Between by Mary Ting Read Free Book Online

wondering if he would be upset. “I did win first after all.”
    “ Davin,” I called, happy to see him.
    He pulled me away from Michael’s hold and squeezed me tightly. “I told him to share,” Davin chuckled.
    Michael looked surprised and instead of being upset, he let out a chuckle. “Fine, I’ll give you that.”
    “ Cool,” Davin said naturally.
    Michael looked at Davin, most likely wondering what he meant, as I looked at both of them wondering what on Earth they were talking about. Then, as expected, Vivian and Caleb appeared. “We didn’t listen either,” Vivian said, beaming a smile.
    I was so excited that I just grabbed both of them into a group hug and squeezed them.
    “ Sorry, Michael, we just stopped by, but we’ll be on our way,” Vivian said.
    “ It’s been too long and we just wanted to say hello,” Caleb seconded, flashing a guilty look.
    “ Just as long as you make it quick; Claudia missed all of you too,” Michael replied. “How can I refuse?” he said sarcastically, knowing he had no choice.
    All of us managed to find a comfortable spot on my bed. We chatted away about life on Earth; Davin wanted to know about slang words and when to use them. He also asked if there was another birthday party we could attend in the near future because he enjoyed dancing. Not surprisingly, Michael gave him the “are you kidding?” look and Davin frowned. Vivian wanted to talk about fashion, while Caleb just sat and listened. Wanting to hold onto this moment, I took some pictures of us with my phone. The alkins stayed for a little while until Michael told them it was time to go. They promised to come and visit again soon.
    After they left, it got quiet. Michael smiled and looked at me with his loving eyes, and my heart burst with joy; just having him there was enough. I wanted to run to him and kiss him, but I was suddenly overcome by shyness; I was also unsure how he would respond.
    “ It’s getting late and you need your sleep,” Michael said.
    “ Sleep is the last thing on my mind,” I said. “I can live without sleep.” I can’t live without you, I wanted to say, but didn’t.
    “ It’s been several weeks in your time, but to me, it’s been far too long.”
    I knew what he meant. “I feel the same way,” I said softly.
    “ Then let’s not waste another minute throwing pillows. Fly with me, Claudia.” He reached his hand out, ready for me to place mine in his. “I’ll never let you go.”
    I couldn’t refuse. I reached for his hand. “Promise me you’ll never let me go?” There was a deeper meaning to the promise I was asking for, but I already knew he couldn’t promise me forever.
    “ I promise,” he replied with a wink.
    But those were just words. A promise he couldn’t keep no matter how much he wanted to. My heart ached. I was slowly dying, knowing this would all end sooner or later. I wanted to cry, but I stopped myself because I didn’t want to ruin our time together. Don’t ever forget me, I wanted to say, but couldn’t. I was too afraid that I wouldn’t be able to control my tears, so I quickly forced a smile and placed my hand in his.
    The second our hands touched, we were already outside, gliding with the wind. His wings had expanded, full and magnificent, and he held me tightly as we flew higher and higher. I could see the multitude of tiny specks from the colorful lights below; it was like looking at an enormous Christmas tree, lit up for a spectacular show.
    As we flew even higher, higher than he had ever taken me, I was mesmerized by brilliant stars; still too far away to reach, but I knew I was closer than any human would ever get by non-mechanical means. We became one with the stars; a sea of fireflies lighting up the sky. It was truly a magical moment. At first, I was nervous about how far I could fly with Michael comfortably. It wasn’t normal for a human to fly this high, unless it was in an airplane. But flying with an angel had its range of