He snorted, and I smiled. “And how’s the dating going?”
Unable to stop my blush, I dropped my gaze to his shoulder. “Um, okay, I guess.”
“Just okay?”
“Well, no. It’s good. I mean, it’s usually good. But it’s complicated too. You know, with the whole three boyfriends.”
“I thought they were pretty okay with the ‘sharing-Riley’ thing?”
I blushed. “They are. But there’s just… stuff we haven’t really talked about. And it gets in the way.”
“Then talk about it,” he said so simply.
“It’s not that easy.”
He rolled his eyes and twined our fingers between us. “I never said it was. But if you love them, then they’re more important than your discomfort. They’re worth taking the difficult path, right?”
I stared into Danny’s hazel eyes. “When did you get all wise?”
“I’ve always been wise. You just don’t listen to me.” He grinned, shy and familiar with his two crooked front teeth.
“Shut up,” I said, and we laughed softly.
Danny removed his glasses and set them on the pillow above our heads. His eyes were slightly unfocused as he met my gaze again. He was blind as a bat without his glasses.
“And you and Gideon are a thing now? How does that work? I thought he was, like, straight?”
“Um, not entirely, I guess. I mean, it’s not like we’re… you know.” I gave him a significant look, and he blushed. “It’s not like that between us.”
“You guys don’t…”
I couldn’t hold his gaze as I shook my head. “No. He’s not interested in that.”
“Like in general? Or with you?” His eyes widened when I flinched. “Shit, that sounded way worse than I meant—”
“It’s fine.” I chewed the inside of my cheek, contemplating how best to explain. I didn’t want to betray Gideon’s trust in me, but I also didn’t want Danny misunderstanding the nature of our relationship. “So, like, we’re together, but it’s different than how I’m with Jai and Noel. Because Gideon and I don’t… it’s just not like that for us.”
Making the connection faster than I ever did, he said “Oh… he’s ace?”
“I don’t know if he would ever choose that label, but I’m not sure how else to describe it. He cares about me. A lot, I think. But I don’t think we’ll ever be together in that way.”
“And you’re okay with that?” Danny asked cautiously.
He was concerned for me, as my friend, so I tried to cull the bite in my tone. “I love him, Danny. And I wouldn’t trade the way he loves me for anything. He has always been and will always be enough.”
Ducking his head, he nodded and squeezed my hand. “That’s great, Riley. I’m really happy for you.”
“And you?” I asked, hoping I wasn’t treading into dangerous territory. “It seems you and Xavier have been talking a lot.”
His smile faded slightly. “Yeah, after Halloween, I didn’t really wanna talk to him. Or you. I mean, it was all kinda crazy. But then Xavier came to my dorm and said that you… that bad stuff happened and you were in the hospital.
“It made me realize that it didn’t matter what you were. You’re my friend, and I just wanted you to be okay. When you never texted or called me back, I got mad. I went to Sharon’s and Bethany’s funerals alone, and it was like you didn’t care. It hurt. But Xavier tried to explain that you’d been through something terrible, that it wasn’t your fault. I don’t think I really believed it was as bad as it was.”
He shook his head, brows drawn. “Anyway, Xavier visited whenever he could. We’re not… I mean, I’m human. And he’s, like, ancient and immortal. Kind of sets us up for failure before we’ve even begun, you know?”
“Do you care about him?” I asked.
Color flooded his cheeks as he shrugged. “I mean, yeah. But I’m just a kid to him. I think if we’d have hooked up before I knew about angels and demons and stuff, it would have been a fling. Things can’t be serious between us. It’s just not realistic.”
“I’m sorry,” I said because I didn’t know what else to say. He wasn’t wrong. Xavier was immortal. Danny was human. It was what it was.
“I’m only twenty years old.” Danny poked my cheek with a grin. “Not all of us find our soulmates at twenty.”
It was my turn to roll my eyes. “It’s not—it’s a choice. I chose them. They chose me.”
“Eh, still sounds like soulmates to me.”
I laughed, and he joined me. He wiggled closer until our foreheads met and our legs tangled. I squeezed his hands. He smiled. And for that moment, all felt right in the world.
Chapter Six
Gideon picked me up a few hours later, and I felt a thousand pounds lighter as I hugged Danny goodbye, promising to see him soon. He smiled shyly at Gideon, offering a silly wave when Gideon greeted him. I remembered feeling the same way when I’d first met my Primary Guardian.
His height and mass, his angelic presence, his intense green stare that seemed to X-ray right through me, they created one intimidating picture. But I knew better now. I knew the softness he tried to hide and the secret smile he shared only with me. Gideon was scary when it was required, but in quiet moments, surrounded by his family, he was nothing but a big teddy bear.
Still, it was funny watching Danny sputter and blush as Gideon attempted polite small talk. I hid my smile in Gideon’s arm, clasping his massive hand in both of mine. He didn’t pull away like I expected, and I nearly swooned. Danny simpered when Gideon asked if I was “ready to go, little one?”
After hugging Danny again, I returned to Gideon’s side and took his hand. Danny’s sister was upstairs, so we had the necessary privacy to teleport. As Gideon’s skin glowed, Danny’s eyes bugged out of his head.
“Oh my God, you can do the thing?” He giggled into his hands, far too excited. “Xavier did it once. It’s crazy!”
“I can’t do it,” I said as the fishhook teased my spine. “I’m the passenger. Gideon’s—”
“It’s so cool!” he squeaked.
I shrugged as the atmosphere trembled with Gideon’s power. “Yeah, it is. I’ll see you later, okay?”
With a spastic wave, he stared at us with wide eyes. “For sure. Just do it. Disappear like a superher—”
We disappeared with a crack, Gideon guiding me into time and space. When we landed in Utopia, we weren’t at home like I thought we would be. We were on the main stretch, angels bustling around us. Some sent us side-eyes as we stepped out of the main stream of traffic, but for the most part, we were ignored.
“I thought we were going home,” I said as Gideon tugged on my hand.
“I promised you a date.” The blush creeping over his cheeks betrayed the confident nonchalance of his tone.
I grinned until my cheeks ached. “I thought we were only getting ice cream if Danny didn’t forgive me?”