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FOR TWO GLORIOUS HOURS, I get a break from Taishi. I left him in an empty hotel room and decided to head out on my own.
I'm actually hanging out with Cynthia right now. She's wearing pajamas, her toenail polish is chipped, and her hair's in a super sloppy ponytail. I can totally appreciate this look. She started the night with a pint of ice cream, which made me envious, so I manifested one for myself.
Ever since I got here, we've been bingeing reruns of American sitcoms on British television. It's after one o'clock, but she doesn't seem to notice or care.
“You know...” I speak up, even though she can't hear me, “if we could actually hang out, I feel like we could be friends. You could be my cool older sister, and I could be your not-so-annoying little sister. What do you think?”
I don't get an answer, of course.
As soon as we finish our fourth episode, commotion in the next room has me leaping from the bed. There's a crazy amount of clamor coming from Taishi's room. Before I rush in, I crack the door and peek inside.
My instructor is in the middle of a duel with Archangel Jophiel.
Oh my god. Jophiel is here! With a gasp, I close the door and manifest a mirror. I need to make sure I don't look like a hot mess before I charge in there. I fluff my dark hair, pinch my cheeks, and tug on the collar of my shirt. I'm really starting to hate this shirt. Try as I might, I still haven't successfully manifested new clothes to wear. When I finally do, it'll be nothing short of a miracle.
When I'm semi-satisfied with my appearance, I charge into the room and gasp, “Oh my god, what are you guys doing? You're making so much noise! What if you wake the neighbors?”
A lofty chuckle slips from Jophiel as he ducks a swing from Taishi's katana. “Was that a serious question, Leigh?” the archangel asks. “Taishi, haven't you been teaching this girl properly?”
Jophiel's teasing irritates me, but Taishi's answer makes me angrier. “I try. She rarely listens.”
As he lunges at my instructor, Jophiel haughtily says, “Sweetheart... no one from the mortal realm can hear us! Or did you forget?”
“Okay. I get it. It was a stupid question... but you didn't need to make me feel like an idiot.” When Taishi barely evades a slash of Jophiel's flaming sword, I wince. “Can you... actually hurt each other? If Taishi got stabbed, would he actually feel pain?”
“Indeed. If I poke him, it would hurt him.” As he speaks, Jophiel lunges again, and Taishi pivots away with a split second to spare. “We cannot kill each other, of course, but I could maim him quite severely.”
“That's horrible!” Knowing what I know, I can't bear to watch. When Taishi's counterattack breezes within an inch of Jophiel's chin, I clap a hand over my eyes.
“If Jophiel stabbed me... which he won't... I would heal very quickly.”
“And I would heal even faster,” Jophiel brags.
“How fast, exactly?” I watch their fight through parted fingers. Jophiel's sword lashes the sleeve of Taishi's shirt, but I don't think the blade touched his skin. At least, I hope it didn't.
“I would heal within minutes,” Taishi replies. “Jophiel—within seconds.”
“Ahh... so there's more at stake for Taishi,” I point out. “If you got hurt, your pain would last longer.”
“I don't care. I'm not afraid of a tiny bit of pain! Hya!” When Taishi screams, my body jolts. Apparently, he found an opening. His katana zips across Jophiel's cheek, drawing blood.
As Jophiel swipes the blood from his face, he exclaims, “Well done, Nakamura! Once again, I'm the wounded one. I'm proud of you. You've gotten just as good as me, if not better.” The fight ended at first blood, so the archangel sheaths his blade. By the time his sword slips into its leather casing, the gash on his cheek has fully healed.
“Arigato, Jophiel-sama.” Taishi thanks him with a bow. “I am unworthy of such praise.”
Taishi seems like a totally different person right now. With me, he's cold and mocking. With Jophiel, he's humble and respectful. It's so strange to see the change in him.
“Anyway, Leigh...” Jophiel suddenly faces my direction. “I'm not just here to spar with Taishi. I'm actually here to check your progress.”
Jophiel's coming to check on me? Why? If there are millions of spirit guides, why is he interested in me? Did I catch his eye, or is that too much to hope for? As I stare into his ridiculously beautiful blue eyes, I accidentally heave a dreamy sigh.
Taishi dashes my hopes. It's like he's reading my mind without a thoughtshare. “You're one of the students assigned to Jophiel. He'll be overseeing your progress until the end of your course.”
“So, like...” I try to make sense of it, “you're the teacher, and Jophiel is the principal? Is it kind of like that?”
“That's not a terrible comparison,” Jophiel answers with a chuckle. He's got a sexy laugh. I've spent so much time with Taishi, I've forgotten what laughter sounds like. “To expand on the idea... Amber would be the assistant principal.”
“Okay. Now I get it. Thanks for speaking my language, Jo.”
Taishi claps a hand against his forehead. “Riley-san!” he groans. “You can't call Archangel Jophiel by a nickname! It's incredibly disrespectful!”
Jophiel lays a hand on my shoulder. “It's quite alright, Leigh. You needn't listen to Nakamura. I actually liked it. Everyone is usually so stuffy around me, so a nickname is nice to hear.”
“Oh...” A relieved sigh surges up my throat. I look relaxed, but I'm actually screaming on the inside. I'm being touched by Jophiel's hand. If I was still alive, I could totally die happy right now.
“You may call me Jo if you'd like. You... and only you,” Jophiel says with a wink.
Oh god. That wink was easily the most swoon-worthy thing I've ever seen. Apparently, lust still exists in the spirit world.
“Since we're in London, would you like to join me for tea?” Jophiel asks. “I know it's late in the evening... obscenely late... but it's never too late for tea.”
“Yeah. I'd really like that.” I should have tried to sound a bit less eager, but I can't help it. Gazing at his face over a hot cup of tea sounds like a dream come true.
“Would you like to join us, Taishi?” Jophiel extends the invite to my teacher, who responds with a shake of his head. “No... please! Join us! The more the merrier.”
Before Taishi can protest again, Jophiel manifests a table and three chairs. It's easily one of the most complex manifestations I've ever seen. Everything is already prepared for us. There's a teapot, teacups, biscuits, cream, and macarons. Yes, macarons. The colorful French cookies are probably the most beautiful thing I've ever seen—apart from Jophiel's eyes, of course.
Taishi sinks into one of the chairs with a frustrated grunt. For some reason, he really can't stand to be around me.
“So...” Jophiel begins as he pours his tea, “tell me about yourself, Miss Riley. Before you died, what was your life like?”
I can't believe Archangel Jophiel wants to make small talk with me. I feel blessed by his attention. “My life was pretty boring, to be honest. I was just an average student.”
“Your grades were average?” Jophiel asks.
“Oh, no. My grades were good. I got all As, pretty much. I just meant that I had a really, really boring life.” Wow. I'm making myself sound so appealing to the hot guy sitting across from me. Could I be any dumber right now?
As he samples a biscuit, Jophiel objects, “I'm sure it wasn't as boring as you say.”
“No, it was pretty boring. I really liked my family, though,” I tell him. “I miss them a lot. I wish Taishi would take me to see them...”
“You should be allowed to visit them soon,” Jophiel promises me. “Finish your first assignment, Miss Riley, and I'll try to convince Taishi to take you. Or... if he's not amenable to the idea, I'll take you myself.”
“Thanks...” I murmur. A promise of an eventual visit is better than nothing, I guess. “I can't stop thinking about my sister. I'd really like to know she's okay.”
“And you shall,” Jophiel replies, nodding firmly. “All guides eventually visit their families.”
For the first time ever, I try a macaron. As soon as the first one touches my tongue, I'm in love. I'm an instant fan of these crispy, sweet cookies.
“Has Taishi told you anything about his life?” Jophiel asks.
“Nope. Not at all.” When I glance at Taishi, his gaze is fixed on his tea.
“I'm not surprised. Fifty years passed before he finally opened up to me.”
Jophiel's lips pucker as he sips his tea. God, I'd love to kiss those lips. Is it weird to think that about an angel? Do angels even kiss? I have so many embarrassing questions in my head, and there's no way I could ask them.
“Taishi may be quiet, but he's an excellent guide,” Jophiel continues. “I don't think you'll be disappointed in him.”
“Well, I haven't been disappointed so far.” I try to smile at Taishi, but he isn't looking at me. “Not everyone is lucky enough to have a teacher with a 9.86 rating. Believe me... I feel blessed.”