don’t know. It is different. It seems as if my hands need to feel your skin. I like it very much.” Michael breathed out. “It is as if I cannot stop.” He glided his hand along the rest of her arm. “Why is this?”
“Because affection is a basic human need.” Reggie turned to face him.
Michael gasped out an, “Uh.”
“What?” Reggie asked.
“You broke it.”
Laughing, Reggie shook her head. “I didn’t break it, I just stopped it.”
“Is it wrong?” Michael asked.
“No,” said Reggie. “Everyone likes to be touched. It feels good.”
“It feels natural. Like feeding.”
Reggie was amused by his innocence. “It is natural, Michael. And there are many levels to touching.”
“Levels?” Michael nodded. “So when you touch your lips to Marcus, it feels good like this?”
“Yes.”
Michael stepped to her with drastically puckered lips.
Reggie snickered. “What are you doing?”
“Trying to touch my lips to yours.”
“No.” Reggie waved her hand. “That’s a level I share only with Marcus. Now…” Reggie raised her sword. “We gonna do this or what?”
Michael smiled.
Like a lost child awaiting a friend, Marcus stared out the window, watching Reggie and Michael.
“He doesn’t know,” Eliza spoke softly. “He doesn’t know why he does it.”
“Does what?” Marcus asked. “I don’t see him doing anything.”
“Really?” Eliza asked. “You aren’t staring out this window? Your view is not the same as mine?”
“What’s happening out there…?” Marcus walked away from the window. “Is a prelude to what I already feel happening here?” He brought his fist to his chest. “I waited my entire life to be with Reggie. I got her. Now, Michael and his favorite saying…”
Eliza finished his sentence: “I will need her?”
“Yes.” Marcus pulled a chair from the kitchen table and sat down for a good sulk. “His needing her. His yanking her from the room the second we get a quiet moment. His claiming they should be ‘as one.’”
“Marcus, Michael is very literal.” Eliza joined him at the table. “If God told him he is going to be as one with Reggie, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was trying to figure out how to join their two bodies.”
Marcus raised his eyes.
“Oh.” Eliza covered her mouth. “I didn’t mean it that way.”
“I know. I know. I’m sorry. I’m just…”
“Jealous?” Eliza asked.
Marcus scoffed. “No. Well. A little.”
“Marcus, I don’t believe his attraction to Reggie is… well, an attraction.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s an angel,” Eliza sputtered. “Angels aren’t supposed to feel that way.”
“But he’s in a human body.”
Eliza paused. “Still. I don’t believe you should worry. It won’t go that way.”
“But what if he feels compelled to take it that way? Better yet, what if it really is God’s intention?”
“Why would God want that? It doesn’t make sense.”
“No, it makes perfect sense.” Marcus stood. “When Michael arrived, he was obstinate. Being here was his duty.” Marcus moved to the window. “He made no bones about it; it was our fight, not his. And he was here only because God sent him.”
Eliza followed Marcus to the window. “Where are you going with this?”
“You asked why God would want them to literally be as one.” Marcus pointed out the window. “Let’s face it, if I’m right, Reggie can be the difference between Michael fighting just out of obligation, or Michael fighting with passion. Ask yourself: which would you prefer?”
Eliza said nothing, but laid a hand on Marcus’ back and watched with him.
St. Louis, Missouri
The prison was loud with moans and screams. Shouts of outrage were thrown at Devante, along with objects. He needed only a quick glance to deflect them. Led by Leonard and two guards, Devante walked through the masses of people that crammed into the huge fenced-in prison yard. He stared forward and moved
“Because affection is a basic human need.” Reggie turned to face him.
Michael gasped out an, “Uh.”
“What?” Reggie asked.
“You broke it.”
Laughing, Reggie shook her head. “I didn’t break it, I just stopped it.”
“Is it wrong?” Michael asked.
“No,” said Reggie. “Everyone likes to be touched. It feels good.”
“It feels natural. Like feeding.”
Reggie was amused by his innocence. “It is natural, Michael. And there are many levels to touching.”
“Levels?” Michael nodded. “So when you touch your lips to Marcus, it feels good like this?”
“Yes.”
Michael stepped to her with drastically puckered lips.
Reggie snickered. “What are you doing?”
“Trying to touch my lips to yours.”
“No.” Reggie waved her hand. “That’s a level I share only with Marcus. Now…” Reggie raised her sword. “We gonna do this or what?”
Michael smiled.
Like a lost child awaiting a friend, Marcus stared out the window, watching Reggie and Michael.
“He doesn’t know,” Eliza spoke softly. “He doesn’t know why he does it.”
“Does what?” Marcus asked. “I don’t see him doing anything.”
“Really?” Eliza asked. “You aren’t staring out this window? Your view is not the same as mine?”
“What’s happening out there…?” Marcus walked away from the window. “Is a prelude to what I already feel happening here?” He brought his fist to his chest. “I waited my entire life to be with Reggie. I got her. Now, Michael and his favorite saying…”
Eliza finished his sentence: “I will need her?”
“Yes.” Marcus pulled a chair from the kitchen table and sat down for a good sulk. “His needing her. His yanking her from the room the second we get a quiet moment. His claiming they should be ‘as one.’”
“Marcus, Michael is very literal.” Eliza joined him at the table. “If God told him he is going to be as one with Reggie, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was trying to figure out how to join their two bodies.”
Marcus raised his eyes.
“Oh.” Eliza covered her mouth. “I didn’t mean it that way.”
“I know. I know. I’m sorry. I’m just…”
“Jealous?” Eliza asked.
Marcus scoffed. “No. Well. A little.”
“Marcus, I don’t believe his attraction to Reggie is… well, an attraction.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s an angel,” Eliza sputtered. “Angels aren’t supposed to feel that way.”
“But he’s in a human body.”
Eliza paused. “Still. I don’t believe you should worry. It won’t go that way.”
“But what if he feels compelled to take it that way? Better yet, what if it really is God’s intention?”
“Why would God want that? It doesn’t make sense.”
“No, it makes perfect sense.” Marcus stood. “When Michael arrived, he was obstinate. Being here was his duty.” Marcus moved to the window. “He made no bones about it; it was our fight, not his. And he was here only because God sent him.”
Eliza followed Marcus to the window. “Where are you going with this?”
“You asked why God would want them to literally be as one.” Marcus pointed out the window. “Let’s face it, if I’m right, Reggie can be the difference between Michael fighting just out of obligation, or Michael fighting with passion. Ask yourself: which would you prefer?”
Eliza said nothing, but laid a hand on Marcus’ back and watched with him.
St. Louis, Missouri
The prison was loud with moans and screams. Shouts of outrage were thrown at Devante, along with objects. He needed only a quick glance to deflect them. Led by Leonard and two guards, Devante walked through the masses of people that crammed into the huge fenced-in prison yard. He stared forward and moved