Free A Slither of Hope by Lisa M. Basso

conversation Cam and I had ever had. Everything else had always revolved around Az, angels, or the killings at our old school. But this—Cam talking about everything and nothing and all—this was gold.
    “I noticed so much more the last time I was here. Things I never noticed before.” His fingers relaxed away from mine. Since I wasn’t a hundred percent into holding hands anyway, I watched him stretch out his fingers.
    “The way the sun filters through the trees, the leaves both blocking the light and letting the smallest amount in. Sleeping restfully and being woken up by songbirds. Sunsets. Shoes.”
    I looked at him with my head tilted to the side, blond fringe staying straw-stiff.
    “They really are great inventions,” he clarified. “Speaking to someone and making them smile, or laugh, with just your words.” His gaze focused behind me, toward the window. His knee fell against mine, but he was a thousand miles away with his toes buried in dirt or sand, spinning in circles with his head thrown back, savoring the very taste of the air.
    Neither of us said anything for a long time. He continued to stare outside and I continued to watch him. His eyes and mouth moved in almost imperceptible ways. I imagined him reliving so many small moments, all of them instilling a different brand of wonder on this angel’s face. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt any of those things. I stayed as still as I could and tried to experience them again, with him.
    “It’s good to be back,” he finally said. His slate gaze found its way to me, looking me over like he hadn’t seen me in years, only slanting once on my wings.
    “You must have been here a hundred times before. What made last time different?”
    “You, I think. I thought about you a lot. Much more than I should have, I’m sure.” I could feel myself blushing, could practically see the bright pink blotches staining my cheeks. “While getting to know you, Rayna you opened my eyes to so much.” He slid closer to me, eyes intent. “And we did things we shouldn’t have done, but I don’t regret them.”
    “The kiss?” Heat built in my stomach.
    This time when he nodded, it wasn’t his usual sure-of-himself, Protector-Cam nod. It was something softer, almost human. “I wouldn’t take that moment back for anything. No matter what happened.”
    “Neither would I,” I said. Even though complete chaos had erupted in my life, I’d never forget my first kiss. Or the angel that gave it to me. My gaze dropped to his lips, turned up ever so slightly on the outside corners. Instead of warning myself of the dangers, I self-consciously licked my own lips.
    “Rayna, I…”
    He stopped, but I nodded anyway, my chest swelling, waiting to explode with tension.
    This was the moment I realized we were alone. For once Cam and I were completely devoid of prying eyes. We were in his apartment, on his couch.
    “…I’m so sorry for—”
    I shook my head. This was not what I wanted to hear. I felt myself slowly being pulled closer to him by some indescribable force, like magnets crossing an incredible distance to meet.
    Cam nodded in that same shy, almost human way and my stomach flip-flopped. Then he swallowed. “You… made me feel. For something more than just my assignments.”
    For Cam, this was practically a declaration of love.
    Inside my body was going haywire, but in all the right ways. I wasn’t sad or annoyed. I was almost… alive again. But I needed more; this little taste of happiness wasn’t enough. I tested my voice.
    “Cam.”
    It came out weak and low, but it was still there. The voice that I had been hiding away, covering up—that part of me was still alive. “When you left I thought I’d never see you again and it almost broke me.” I scooted closer. Our legs touched. “But you’re back, and so different. Everything’s different.”
    My fingers touched his cheek and slid down to his hard jaw. It wasn’t tense like every other time