The Love of an Angel 6/9
Chapter 6
Hunger drew Gabriel out of bed in the morning. They had skipped dinner the night before and the last thing he'd eaten had been the ice cream right before the tour.
Gabriel was starving, a side effect of his little Trickster act but one he could easily live with. Seriously, the other angels had no idea what they missed.
Without waking Bessie he got out of bed and out of the room. His only clothes were the James Bond suit but he solved the problem with one snap of his fingers. He could have had some spare clothes in his car, right?
Dressed but still hungry Gabriel went downstairs and headed for the kitchen. It took him less than a minute to call it a lost cause. How could Bessie survive with only coffee and buttered toast in the morning? He had tasted her coffee and it was good but not that good.
Gabriel stood in the middle of the kitchen, shook his head and snapped his fingers.
"Ahh." He made and popped a strawberry in his mouth. "That's better."
It didn't take long for the rich aroma of coffee in the air to get Bessie's attention.
"Did you make breakfast?" She asked before she even reached the kitchen.
"How do you like your coffee?" Gabriel asked around the better half of a blueberry pancake. Maple syrup was dripping down his chin and he cleared most of it with the back of his hand.
"Sugar no milk." Bessie stepped through the door and stopped short. She wore a wide t-shirt, baggy sweatpants and had tried to wrestle a serious case of bed hair into submission with questionable success. Gabriel stared at her for a second and then forced the pancake down his throat.
Bessie blinked and then blinked again and then she rubbed her eyes like a five-year-old on Christmas morning.
Adorable, Gabriel thought and swallowed again. What is this woman doing to me?
"What is all this?" She finally asked.
"Breakfast." Gabriel answered in the most casual voice he could master and finished the other half of his pancake.
Slowly as if she feared one sudden movement could let it all disappear Bessie sat down and Gabriel poured her some coffee.
"Where did you get all this? And when?" Still a bit stunned she stirred her coffee and took in the overburden table in front of her.
"I can't tell you all my secrets, can't I?" He said with a smug grin and filled her plate with pancakes for a start.
By the time they'd finished their meal the table didn't look touched at all, and no Gabriel didn't cheat right in front of her. They stored the leftovers in the fridge which was a tight fit and Gabriel had to lean against the door to close it.
"What do you want to do today?" Gabriel asked. It was Bessie's day off so they had plenty of time.
They made it a lazy day with some movies, light chatter and living from the breakfast leftovers. Gabriel stayed the night.
And he stayed most of the nights of the following two weeks.
"Do you still have that motel room?" Bessie asked on a random morning after they had finished breakfast and she was about to go to work.
"Yeah?"
"Get your stuff over here." She said and grabbed her coat. "No point in wasting money."
It took Gabriel another two months to realize that he was living with a woman.
They had settled into some kind of routine. Bessie had her work so Gabriel insisted on doing the groceries and all the cooking. It never failed to surprise her how he managed to have everything hot and ready the second she came home. Even surprise overtime hours or a late bus couldn't throw him off.
While she was off to work Gabriel used the time for some maintenance in and around the house. The house got fresh paint and the garden actually looked like somebody cared. The biggest difficulty for Gabriel was to break his work down to believable chunks. It would be hard to explain how he'd managed to squeeze what would have taken three men and a week into the few hours Bessie was gone for the day.
He swung by at the zoo for a pistachio ice cream during Bessie's lunch break often enough for her co-workers to call him her boyfriend and he really could get used to that. He'd even started to look for a job and not just for cover to get close to his victims. If he wanted to stay for a while he'd have to lay low anyway. The attention of a hunter or worse could burst his little domestic bubble any time, he knew that, but for the moment he didn't really care.
One evening Bessie was running later than usual. Late enough for Gabriel to consider to go looking for her but then the front door opened and Bessie stormed in.
"You won't believe this." She squealed and before Gabriel knew what was happening she tried to crush him in a bear-hug. For a second Gabriel was really glad he couldn't die from suffocation.
It took a few minutes for her to calm down enough to sit down.
"After work Mr. Denton wanted to see me." She finally started. "Thought he'd fire me or something."
"But he didn't, did he?" Gabriel wondered if they'd need champagne to celebrate a promotion or better a bottle of Jack to drown her sorrows.
Shaking her head in disbelieve she answered: "Looks like the zoo has gotten a big donation and I mean like really big and Mr. Denton wants to use the money for the elephant's compound. To promote Nona's baby."
"Wow. That's great." Gabriel smiled, at least his money came to good use. To see the overwhelming joy in Bessie's eyes, it was totally worth it. She was beautiful.
"You haven't heard the best part yet." She fought to keep her breathing under control. "Mr. Denton wants me to become the new head of the elephant's house. Me!"
"That's, that's ..." Lost for words Gabriel kissed her.
"I know." She smiled into the kiss.
They celebrated with the champagne Gabriel happened to have in the fridge and then he took her out for dinner. After that they went to a bar near by because Bessie needed a beer and a few shots to believe this shit, her words not his.
When they finally stumbled home, far from sober but neither of them cared, Bessie tried her best at eating him alive.
"Come on." She urged and her hand found its way into his pants. Giggling and horny like teenagers they didn't even made it upstairs but the kitchen table would do. It was closer than the couch. They didn't bother with taking of too many clothes either.
Only illuminated by the moonlight Bessie's face was a thing of beauty, light and shadow playing over smooth skin. Gabriel leaned in and kissed her, trailed down her neck, taking in her taste. She came with her back bowed and her eyes closed and his name on her lips. With two quick thrusts Gabriel followed her.
Gabriel rested his head on her chest, her heartbeat quick and alive in his ear.
Half asleep, comfortable in the afterglow and a little bit drunk, Bessie's voice was hushed and drowsy.
"I love you." She mumbled and stroked his head.
Gabriel froze. This three little words cut deep into him, sobering him instantly. Nobody had ever said those words to him. Ever. He knew his family loved him, they'd tear him a new one for leaving if they'd find him but they loved him. His father loved him. But nobody had ever said those words. Not like this, not like they meant it. And here was this wonderful woman who loved him.
Gabriel swallowed against he lump in his throat. Slowly he rested his elbows next to her shoulders and propped himself up to look her in the eye. She was barley awake, her eyes on half-mast at best but she smiled at him.
"I love you, too." He whispered and kissed her. "I love you."
continue to chapter 7
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