Free Shattering Halos by Sunniva Dee Page B

led me out the door.
    Half way down the main hallway, Gabriel’s presence tingled warm against my neck. All of my senses honed in on him, making it hard to concentrate on Marina’s chatter.
    I need to see him!
    Stopping at the fountain, I peeked out from underneath my hair as I leaned over. I saw no trace of him. “Where are you?” I asked, realizing too late that I’d said it out loud.
    “Um—hello?” Marina squinted at me.
    Light fingertips brushed my hair away from the spurting liquid. His breath tickled my ear, and my own hitched.
    An almost-touch? Yes, please!
    An airy giggle escaped me, and Marina stopped dead in her tracks, eyes narrowed in suspicion.
    “What was that, Gaia?”
    “Nothing. Just laughing at how Cody wanted to kiss you. So did you let him in the end?”
    “No! I told you that already. I need to figure out which one to kiss first.” She was perceptive but easily diverted. “I mean, they’re both really cute. And they’re both so nice and have my sense of humor…”
    “They’re both so…identical?” I helped.
    That afternoon, Marina and I went to the mall. She needed new skinny-jeans, and since I always enjoyed a nice shopping spree, I tagged along. Unfortunately, Gabriel seemed to be everywhere.
    As the hours went by and Gabriel did nothing to seem like a good angel, I lost my tongue. Marina sent me suspicious glances over unusual postures or expressions I didn’t wipe off my face in time.
    “You all right?” Marina scanned my face. We were indulging in a root beer float, and the angel straddling the backward chair at our table made me scatterbrained. With his chin supported on arms crossed over the backrest, Gabriel was beaming at me.
    “Yeah, I want to scavenge for a new dress.”
    Or make out with an angel.
    “Oh, yay! Let’s go to Access. They’re the best!” Marina clapped toddler-style.
    Gabriel uncrossed his arms, leaned forward, and dabbed ice cream onto the tip of my nose.
    “Um, here…” Marina pointed at her own nose.
    Watching him chuckle, I removed it. “Thanks.”
    On the escalator, Gabriel didn’t just shadow me. For the first time since the dance, he stood so close that his body molded to mine while we waited. I closed my eyes and leaned back against him.
    Unbelievable. Can I just not wake up from this?
    How I’d missed the sensation of his chin resting on my head. I wished the escalator ride would last forever.
    The embraces from the night of Winter Formal flashed through my mind, and I suddenly realized that a platonic relationship wasn’t enough for me anymore.
    Once at Access, Marina poked her head into my dressing room without asking permission.
    “All right, so the dress fits you, Gaia. Like a bloody snakeskin.” Her eyebrows waggled, accentuating her fake British accent.
    “Thanks, I’ll take that as a compliment.”
    “No, honestly, dude. You’re not planning to wear that anywhere, are you? It reveals, hmmm…” Marina searched for the best way to describe my new look. “Oh yeah: Everything!”
    Or not.
    “Hey now—”
    “Every dip and curve, chicky.”
    I rolled my eyes, shooing her out, and she giggled from the other side.
    “Skimpilicous!” She breathed through the curtain.
    “Oh, for the love of God, Marina.” I stepped out for a peek in the full-length mirror, “Do you like it or not?”
    We were doomed the minute I came out of the dressing room; Gabriel stared at the short, red dress and took one precious step toward me.
    “Too much!” he groaned.
    God, it was easy. Before I could think, I’d flung myself into his arms and wrapped my legs around his waist. After a whole long, wasteful month, I was kissing him, and he squeezed me so hard it hurt.
    Marina’s shocked “No!” didn’t register with me at first. When I opened my eyes, her jaw had dropped. She wasn’t one to stare at people, but this time she had no qualms.
    Her reaction made sense, though. My BFF had never witnessed Gabriel materializing before. He was a