by
A man wakes up in a care unit. Who is he, and how did he get there? He feels no pain, but he's unable to speak or move. Infrequent visits by a "bean counter" named Gabe reveal what he refuses to believe: he's an angel fallen from grace, all the way. He can survive, um, sorry, not in heaven. But he can live in the realm of humankind only by performing a meaningful "mitzvah" or act of retribution. But for what sin? And why in hell should he believe in angels when he knows there is no god?
Publisher: New Dawn Press
Editors:
Cover Artists:
Genres:
Pairings: M-M
Heat Level: 3
Romantic Content: 4
Ending: Click here to reveal
Character Identities: Gay
Protagonist 1 Age: Ageless/Immortal
Protagonist 2 Age: Ageless/Immortal
Tropes: Badass Hero, The Bet, Bodyguard/Guardian Angel, Hurt / Comfort, Second Chances
Word Count: 7901
Languages Available: English
When Nick meets the one who calls himself Gareth... From Chapter 6:
There was a shitload of items for his agenda. He’d get busy on it as soon as he got back home and—
Oof! Something barreled into him just as he started to enter the Casbah [Coffee Cafe]. Some kid on a skateboard—
“I’m really sorry.”
The voice was pleasant, full of empathy. The hand grasping his upper arm to steady him—it was firm, strong…
He looked into the deep green pools of a man’s eyes. A really handsome guy, with tendrils of blondish hair curling around a high forehead. A mouth that trembled on the edge between regret and delight.
“It’s okay. I’m fine.”
“I was.…distracted. My bike zigged and my brain zagged.”
“And you without a helmet. For shame.”
“I have a very hard head. Are you sure you’re not hurt?”
READ MORENick eyed the spandex shorts, the “Wingz” logo on his tight-fitting T-shirt, the lightweight ten-speed bicycle between his shapely thighs.
“Sure I’m sure. But you can make it up to me…”
The man grinned, a kind of bashful rejection of his shameless come-on. “Ah, sorry, I—”
”…By joining me for coffee. I’m caffeine deprived and might collapse right here on the sidewalk if you don’t say yes.”
The stranger glanced at his digital watch.The tentative grin became a smile. “It’s actually my break time. Half an hour…”
“Park your bike. I’ll save you a chair.”
~o~
The espresso was dark and hot. The first sip seemed to shoot directly to the seat of his better judgment, wherever that was.
Fuck. I promise myself…something that shall not be said…and as soon as a sexy man looks at me, it’s all over.
He hunched over the cup, cursing his lack of restraint, almost hoping the guy would keep pedaling. A brush with—what? Not fate. A moment’s bizarre collision of atoms doesn’t mean a thing. Just entropy, Nick. The not-order of the universe is a kind of order all by itself. Don’t forget your promise to yourself…
“Hey, thanks for holding a seat. This place is jammed.”
The pleasing voice was close enough to caress.
“No problem. I usually get here earlier. Problem with my car…”
The man told the barista, “Just a plain latté. No foamie-dealie, no sweetener.”
He turned his green eyes to Nick. “So you must come here often…?
He smiled. “Lousy pickup line.”
The stranger’s face became mottled with obvious embarrassment. “No, I didn’t mean—”
“Aw shit, I’m sorry. Bad timing, worse cliché. I mean it. Will you forgive me? It’s been a…hectic morning. I need this shot of carbide.”
The stranger managed a smile. Eyeing the cup, he ventured, “That stuff could bite back. Be careful.”
The barista brought his latté, and the two men drank for a while in silence. Finally, the almost-blond spoke. “I didn’t mean to pry.”
Nick laughed out loud. “No offense taken. I’m gay, so it’s knee-jerk to flirt with good-looking guys. Nothing to take seriously. I think one more cup should shut my mouth and open my brain.”
“I’m Gareth, by the way. And you’re…”
“Nick.”
“Nice to, ah, bump into you, Nick.”
COLLAPSEHeaven and hell, sin and salvation, order and entropy
