8. Kai
Chapter 8
Kai
“Sounds fun.” I did not expect Leo to agree to let me go to the wedding with him.
He points at my feet. “You might need some socks and shoes, though.”
I pout. “Why?”
“Because people wear socks and shoes to weddings.”
I sigh and concentrate. I wriggle my toes against the confines of socks and highly polished shoes. “Better?”
“Yes.”
“They feel weird. I don’t like it.” They vanish, as does the suit, leaving me in jeans and a T-shirt. “But I’ll wear them to the wedding. Just for you.”
“Anyone would think you’ve never worn shoes.”
I stare at him.
“What?”
“Uh, that’s because I haven’t . Honestly, I’m not sure how you humans can stand it.”
He gapes and makes a funny, squeaking noise. “You’ve never worn shoes before?”
“No. I’ve mostly been a cat for the last seventeen years.”
“And before that?”
“Umm, angel? Why would an angel need to wear shoes? We spend most of our time invisible. Watching our humans, but not interacting with anything.”
“You mean incorporeal?”
I blink. “I have no clue what that means.”
He does something on his phone. “‘Not composed of matter. Having no material existence.’ That’s the dictionary definition anyway.”
I pat myself. “I’m composed of something .”
Leo gives me a nervous smile. “I’m going to cook.”
What did I say?
He pulls things out of the cupboards.
“You wanted to talk?”
He nods but doesn’t pause his task. “For the record, I’m still not sure this is real.”
“I know.”
“But assuming it is, I have questions.”
“Go ahead.” I lean on the breakfast bar, resting my chin on my upturned hands.
“You’re a guardian angel?”
“Yes.”
“So you must watch over lots of people, right?”
“Nope. Only you.”
“Because I’m a ‘good person’?” He makes air quotes .
“Yes.”
He stares at the chicken breast he’s halfway through cutting and takes a deep breath. “Do you want some food?”
“I don’t need to eat.”
“But you can eat?”
“Yes, but it’s not how I get my energy. It’s mostly for show. So no, you don’t need to worry about cooking for me. Or giving me any more of that horrible cat food. No offence.”
He smiles sheepishly. “None taken.”
“But I will be able to eat at the wedding. Assuming there’s food.”
“There will be, at the reception.” He washes his hands, adds a dash of oil to a frying pan, and turns the heat on.
“I’ll be able to eat it, so no one will doubt I’m a real human.” I wink.
“Does your nose grow when you lie?”
“No. Why would it?”
He sighs and shakes his head. “Never mind. Wait. You can lie?” He tosses the chicken into the frying pan, moves it around a little, and then puts a round of noodles into a saucepan.
“Yes.”
“But you’re an angel .”
“So?”
He waves the spatula. “Aren’t angels meant to be the epitome of good?”
“No. Who told you that?” I wander around the breakfast bar until I’m beside him and then poke him in the arm. “That’s your job. And why I protect you.” I put my hands on the breakfast bar and jump to sit on it.
Leo looks at me over his shoulder as if he’s going to tell me to get down, then shakes his head as though he’s thought better of it. He stares straight ahead and hunches his shoulders. “How did you know I needed your help the day of the accident?”
“I was called to you.”
“Called to me?”
“It’s hard to explain. I knew you needed me, so I came. I’m sorry I was too late to?—”
He holds his hand up. “You don’t need to keep apologising for that. I guess my parents weren’t on an angelic watch list?”
“No. Most people aren’t, Leo.”
“But there are others?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know how many?”
“No. I’m only ever aware of my human.”
“And only one at a time?”
“Yes.”
“There must be more angels. You can’t be the only one.”
“There are. And don’t ask me how many. I don’t know. What I do know is that I’m not alone.”
“So, what? It’s your job to keep me alive?”
“Pretty much. I’m here to stop any harm befalling you before it’s your time. ”
“My—time?” His voice sounds strangled. “When—?” He shakes his head. “I don’t want to know. Can you even tell me? Do you know? How could you know?”
“You’ll probably be old, grey, and wrinkled by then. I bet you’ll still be handsome, though.”
He puts his hands on the worktop on either side of the cooker and leans on them. “You know how and when I’m going to die?”
“No. I’m basing it on experience with guarding other humans before you. I did my job. They died peacefully of old age.”
He blows out a breath. “Good to know.”
“Did I make you sad?”
He shakes his head.
“Freak you out?”
“Oh, I’ve been freaked out since the moment you turned into—” He waves the spatula at me again.
I bite my lip and dip my chin. “Sorry.”
He turns the heat on the noodles down and chops garlic on a clean board and then cuts carrots into wafer-thin slices.
“Why a cat?” He adds the carrot and garlic to the pan.
“It’s what you needed at the time. Besides, who can resist a cute kitten?”
He chuckles. “Not me, that’s for sure.”
“Exactly. I knew you’d take me in.”
He adds several splashes of soy sauce to the frying pan and tosses the food in it. “What do you do all day when I’m at work?”
“I follow you. How else do you think I was there to protect you from those runaway trollies?”
“I’m glad you were there. How do you follow me?”
“I hitch a ride underneath your car, sit in a tree all day, and keep an eye out.”
“How have I never noticed you?”
“I’m just that good.”
“I guess you must be.”
He drains the noodles, rinses them in cold water, and adds them to the drying pan with more soy sauce. He mixes everything, turns the hob off, and tips his meal onto a plate. It smells great. Much better than cat food.
I join him at the table, watching as he eats with a thoughtful expression.
“You’ve protected people before me?”
Didn’t I say that a few moments ago? “Yes.”
“And you’ll protect others after me.”
“Yes. But that doesn’t make you any less special, Leo. Right now, you’re my person, which makes you the most important person in my universe.”
“Your sun,” he says wistfully.
“Exactly.”
“And you’ve never revealed yourself to one of your charges before?”
I shake my head. “Not even as a cat.” I fold my arms on the table, rest my head on them, and look at him sideways. “Which makes you even more special. It’s your dimples. They’re so adorable.”
“My—what?—?”
“Your dimples.”
“Yes, I heard you the first time.”
I frown. “Then why did you seem so confused?”
He lets out an exasperated sigh and shakes his head. “You are so chaotic.”
“I know. I’m your chaos gremlin,” I say proudly.
“You like that nickname?”
“Uh-huh. It suits me, don’t you think?”
He nods and stuffs far too much food into his mouth. He manages to chew and swallow it without going too bug-eyed. “Do you have to report to someone? A superior? Like an archangel or God.”
“Nope. I do my thing until I’m no longer needed.”
“And then?—?”
I shrug. “I wait until I’m needed again.”
“Huh.” He eats several forkfuls slowly, his expression thoughtful. “Then what makes you think you’re not supposed to reveal yourself to anyone?”
“Hmm… A gut feeling?”
“You just know ?”
I grin. “Exactly!”
“So no superior?”
“Not that I’ve ever met.”
“And no rule book?”
“Nope.”
He shakes his head. “You’re not what I expected an angel would be like. ”
“Sorry to disappoint.”
“No.” He makes a strangled noise. “You haven’t disappointed me, Kai. I’m just having a hard time processing all of this. Are you sure you don’t want any food?”
“That seems like an odd leap.”
“It’s how humans deal with weird stuff. We change the subject and talk about something mundane.”
“Oh. Weird, but okay. I don’t need to eat.”
“But do you want to try some?” He twirls some of the chicken and noodle concoction onto his fork and offers it to me.
I’m pretty sure he wants me to take the fork, but me being me, I lean across the table and let him spoon-feed me. Fork-feed me. He widens his eyes, staring at me with slightly parted lips as, still leaning across the table, I eat. I hum as I savour the flavours. I don’t need to eat, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate good cooking.
“You’ve been holding out on me, Leo. Giving me cat food when your cooking is this good. Ten out of ten. No notes.” I make an ‘okay’ sign with my fingers.
“I thought you were a cat.”
“I know. I’m teasing. More, please.”
“Uh—” He offers me the fork.
I press my lips together and raise an eyebrow.
“Right.” He twirls more food onto the fork and feeds me.
“So good.”
He smiles .
I point at his cheeks. “See? Adorable dimples!”
He half chokes, half laughs, and widens his smile. “You’re something else.”
“Is that good or bad? Either way, I make you smile.”
His smile becomes sappy. “Yes, yes, you do.”
“So… do you want me to return to being a cat and keeping a low profile?”
“No, you’re good.”
“Can I sleep in my usual spot on your bed?”
He pulls a face.
“Too much?”
“Yes, sorry.”
I shrug. “No worries. Thanks for believing I exist.”
“I’m not sure I do.”
“If I don’t exist, who are you talking to? Who are you feeding?”
He stares at the fork. “Good point. Kai.”
“Hmm?”
“Thanks for being there when I needed you the most. Thanks for watching out for me for the last seventeen years.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll always be here, Leo, even if that means watching you from a distance. You’ll never be alone, not really.” I gasp. “Wow. Did I just sound like a crazy stalker?”
He chuckles. “Yes, but I appreciate the sentiment. It’s good to know someone’s watching out for me. Even if you are a chaos gremlin of an angel.”
“Trust me, I’m the best kind.” I steal the fork, eat more of his food, and then hand it back to him.
“I have a feeling you might be right.”