Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 93412 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93412 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Gabriel laughed out loud and covered his face with the menu, cuter than a puppy. He kicked Abaddon under the table. “Stop it! Am I not the first one you met though? Since you woke up?” He peeked from above the laminated paper. “I guess there was Watson…”
Abaddon stalled, once again faced with the void that was his memory, but he shook off the brief discomfort and leaned in. “I know that I have a preference for compact boys with pretty eyes.”
“By ‘compact’, you mean with biceps like noodles?” Gabriel waved one of his arms around, but the size of it wasn’t clear under the bulky sweater.
“I mean small and cute, with very. Pinchable. Cheeks,” Abaddon said, reaching across the table to grab a bit of flesh on Gabriel’s face. The boy’s skin was rosy, and hot, and when their eyes met Abaddon felt fresh green leaves rustling deep in his stomach. The spell only broke when the tap of high heels neared the booth, and he pulled away just before a server entered the scene in a dark blue uniform in a shade similar to the upholstery on their seats.
“How are you guys doing tonight?” she asked, flashing Abaddon a bright smile. He swallowed, taken back to reality far too abruptly, but composed himself enough to speak.
“Is this the only savory vegetarian option?” he asked, pointing to a grilled cheese sandwich itemized lower on the menu.
She stalled, thinking. “I could get the cook to swap the beef in the burger for mushrooms, but it’s gonna be messy,” she warned. “Oh, and there’s fries as well.”
“I would love some mushrooms instead of meat in the cheeseburger, thank you,” Abaddon said before also ordering fries, coffee, and a slice of apple pie.
“You’re vegetarian?” Gabriel whispered, drawing Abaddon’s attention to his pouting face.
“Ah… yes.” Though he wasn’t sure how he knew that. God worked in mysterious ways.
Gabriel smiled at the waitress. “I’ll have the pancakes, with maple syrup, a side of whipped cream, coffee, and a tiramisu, and… the lemon meringue pie.”
“Someone likes it sweet. Very good choices,” the server commented with a smile before walking off.
“I’ve got the metabolism of a hummingbird,” Gabriel said, putting down his menu.
Abaddon chuckled, raising his hands. “I said nothing. You’re the one who visits this place often enough to probably know the menu by heart. Besides, it’s Rogers’ treat.”
Gabriel slouched over the table. “I wish. Mrs. Knight took me here a handful of times, and I vaguely remember special parties for all the orphans at the end of a school year before I was… you know, isolated.”
Abaddon’s mouth set, and he reached for Gabriel’s hand. It felt warm in his, even if somewhat tense, so he squeezed it before rubbing his thumb across its side. This boy had been through so much, yet no matter how badly Abaddon wanted to, he couldn’t flip the switch to change his life around.
“Who’s Mrs. Knight? She sounds like a lovely person.”
“Yeah, she’s the nicest person there. She schooled me individually a lot after I got separated from the other children and encouraged me to bake when she saw I had an interest in it. Sometimes, I think she would have adopted me if Father John wasn’t my legal guardian. Of course she never said anything about that to not upset me.”
Abaddon swallowed and entwined their fingers. “What does it mean exactly? Him being your guardian. Aren’t you of age?”
The desperate grasp Gabriel instantly had on his hand made Abaddon want to wrap him in four blankets, cuddle him, feed him pancakes, and suck his dick again.
“Well, they have documents about my fake mental issues spanning the last ten years, and Dr. Rogers testified that I might be a danger to myself, so once I was old enough, they made sure to put a conservatorship in place to control me even in adulthood. I now realize it’s all been lies meant to keep me from running my mouth about what happened, but now I don’t know how to be independent. I never had a phone, a computer, never learned how to drive or called a plumber. It’s all very intimidating.”
“But you’re smart. And resilient. I’m sure you will be all right, especially that this Mrs. Knight would no doubt offer you some help.”
“I don’t know… I rarely ever planned much beyond the next month. I don’t know what will happen to me once we’re done with your task.” Yet his dark eyes held so much hope when they met Abaddon’s over the table.
Bolts of energy between them traveled with an intensity that was out of this world.
Abaddon moved his leg to make their calves touch. He liked how Gabriel said we. “You will probably leave the orphanage and go someplace where you can start over. Find someone who will see everything that you are.”