"Being so bold seemed out of character for you, so... I'm glad I checked," Miguel added. I wanted to hit my mom too, but I held my anger inside and started packing my things.
"I was disoriented. I wouldn't have done it if I were thinking straight," Mom argued in a pleading voice. "I... hope you don't hate me." She sounded like she was about to cry.
"I shouldn't have come here. I know how you are... I just didn't think you'd do this to me." I didn't want to say more to her, so I gently pushed her toward the exit so I could change my clothes. When I came out of the room, I saw her talking to Miguel.
"Please tell her not to hate me. I wasn't in my right mind. She'll listen to you." Miguel wasn't looking at her or showing any expression that indicated he was listening. Then he saw me, picked up the duffle bag I'd bought for him yesterday, and approached.
"Let's go... we have a lot to talk about." I nodded, and we walked out of the mansion, closely side by side. We had to sit on the porch and call an Uber to the airport.
"So... you're in love with me," Miguel stated without warning.
"What?!" He looked into my eyes silently. A few seconds passed, then I added, "So what if I am?!" That was the best statement I could muster. I wanted to be more transparent or sweet, but my emotions were running too high.
"I love you too." For some reason, I wasn't expecting that answer, and my eyes filled with tears. Miguel stroked my cheek. "You're such a crybaby." I sniffled and pouted, then he kissed me. "We are now bonded... you've shared your life with me." He began to explain.
"How?" I still had so many questions. I was just glad he was finally explaining things to me.
"I have a deal... with Heaven and one with Hell... My deal with Heaven was partially fulfilled, so... I got a new body, and it's thanks to you loving me." My stomach filled with butterflies.
"So that's how you found out... I feel so exposed." I whimpered.
"Good," he retorted, wrapping his arm around me and placing his hand on my hip. "I plan on exposing you more when we get home." Does he have unlimited stamina?!
"It's just... I wanted to tell you... I loved you myself, but thanks to the contract, you know without me saying it." I admitted.
"I know you love me. If you said it, I'd have doubts... but I know it's real now." As I was about to comment, our ride arrived, and we got in the car. This conversation was too personal to continue, so we stayed quiet and held hands. Even though he was being really sweet, I felt an uneasiness. I knew something was still wrong... maybe he was still upset about what happened with my mom, which is understandable. I hope she doesn't try to spin the story in her favor and hurt Miguel. I could only be calm because he was being so affectionate. I wanted to do something to ease his mind too.
"We're out of first-class seats for this flight," informed the attendant at the airport. Those words hit me hard. I had a round-trip ticket for myself... but I wanted to be sure Miguel was sitting near me. I should've thought ahead and purchased his ticket online yesterday...
"I'd... like to downgrade to business... and buy a second business ticket, please. I'd like to be seated side by side if possible." She typed into her computer and, a few moments later, handed me two tickets and told me where to wait. It was packed and loud in the waiting area, but luckily that meant not many people were paying attention to us.
"I guess we'll need to save the details for when we arrive back in Corithina," I stated to make conversation. He sighed in response and looked away from me. My feelings were hurt for a second, but then he held my hand, gently stroking the back of it with his thumb. It made me feel better, but we ended up saying nothing to each other and just sleeping for the whole four hours it took to get back to my city.
Once we were in my car and the doors were shut, Miguel broke the ice with:
"How many kids do you want?" His question threw me off. I stammered gibberish, and he glared at me. "It's a simple question."
"With you?" I asked for clarity. His glare intensified.
"Who else?" His tone turned slightly sinister. I couldn't think. My head had gone blank. I felt like I was on fire.
"I... I... two!" I blurted. I hadn't thought that far ahead, but two seemed like a comfortable number.
"I want five," he commented with a sigh.
"Are you trying to kill me?" I muttered and pressed my face into my steering wheel, accidentally honking the horn and drawing the attention of everyone else in the parking lot. I waved apologetically.
"... We should hurry home." Is he just going to throw my mind into disarray and then change the subject like it's nothing? I didn't question him. I just started driving. I needed to focus, so I tried not to think about the children thing too much while we were on the road.
The sun was setting when we got back to my apartment. Miguel embraced me from behind and kissed my neck.
"Let's go to bed."
"... You're so bossy," I whispered.
"Well... that's because I'm the one in charge." His words made my heart race. I led the way to my bedroom and lay down on my back. He hovered above me, pressed against me, and whispered into my ear, "Why am I here?"
"What... because... this is our home." I squeaked out, confused by his question but also aroused by our position.
"I mean... I asked you for help... have you given up on helping me?" My heart shook.
"What do you mean?" I inquired. I hoped it wasn't what I was assuming.
"To appease my soul... you are supposed to help me find someone..." He clarified.
"You... mean to find that girl..." I asked, my mood quickly changing at the thought.
"That's right." I opened my mouth to speak but didn't know how to word my thoughts on the subject.
"You really planned to give up... so selfish." He pulled away from me, and I felt a chill course through me, worse than anything I'd felt before.
"I... thought maybe you had given up... because... circumstances have changed." I clarified, voice trembling. Miguel clicked his tongue and then looked away from me, doing nothing to hide the anger on his face.
"In that case... I can't be with you." It felt like my world was crashing down around me. "I guess... Dami was right this time." He didn't say anything else.
"Wait," I stated as I saw him leaving. "I'll... look for her... I will!" I shouted at his back, but he still left with his bags and slammed the door behind him.