12. Ciel

12

CIEL

I had great plans for Ryan. He didn’t know about those plans just yet, but soon, he would. As far as the poor little human was aware, I was going to invite him back to my house in a few days and give him exactly what he desired. And it was true: he would get what he wanted from me, but not in the manner that he expected.

He called me a mere two days after our last time together in person to ask the exact question I’d been expecting from him.

“Uh, Ciel,” he began, his voice trembling with a lack of confidence I was unaccustomed to from him.

“Yes?” I smiled, waiting patiently for him to gather his courage.

“Do you think I could come over today? It’s just that, well, I have an interview tomorrow and I want to be on top of my game, if you know what I mean.”

“Oh, I know what you mean, my dear, but I will not be indulging in that with you today or tonight or even tomorrow.”

Ryan sighed. “When, then? Next week?”

“At the dinner, yes,” I confirmed.

“Honestly, I’m not sure I can wait that long. I certainly don’t think I can wait through a whole dinner sitting next to you when…when…” he trailed off.

His mind was in another place entirely now, so I gave him some time to enjoy that fantasy before speaking up: “You’re a grown man; I’m sure you can manage to wait a few more days to be touched. Or are you really that needy?”

He didn’t respond immediately. “No,” he said finally, hesitating as he spoke. “I can wait. I’ll see you next week, I guess.”

“Yes, you will. And best of luck with your interview. Where is this one at?”

“A museum. They’re looking for someone with experience in book archival, and I’m hoping it’s a skill that not too many others around here have.

I hated to kill his hope, but I needed to talk him down lest he be disappointed again. “I very much doubt that,” I said, running my fingers absentmindedly through the feathers along the edge of one of my wings. “This town is steeped in a rich history and most of the people who moved here are, like you, interested in preserving that history.”

“Yeah, I was kind of worried about that. I’m still going to give it a go. I need a job, Ciel. I can’t live on my savings forever, and I’d hate to move away right after meeting so many great people.”

“Which is why I wish you luck. I shall offer a prayer for you if you’d like, though I’m not sure how much good it will do now.”

“You’ve got to still have some pull in Heaven, surely. But even if you don’t, I’ll take all the help I can get. See you on Saturday, Ciel.”

He hung up and I stood from the dining table chair, running my tongue over my lips. They still tasted like Ryan, even if that taste was a mere figment of my imagination.

When I re-centered my thoughts, I mumbled a quick prayer, as much as I doubted its efficacy. I would hate to lose Ryan now, so soon after finding him, and if I could help him get a job in any way possible, I would do it wholeheartedly.

Saturday arrived with a blindingly bright sunrise and a host of birds crowding the sky. They were migrating back north after a winter away in the warmer climes, and their honks and chirps and screeches were a welcome sound after a cold, quiet season without them.

I lay in bed for far longer than I should have, lightly fantasizing about the evening ahead of me. Had I any good sense left, I wouldn’t have rushed things with Ryan. Already, I could sense that he was hesitant to go further than a casual relationship. He enjoyed the sex, but he wasn’t ready to have a male partner, let alone a male partner who also happened to be an angel.

Perhaps I shouldn’t have worried so much about his feelings, as when I checked my phone for the first time that morning, I was greeted with several missed calls.

“My, my, someone was up early this morning.” I shook my head. “Needy little bastard.”

I ignored the string of texts he’d sent me, as all he was hoping for was for me to throw him a bone before the dinner tonight. I would do no such thing, and no matter how many times I told him as much, the man had a great deal of unfound hope.

Instead, I took the scenic route to his apartment early in the evening, arriving at his home at 6:00 pm sharp, as promised.

Ryan heard my light taps on the door and opened it slowly, peering out to check that it was me before letting it swing open all the way. “Ciel, you made it. Did you get my messages?”

“Oh, the missed calls?” I played it off as casually as I could manage. “Yes, I did.”

“And you didn’t…”

“Why would I? I told you I would see you tonight, and here I am. Are you ready to leave? We have an hour to get there before we become fashionably late, and after that, I’m afraid we would just be considered rude.”

Ryan glanced back. “Don’t you want to come inside for a minute? I can show you around my apartment.”

I shook my head. “No need for that. I’m sure I’ll get a 5-star tour of it some other day when we have more time. Now, the clock is ticking.” I clicked my tongue at him and Ryan snapped into motion, slinging his coat over one arm as he stepped out and closed the door behind him.

“Have you heard from the museum you interviewed at?” I asked as we descended the stairs to the parking lot.

Ryan sighed. “No, not yet. I doubt I have a chance at it, though, or I would have heard about a second interview by now.”

“Perhaps not,” I suggested. “It’s only been a few days.”

“No, they assured me that they were in desperate need of an archivist and they wanted to speed things along as quickly as possible. They have someone else in mind, I’m sure of it.”

“Well, I told you as much,” I said quietly, hoping it wouldn’t dampen the mood too much.

Ryan slipped his arm into mine and pressed his shoulder against me. “You did, and I should have listened. It’s all right, though. I talked to my parents this morning and they told me they would be happy to help pay my bills for a couple of months if it comes down to that.”

“That’s kind of them.”

“Yeah, although I suspect that they would prefer I don’t land a job here so that I can come back and live closer to them.” He pulled out his phone and showed me a picture of him with two other people. “That’s them — Sean and Rebecca.”

“Lovely couple. And I can understand their feelings. During my time in Heaven, I was privy to many a pleading that lonely parents and grandparents would get to see their progeny more often. Though I must say, I’m surprised you had time to talk to yours amidst all the calls you sent to me.”

A rosy flush colored Ryan’s cheeks as we walked. “I managed,” he mumbled. “Although I wouldn’t have had time if you’d bothered to pick up any of those calls.”

“I was busy.”

He perked up. “Busy doing what?”

I reached my hand down to slap his wrist gently. “Never you mind that. Now, before we arrive at our hosts’ house, I have a present to give you.”

Ryan stopped in his tracks, forcing me to come to a halt, too. “A present? What kind of present?”

I slipped a box out of the pocket of my robe and cradled it in my hands. The box, which I’d taken great care to select, was midnight blue with metallic gold filigree. The shopkeeper had insisted there was real gold mixed into the paint, but I doubted his claim. As an angel, even a fallen one, I could sniff out a lie in seconds. Still, it made for a lovely and unassuming cover for what was inside.

“Open it and find out,” I told him, pushing my hands toward him.

Gingerly, he took the box, gave it a little shake, and slipped the lid off with one hand while he held it in the other. A car whizzed by us and he paused, looking up to ensure we were alone again before fully removing the lid.

“Oh, Ciel, you shouldn’t have,” he murmured, sliding the lid underneath the box to get a better look at his gift. “It’s a…well, what is it, exactly?”

I stifled a laugh. “You fool. It’s an anal plug, and I expect you to wear it tonight without so much as a peep of either protest or pleasure. Can you do that for me?”

“I don’t–"

“Can you?” I repeated.

“Yes, I can.”

“Good. I would expect nothing less of you, of course. Now, do you have any questions?”