Christine was watching her ice-cold cup of tea. 'Someone messed with her mind, but would they have gained by doing that?'
She thought about Gadrial who sprouted wings out of nowhere. 'I am going insane, aren't I?'
She was never one who has believed in the Creator, angels, demons and otherworldly beings. So to meet a person in your mind who could sprout wings, made her rethink her beliefs.
Did angels really exist? If she met one will she be able to handle it? But to come back to her memory loss, what could have had happened that something like that had to be done by her?
She licked her dry lips and picked up her cup, "Yuck! I hate cold tea." She stood up from the couch and tipped the cup over the kitchen sink.
"How are you faring?"
Christine dropped the cup in the sink. "Was that really necessary, Gadrial?"
She chuckled, "It is fun to see that you get surprised each time, I suddenly talk to you."
"I really want you out of my head."
"Oh? And here I thought we are getting along."
Christine rolled her eyes, 'She really is full of herself.'
"I heard that!"
"See! Not even my thoughts are my own, maybe I should go back home and let the priest do an exorcism on me."
"Won't make you a believer."
Did she have to be a believer to attempt an exorcism? "Look, can I ask you to be quiet for the rest of the evening?"
"That depends on my mood."
Gadrial was really full of herself or maybe it is just a defence mechanism to keep unwanted people out. "Just one evening? I promise I'll let you bother me tomorrow when I go to work."
"You really promise?"
"Yes, I do."
"Then you have a deal."
"Thank you, Gadrial." Christine walked to her living room and stopped at the table near her door. She picked up the notepad with Lucian's number on it.
She bit her lip, did she really want to ask him out to dinner? Her thoughts went to Uriel. She was disappointed in the fact that he is not home and she won't be able to take him out to a celebration dinner.
She was attracted to both men, Uriel was drawn back but he is a gentle soul and Lucian was outspoken and a god of a rockstar. She took out her cellphone.
'Should I text or should I call?' A text would seem so cold and a call might suggest she was too forward. "God, Christine! You weren't so afraid to make a decision in your life!"
That was a lie, the most terrifying decision she ever made was to testify against her ex-boyfriend Markus Parnell. It still haunted her dreams occasionally and she still feared the day that he would match through her door.
She licked her lips again, her fingers were hovering above the dialling pad. 'Just fucking call him!'
She inputted his number and closed her eyes while pressing the dial button, it was ringing. After a few seconds, she wanted to end the call but a husky voice came through the receiver. "Afternoon?"
She forgot to breathe and her heart skipped a beat.
"Hello?"
"H-hi is this Lucian?"
The voice sounded confused. "Yeah, this is he."
"This is Christine..."
She heard his voice turning from confusion to excitement. "Christine! I didn't expect to hear from you."
Neither did she not after what inspired in her kitchen the day before yesterday. She had a small emotional breakdown because of it. "Yeah, uhm the reason I am calling..."
"Stay away from Lucian."
She almost dropped her phone when Gadrial's voice echoed in her mind. 'You said you will be quiet.'
"I wouldn't have agreed if I knew you'd be talking to him!"
'You never gave me a reason, so shut up!'
"You have a reason for calling?" Christine turned her attention back to the Lucian. "Yes, I have got a new job and wanted to go out and celebrate. But I haven't thanked you properly for saving me, so would you like to grab dinner?"
"Wow! Congratulations on your new job, where if I may ask?"
She did mind actually, she didn't know him well enough to give out personal information. In the back of her mind, Lucian was the same as Markus the boy you do not want to bring home to your parents.
"Uhm just a big firm that delves into mythology."
"That is still amazing." She heard the disappointment in his voice.
"Yes, I am very happy so about-"
"I would love to grab dinner with you, where do want to go?"
She didn't like fancy restaurants, the main reasons were because if she paid for something she wanted value for her money and not a small mess on her plate.
"How about a burger joint?"
He chuckled over the phone, "Oh? You not into expensive food?"
"I just like to pay for something that is not a small mess on my plate."
"You are the first woman I have met that are into just burgers and chips."
He was messing with her right? She knew a lot of girls that are just happy with a nice burger and chips. She and Neo always went to a burger joint and made great memories, they didn't need fancy prawns or stuff on croutons.
"You are toying with me, there are a lot of women who are fine with just burgers and chips."
He was laughing over the phone and Christine felt her anger rising. "If you don't want to go-"
"No, I am sorry. I would gladly come with you for just burger and chips." He emphasised the word just.
"Was that so hard to simply say yes or no? I'll see you in an hour then." She didn't give him time to reply she just ended the call. He was infuriating!
She put her phone down and went to her room. Well, this wasn't a date and because they were going for 'just' burgers and chips she might go with her jeans, t-shirt and a checkered overshirt.
She pulled on her sneakers and checked her reflection in the mirror. 'Mmm, maybe a side ponytail?'
She pulled her hair up and to her right side, she trekked the elastic over it and pulled on it to make sure it was tight. She put on some red lipstick, eyeliner and mascara. "You grunge well, Christine."
"You should-"
"You said you will stay out of my thoughts for the evening."
She felt Gadrial's pout and she didn't utter a word, so Christine grabbed her bag from the table and left her apartment.
She walked to the elevator and took out her phone. She forgot to save Lucian's number so she went through he while the process with her recent contact list to get his number saved.
She pressed the down button and the doors opened, she went in and pressed the ground floor button, while she was opening the text menu.
"Lucian, the burger place I like to go to is called El Diablo."
Her phone vibrated immediately.
"Really? You like to eat burgers at 'The Satan'?"
She gritted her teeth, she forgot why she found him antagonising because he criticised her for not believing in the Creator.
She stared at her screen intensely, was he really going to do this? Fine, she will play his stupid game.
"If you don't want to come, then do not come. I am sure I can get anyone else to get burgers with me."
"Oh, yeah? Like who? If I am not mistaken, Miss Parkins I am the only man who can press your buttons."
Press her buttons? Was this his way of flirting? He is doing a shit job at it. It was only making her angrier. The worst part of his text was making her seem that nobody was interested in her.
"Fuck you, Lucian. Like I said if you don't want to come to El Diablo then don't. I am not going to cry over you."
A few hours earlier;
Lucian had woken up that morning and blinked a few times before realising he wasn't at his club apartment but at a completely strange one.
He sat up and memories of the previous night came flooding back, 'Oh yeah, I crashed at Gabriel.' He let out a yawn and heard a door opening.
Gabriel was standing there in his sleeper shorts, his torso was bare and Lucian licked his lips. 'Mmm, since when did Gabriel start building muscle?'
"Good morning, Goldie."
Gabriel rolled his eyes at him. "Good morning. I have to leave in five minutes to work."
Lucian nodded and sat upright, "That is fine. I will start with a plan on how I will win the heart of our fair mortal."
"Yeah, you do that." Gabriel walked into the kitchen and put on the kettle, Lucian had a mischievous grin on his face. 'Do I want to tease him further?'
He got up from the couch, 'Maybe later.' He walked in the direction of Gabriel's room to use the shower. It was going to be a long day and the worst part for him was that he will be here alone.
Gabriel entered his room with his coffee and opened his closet. He heard that the shower was running. 'Fucking great, now he is in my shower.'
Gabriel decided to dress as quickly as possible to leave. When Lucian got out of the shower he heard the front door close. 'Why do I love pushing his buttons?'
He draped the towel over his lower body and walked to the kitchen and poured him a cup of coffee. "Okay, Lucian what are you going to do about your situation of Gadrial?"
He sipped his coffee but nothing comes to mind and he had already fated their meeting after her accident by posing as Uriel's friend. His blood boiled at the thought of Uriel.
That was how his morning went, he tried to come up with ideas but none came to him easy than his phone rung and it was none other than Christine.