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café I thought I
heard someone say “ Are you going to let
him treat you like this ?”. But then, why
would someone say something in that context, right at that moment?
I must have been imagining it.
    “ There is someone, you
know,” I said as I finally looked up to meet him in the eye. His
smug look fell just slightly. “And he’s far better to me than you
ever could have hoped to be.”
    “ Oh yeah?” he said as he
leaned in toward me, his arms folding on the table. “And does this
guy know about the angels?”
    “ He does,” I said, never
letting my stare back into his face waver. I wasn’t going to let
Jason hurt me again. I’d gotten over him long ago.
    “ And just how serious is
this relationship?”
    “ It doesn’t get much more
serious.”
    “ Then why don’t you have a
ring on your finger, Jessica? What’s holding him back?”
    I felt like my insides had finally
cracked and I became hollow inside. My eyes fell to the table once
again, unable to take the cruel look that was building in his
eyes.
    “ You see, Jessica. No one
is ever going to be able to handle you. Your family couldn’t. I
couldn’t. This guy eventually won’t be able to. As long as there
are ‘angels’ in your life, you’re going to be alone.”
    My breathing sped up and
black spots formed on my peripheral vision. And suddenly a familiar
tingling started on the back of my neck. “Why are you taking this from him?” the words resonated from a place inside of me.
    My fists clenched all the harder and
my blood boiled. “You’re wrong,” I finally said. “I don’t have to
explain anything to you, about who he is, what he’s done for me,
what I’ve been through since you hurt me so badly I had to nearly
flee the country. But you’re wrong.”
    “ Am I?” he asked with a
cold smile.
    I sat back in my seat, staring him in
the eye. As I did, a strange expression came over his face. The
calculating smile was replaced by a look of confusion, almost fear.
But my blood was still boiling. “How did I ever waste any of my
time on you?” I said coldly, shaking my head slowly.
    Jason’s eyes whipped around, looking
for something I didn’t see. When his eyes fell back on me, they
were wide with unease.
    “ I have to go,” he said,
his eyes twitching from side to side again.
    “ Please do,” I said,
watching as he rushed out the doors. As he fled, I felt my brand
prickle just slightly once more before a warm breeze washed it
away.
    It took several long minutes for me to
collect myself enough to get up. As I headed towards the doors
Jason had run through, I caught a glimpse of a set of dark eyes
watching me before they disappeared. An all too familiar chill
worked its way up my spine.
    I spent the rest of the day trying to
pretend the conversation with Jason had never happened, trying to
pretend I hadn’t felt my brand act up. It hadn’t acted up since I
had nearly died. I wasn’t going to acknowledge that it was telling
me something. So I pushed it all away and blew way too much money
on things I didn’t need.
    Alex walked back through the doors of
the house looking worn down but satisfied. “Crisis taken care of,”
he said as he wrapped his arms around me as we stood on the
balcony.
    “ I’m glad,” I said,
feeling distracted as I looked out over the water, my cheek pressed
into Alex’s chest.
    “ Is something wrong?” he
asked, his lips brushing the top of my head as he spoke into my
hair.
    I shook my head and pressed my lips
tight together. “I just missed you.”
    “ Come on,” he said as he
pulled me back inside. “Get changed. You’ve got to come try out the
water!”
    “ You mean swimming in the
ocean?” I asked, fear peaking my voice.
    “ Of course,” he said as we
stepped into his room. “You can’t come to Laguna Beach and not go
in the ocean.”
    “ You know I can’t wear a
swimming suit,” I said as I froze in the doorway.
    Alex had just pulled off his shirt but
froze and turned around