicit the same guttural response that an incubus does.”
“Hey!” Tim interrupted. “Would you both shut up long enough that I can hug you?”
“Then again,” Marcello said when squeezing him back, “you truly can’t do better than a good ol’ American boy.”
“Agreed,” Eric said with a playful wink before receiving his hug. His expression was more somber when stepping away. “How is Ben holding up?”
Tim hesitated. “He’s uh… On the warpath. As you’re about to see.”
“Oh!” Marcello was delighted. “This should be interesting! I rarely got to see him with his teeth bared. Although I remember one incident where he very pointedly asked me to leave so you could ‘talk’ as he put it.”
“Er, yeah,” Tim said, clearing his throat. “I think I remember that day.”
“Whatever it was that you supposedly did,” Eric said, coming to his defense, “I’m sure it was only a misunderstanding.”
“That’s why he’s my favorite,” Tim said, pointing at Eric while grinning at Marcello.
“You always did have impeccable taste,” Marcello replied. “Will the others be joining us here on the luxurious front stoop of your home?”
“No,” Tim said with a chuckle. “Sorry. Come on in. I’m so glad you made it. We’re in need of advice, and that was always Jace’s thing more than mine.”
“Say no more,” Marcello said, cracking his knuckles. “Guiding young people is my passion.”
“Meddling is your passion,” Eric corrected.
“The two words are synonyms, surely. Ah! Someone grab my fishing rod, because I spy with my little eye a certain Gregory Trout!”
They entered the living room. Michelle and Greg were already there, as was Brian. His wife was just coming down the stairs. Tim walked over to meet her while the others greeted each other and asked, “How’s he doing?”
Allison grimaced. “I haven’t seen him like this for a very long time.”
“Me neither.” The past week had been difficult. Tim would often wake up alone, finding Ben snuggled up with Samson in the bed he had once shared with Jace. More than once he’d beencrying when Tim got there. And it made him feel sad too, not only because he loved Ben so much. Emotions in the afterlife were almost tangible, and Ben felt everything so strongly that it inevitably had an effect on their private little universe. The skies outside the windows had been gray and overcast since Jace had departed, the drizzle never ceasing, even when Chinchilla and the other dogs went outside to play. “Did he tell you his plan?”
