Chapter 12: Echoes of Affection

DANICA

“Declare to them that I’m…announce that I’m your sibling!” he hollered at me. His words stirred a wave of anger within me.

“You’re such a jerk!” I retorted. “I don’t need your approval or even your belief that I could ever be deserving of someone’s love.”

“But I thought you could at least have the decency to not vocalize how repulsive you find the idea of being with me.” I spat out the words, my heart pounding, and made my way to the diner’s entrance where Miles was already waiting.

“Who was that guy?” Miles asked, his eyes narrowed with suspicion.

“Just some jerk,” I responded, but Miles halted my steps and examined my hands.

“Were you getting tattoos yesterday? Is that what you were up to?” he inquired.

I nodded in affirmation and moved to get ready for my day, which was more or less routine. My boss had me working extra hours to make up for my absence the previous day.

Perhaps it was for the best, I thought. A few more hours to focus on my current life and not exhaust myself with the recent events that had been plaguing me.

The day was gradually fading into dusk, but my head was clear, devoid of any pain.

My guardian angel walked into the coffee shop and took a seat at one of the tables. I grabbed a menu and approached him.

“What can I get you?” I asked, not bothering to put on a smile.

He looked up at me. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize my words would affect you so deeply,” he confessed.

“They didn’t,” I lied.

“I can sense they did,” he said. Could he really feel the raw pain his words had inflicted?

“Well, they did. That’s not how a man should react. I’m not asking you to marry me…just…if you have such thoughts, I’d prefer you keep them to yourself,” I retorted, handing him the menu.

“Why did you take my words so personally?” he asked.

“Why did you?” I shot back, my jaw clenched in anger. He glanced around to ensure we were alone, save for an elderly couple on the other side of the room.

He sighed. “It’s against the law for guardians to harbor such feelings for those we protect. And vice versa,” he admitted, avoiding my gaze.

He seemed uncomfortable, and I reined in my anger. “Well then…just don’t make it weird. If joking about that bothers you, I won’t bring it up again. I don’t think of you that way and you don’t think of me that way. Just explain next time instead of yelling at me and making me feel like I’m impossible to be with,” I said, regretting the last part as soon as it left my lips.

He looked up at me. “I don’t think anyone could ever consider you impossible to be with,” he said, his gaze piercing into me, overwhelming.

“Well, they do,” I muttered under my breath. He heard, but I didn’t want to discuss it.

“Do you want anything else or…?” I asked, changing the subject.

“Does it bother you?” he asked. “Being alone?”

I let out a heavy sigh. “I can’t say I’ve ever felt anything but loneliness.”

He studied me. “Has there never been anyone?”

I lowered my gaze. “Some of us aren’t lucky in love. The odds have never been in my favor. Have you ever been with someone?” I quickly asked, eager to shift the focus away from me.

“Green tea is fine,” he said, ignoring my question.

I let out a frustrated sigh. “You’re a hypocrite. You probe into my life, but refuse to share about yours.”

He was silent for a moment, and I waited, noticing that he was carefully considering his response.

“There was someone.”

“Her?” I asked.

He nodded.

“Why aren’t you with her?”

A fleeting smile crossed his face. “She has forgotten me.”

“Well then. She doesn’t sound like a great love if she just forgot you.”

“She was everything I wanted. But she wasn’t from my world.” His words echoed a painful love.

“Was she…human?” I asked.

He almost smiled. “If only she was, it might have been possible.” He straightened up. “But for guardian angels, love isn’t an option. We aren’t meant to love or be loved. It’s a way to protect our hearts,” he said, attempting to make light of it, but his words held a deeper meaning.

I wasn’t oblivious. He was a strikingly handsome man. A man doomed to a life of solitude, never to be seen, loved, or to love. If his words held any truth, his existence was a pitiful one. I could relate.

Not because I was cursed with a similar breathtaking beauty, but because I too was convinced that love wasn’t in the cards for me.

I found myself empathizing with his pain, his sadness. “I’m sorry,” I murmured.

“Green tea,” he abruptly shifted the topic, and I nodded in response.

“Coming right up,” I replied, attempting to lighten the atmosphere as I took the menu from him.

As I was preparing the tea, my boss approached me. “I heard you delivered the order to Creed last time,” he said, leaning against the counter, his thinning hair slicked back and his belly protruding over his belt.

“That’s correct,” I confirmed.

“The same order, if you want to go an hour earlier, get ready and go,” he instructed, and I nodded in agreement.

This meant that Creed’s friend was still okay, which was a relief. I wasn’t sure how nutritious a diet of pastries and cookies was, though.

I prepared the man’s tea and approached his table. “I’m about to deliver an order,” I informed him, beginning to remove my apron as I turned to leave, but he called after me.

“Why bother making the tea then?” he questioned, and I was momentarily confused.

“You don’t actually think I’m going to let you go alone?” he added, and I sighed in resignation.

“Wait here then,” I conceded, realizing that trying to evade him wasn’t the wisest decision.

I collected the order, which was significantly larger than the previous one, consisting of snacks, pastries, and cookies, but no cups. It seemed to be for more than just Creed and his friend.

How could a man with such a notorious reputation have any friends at all? He was the town’s eccentric old man, the one children hid from because he resembled a typical vagrant. What if he was more than what people perceived him to be?

My protector was waiting for me at the counter, and since the place was empty, I decided to exit through the main entrance.

“Bye, Miles!” I called out, not expecting him to emerge from the kitchen.

I could see his mood plummet the moment he spotted my protector. He quickly approached us.

“Hey, don’t think we’ve met? Are you new here?” he inquired.

“Yes,” my protector responded.

Miles extended his hand. “I’m Miles.”

But his friendly gesture wasn’t reciprocated. He simply nodded and turned to me.

“How do you two know each other?”

Shit. I hadn’t anticipated that question. “Ms. Moore knows him. He’s a distant relative of hers. He’s staying with us for a while.”

“Oh, well maybe we can hang out together. Show you some cool places here,” Miles suggested, looking at him. But he was the only one in high spirits.

“Sorry, I prefer my dates to be a little more feminine,” he retorted, causing Miles to falter.

“No… I meant like…me and Danica can show you…”

I had to interrupt his rambling. “He knows, he’s just being mean.”

My protector leaned against the counter. “Oh, not at all. I’m a ray of sunshine. But just out of curiosity. How long have you been trying to win Danica over?”

My eyes widened in shock, as did Miles’. “What?” he stuttered.

“Don’t play coy, even a fool can see that you look at her like she hung the moon. What I want to know is what’s wrong with you that she hasn’t reciprocated.” He then turned to me.

I quickly mouthed an apology to Miles and dragged my protector out of the diner. Once we were out of sight, I let out my frustration.

“What is wrong with you?”

“What? You didn’t know?” he asked nonchalantly, clearly amused by my outburst.

“Who says that to someone?” I was livid.

“Someone needs to tell him how pathetic he looks, and if you had let me stay, I would have warned him to stay away from you.”

“Stay away from me? My personal life is none of your business!”

“I don’t mean to insult you. I just find it intriguing that he idolizes you when you clearly have no interest in him.”

“You have no idea what I feel. For all you know, I could be madly in love with him but just too scared to admit it. It’s none of your business.” His audacity to intrude on my personal life was infuriating.

A smirk played on his lips as he watched my anger rise. “Let’s get one thing straight, Danica,” he said, his expression suddenly turning grave.

“While I’m around, I won’t let any other man have you.”

I sucked in a sharp breath, taken aback by his audacity. “What makes you think I’d even ask for your permission?”

His laughter echoed in the room as he leaned in, our faces inches apart. “You won’t need to ask. If I catch even a hint of desire in your eyes for another man, I won’t hesitate to burn this town to the ground.”

“Why do you even care?” I managed to spit out, my anger bubbling over.

Slowly, he lifted his index finger, placing it gently under my chin. I stood there, frozen, caught in his hypnotic gaze.

He tilted my head up with his finger, leaning in so close I could feel his breath on my skin.

“If I can’t have you, no one can,” he whispered, his words sending a chill down my spine.