Over the next few days, Jess kept her mind occupied shopping with Vi and exploring the art galleries on Royal Street. Jordan finally answered his phone one evening as she plucked dead leaves from the ivy along the courtyard fence.
“I swear, I’m sober. I just um…I met a girl.” He didn’t stammer or slur his words, and Jess knew he was leveling with her.
“Really? A girl, huh?”
“Yeah…sorry, I should have called.” He cleared his throat, and Jess heard the sound of a girl laughing in the background.
“Guess I better let you get back to your company…but um…” Jess held the phone to her ear with her shoulder and used her hands to gather the dead leaves and chuck them into the trashcan.
“I know, I know, I promise to answer…every time you call. Hey sis?” He sounded like a kid again, and Jess was relieved.
“Yes?”
“Love you.” The phone went dead a second later, and Jess held it smiling. The vision of her brother which lived in her brain changed from a needy wreck to the happy kid she remembered.
It was her birthday, and Vi appeared at the door in a pair of skintight jeans, and red knee-high boots. Ever the glamour queen, she held a bag of clothes presumably packed to make Jess presentable for a public appearance. Jess sometimes felt like the Barbie doll Vi had been denied as a child. However, given her lack of an alternate date for her twenty-fifth birthday, she was pleased by the attention.
Vi gushed as she threw her bags on Jess’ living room floor. “Guess what I have?”
“A big mouth?” Jess grinned.
“Uh, no. Tickets to see Pearl Jam at this little venue just outside of town. Its standing room only…sort of...and I had to do some serious finagling to get them. So, Happy Birthday!” Vi threw her arms around Jess as she planted a lipstick covered kiss on her cheek.
“You’re kidding? Pearl Jam’s my favorite.” Jess felt alive again, truly excited by the prospect of going out with her best friend.
“I know. I called Jordan just to make sure.” Vi beamed with self-satisfaction for pulling off the gag, and she dragged Jess to the bedroom, so she could work her magic.
“We have a little less than an hour, so don’t argue.” She held out a shirt which was cut entirely too low, but Jess didn’t want to argue. She wanted to enjoy the evening.
Jess smiled glancing at the digital clock on her nightstand. “You couldn’t have gotten here a little earlier?”
“Well, unlike some people, I didn’t ditch the majority of my friends. I had to help Rory get his tickets too.”
“His tickets? Justin’s gonna be there? Great…I’m not going, Vi.” Jess plopped down on the bed a huge pout puckering her lips.
“Don’t be juvenile. It will be crowded. We probably won’t even see them.” Vi teetered on the heels of her boots pulling Jess off the bed. “Ya know…I can’t believe you haven’t talked to him. You’re really hard headed, sometimes.”
Vi handed Jess a pair of denim clam diggers and the top Jess thought she’d vetoed already. At least, she didn’t have to think about clothes when Vi was around, or food, or loyalty. How’d she get so lucky, again? She dressed in a hurry and slipped into the black sandals Vi flung at her. In fifteen minutes, Vi had done her make up, and straightened her hair. Jess got one quick look in the mirror, before Vi dragged her to the car.
The drive to the venue was over quicker than Jess expected. She was still putting on lipstick and primping in the mirror when Vi opened her door impatiently tapping her boot against the rock beneath it. She exited the car without protest, and maneuvered through the gravel parking lot towards the building.
She knew she wouldn’t make it through the night without seeing him, but she hadn’t even made it to the door. The quartet of brothers stood next to a silver Dodge pickup she’d never seen before. Justin bit his thumb and studied his feet as he spoke out of the side of his beautiful pout. Rory punched his arm playfully laughing at something Jess couldn’t hear. Why did he have to be so remarkable? Perhaps, an ugly angel would be easier to ignore. The stab to her gut was worse than she’d imagined when she’d day dreamed of seeing him again.
Jess was busted ogling the angels, and Vi nearly jerked her hand off pulling her through the doors. “Come on.”
Just to prove she hadn’t been affected, Jess smiled. “What? It’s all good.”
The place was packed, but no match for Jess’ hyper companion. Vi ushered her through the crowd ducking between couples, and around overgrown boys, who’d already drank too much beer.
“Look.” Vi picked up a cardboard mat from an empty table, and flashed the reserved sign at Jess.
Jess shrugged; there was no way she was going to sit; besides the crowd had moved their barstools. Jess glanced around nervously. She could see Justin and wondered if Vi had planned it that way. He managed to avert his eyes, but somehow she still felt locked inside them. When the band started, Vi pulled Jess close. They screamed and moved to the music, pressed against the stage for the next forty-five minutes.
Jess was lost in the moment squealing in delight, oblivious to Dawson, who’d appeared from the crowd and stood next to her. “Happy Birthday, Love.”
His hair was spiked into a perfect Mohawk, his navy button down hung loosely over the top of his jeans, and under the colored lights that swept the room he appeared quite ordinary. Jess swallowed hard focusing on the stage instead of the warmth in his eyes. They’d been a colorless vacuum every other time she’d seen him, but now, a fire sparked inside them, igniting anxiety in her chest.
“You finally dumped the great protector, huh? I told you he wasn’t worth the trouble.” His breath brushed across her face.
Jess struggled to think of a response, but the band was taking a break and the announcer had come back to the stage. Had Vi not seen Dawson or was she ignoring him? She reached down with one hand and hoisted Jess next to her on the tabletop where she’d been dancing.
The announcer scanned the crowd, pressing the mic to his mouth. “Where is Jessica Hunter?”
Vi bounced on the table pointing at Jess, until the entire room gawked at the two of them. Jess was sure they would plunge from the table into the crowd below.
“Ah there she is. Happy Birthday, Jess.” The announcer winked and dropped the mic with a stage diving dismount into the audience.
Another band had taken the stage, so Jess lowered herself to the floor and danced behind Vi, hoping to lessen her humiliation. If the ground would have opened and swallowed her, she would have been elated. Why couldn’t Vi blend?
The redhead bounced onto the floor next to her and hugged her neck. “I love you, Jess.” She kissed her cheek and then used her petite hand to force Jess’ face towards the side of the room where Justin stood against a wall. “He hasn’t taken his eyes off of you.”
Jess turned away. Vi’s mug was just inches away. Jess backed away refusing to entertain the conversation. “Yeah, the band is great.”
Vi stuck her tongue out, clearly annoyed. Pearl Jam had returned to the stage, and Jess checked the crowd wondering where Dawson had hidden himself. Maybe he’d never been there at all; she’d been prone to grander delusions.
She reached up to hand Vi a plastic cup and caught the subtle change in her friend’s demeanor. Vi awkwardly glanced back at the band as a pair of muscular arms encircled Jess’ from behind. Either, Dawson was capable of more defiance than she’d realized, or she was about to knock out a complete stranger. The urge to swing passed, before she had the chance to act. The feel of the embrace was familiar, and a rogue tear escaped as her head rested on his chest.
“Don’t turn around.” Justin’s words were gravely and rich.
She ached to look at him, but she was afraid he’d disappear. Blinking away the tears, Jess convinced herself it was the smoke in the room that made her eyes water.
“Dawson…where’d he go?” The sound of his voice was better than music, and the weight of his presence was a security blanket she needed in her life, permanently.
She shook her head unable to form a clear thought.
“Jess, I’ve missed you, so much.” She tried to look back at him, but he leaned closer forcing her gaze back to the stage. “You know…I suck at the emotional humanity thing…but I can’t be without you.” His lips brushed the top of her head as Vi pushed passed them towards the other angels. “I know it’s selfish…just tell me to go and I will…but I had to tell you…I love you.”
She was stunned by the genuine sentiment she heard in his voice, and her breath caught in her throat. When he lifted his head, she turned to see his angelic eyes locked on her. His crooked grin emerged, and she considered that for such a jerk he could be undeniably unselfish.
“Come with me.” He put his hands around her shoulders and guided her through the crowd. They were outside in seconds, the sky dark now except for a few stars peeking through the haze of clouds above them. He glanced at her long enough to make her shiver. “Hold on.”
They were no longer on the ground, and her stomach lurched. His arms held fast to her body, and she shrieked wildly until he chuckled. They soared, the sound of his mighty wings following their movement. A gust of wind pushed against Jess, and terror clawed at her senses. As they glided across the sky, she saw the Mississippi River Bridge and all the lights of the city. He took her down near the water and above the bridge, then swooped close to the barges by the Riverwalk.
They moved through the city until he dropped down without warning, her feet planting firmly on the ground. Glancing around, still somewhat off balance, she was struck by the familiarity of her surroundings. “Justin, this is…”
They were on Veteran’s Highway standing in the neutral ground with the traffic rushing around them. Azalea bushes lined the highway separating the four lanes of vehicles. Justin pointed to the red light and pulled a flower from the bush, which he tucked behind her ear and kissed her sweetly. The motorists honked their horns and yelled from their windows, and when he finally pulled away, he wiped her wet cheeks with his fingers.
It was the spot where her mother had stopped to pick flowers for her every morning. Her knees gave, and her body threatened to go limp, until he lifted her back into his arms and left the median behind them. They circled the Cathedral, and flew over Bourbon Street before they landed on the street by her yard. Jess followed him, dumbstruck and giddy into her apartment.
“You look tired.” His lips were on hers, and she expected he would evaporate.
She wanted to stay awake forever and memorize the cadence of his words, and the way his touch made her brain spin. Would he be gone when morning came if she fell asleep? He nestled into his chair and stroked her hair, but fearful of the night’s end, she got up to make coffee.