Chapter 168 - Jump In And Get Tangled Up (2)

Gael came to and realized that he had also fallen asleep and Angela was still in his arms. He checked the time on the clock above the T.V.—it was half past three in the morning. Blinking a few times, he recalled the events from last night. They arrived at ten and began the movie soon after that. She fell asleep an hour later, and he guessed he did too after he laid on the sofa with her. This meant he had been asleep for about four hours.

It wasn't unusual for him to wake up after having slept this many hours. Aside from the fact that he was a light sleeper, he was constantly thinking about things that it's like his brain would wake him up and prompt him to start working. It was too early now, though, but this had been the best sleep he'd had in a long time. 

The TV was now playing a different movie. He'd lowered the volume hours ago until it was nearly audible and kept the subtitles on so as not to wake her up. Thankfully, Angela's sofa was large enough for the two of them that they were able to fit comfortably even with his large frame. 

Gael glanced down at Angela whose face was nearly leveled with his. She was peacefully sleeping with her face partially covered by her hair. He carefully brushed the strands off her face and tucked them behind her ear, wanting to see more of her. Even with her sleeping like this, her beauty blew him away. Her name fitted her perfectly as she really was an Angel on earth. Her skin was soft and smooth, and from afar, you'd think she was flawless. However, up close, he could see one tiny scar on her hairline that's barely visible. He loved it. It was as if he knew something about her that no one else did. 

On impulse, he lowered his head, and kissed her lips softly. It was merely a touch. Nothing too grand, nor too deep. It was a light feather kiss because he just couldn't help himself.

Angela stirred, and he stilled. He just stole a kiss, and he didn't want to be slapped on the face. But he was surprised when she nuzzled on his face as if she wanted to inhale his scent. He smiled at her subconscious feline-like movement, allowing her cheek and nose to brush on his lips gently—it was as if she was letting him kiss her, only she was the one pressing on. 

Gael took it as an invitation, hooking a finger under her chin and planting another kiss on her lips. This time, it lingered a few seconds longer and with a little more weight. He pulled back and she slowly fluttered her eyes open.

"I fell asleep. Is the movie still on?" she asked groggily.

"It's over."

"Sorry, I was so tired."

"It's three in the morning. Go back to sleep."

Angela nodded, her eyelids getting heavier.

He stroked her back and softened his tone even more when he asked, "Don't you want to move to the bed? You'll be more comfortable there."

She nodded but didn't move. He chuckled, finding her so adorable in her sleepy state. "Come on, let's get you to bed." 

He got to his feet, scooped her up from the sofa, and carried her to the master bedroom. When they arrived earlier, she had given him a quick tour of where the rooms were so he knew where to bring her. He laid her down and covered her with the quilt, then she looked up at him, suddenly aware of her surroundings. The only light in the room came from the lamp on the nightstand.

Angela took a deep breath as she swept her gaze on his figure. "You should take your clothes off. How could you sleep in those?"

Gael glanced down at himself and looked back at her. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Those aren't comfortable."

He cocked his head to the side. His lip twitched, making him look playful as he told her, "I sleep in the nude. Would you be okay with that?" 

"No, you don't." She narrowed her gaze at him.

"Are you trying to take advantage of me, Angel?" He placed his hand over his chest dramatically, and she laughed out loud, throwing a pillow on him, which he caught swiftly.

She pointed at a box in the corner of the room. "Those are Oliver's spare clothes. We always keep some in each other's places just in case. You can use them. They're clean."

Gael checked the box she was referring to, and sure enough, there were men's clothes inside. If she didn't tell him and he'd find this box, he'd probably flip. 

He grabbed the first things he found. Turning around, he found her looking at him. He began unbuttoning his shirt and shoved his pants off, knowing full well that she was watching. 

Her eyes lingered on the tattoo on his inner bicep, which was an intricate design of a pocket watch cradled by waves and clouds. If you'd look closely, you'd see the name "Isabella". 

A grin cast on his face, then he changed into a pair of black joggers and a plain white shirt. He walked back to the bed, fully clothed. "You like the little striptease?"

Angela casually gave him a once over and shrugged, appearing unaffected. "Meh. I've seen better."

Gael scoffed as he tackled her in bed and tickled her for a few seconds until she begged him to stop. "You were blushing. I can read your dirty mind from ten miles away."

She was still catching her breath when she chuckled again, stretching her hands towards him to keep him away from her. "You're mistaken. The heater must be off in this room, that's why!"

"Liar." He grinned as he expertly maneuvered away from her defenses and grabbed her arms, hauling her towards him. She yelped, but she didn't protest when his arm encircled around her waist, keeping her pressed against him.

He laid on his side, one arm as her pillow while the other was on her waist. He watched as she gazed up at the ceiling looking happy. It made him wonder what she was thinking about but he didn't ask. This fascination with her fueled him. 

A few moments of silence later, his mind wandered and thought about the dinner from last night. "What did your dad say? He looked like he was telling you something serious before he got in the car after dinner. He didn't ask you to stay away from me, did he?"

Angela smiled at him and shook her head. "Nothing... He just told me to take care."

Somehow, Gael thought that she wasn't telling the truth. She probably didn't want to tell him what it was about, but he didn't press on despite his curiosity. He understood that she wanted to keep it to herself, whatever her father told her. Truth be told, he could have eavesdropped or lipread, but he didn't. At that time, it felt like a private moment that he didn't want to invade.

Reaching for the nightstand, he turned off the light and pulled her closer.

"Gael…" she called.

"Hm?"

"Tell me a story."

He chuckled. "Your request feels so dangerous," he said. However, he still told her a story that he had never told anyone before—about an angel and a warrior. And many years later, they'd look back to this day and talk about tonight.