Chapter 12: Heaven on Earth

“Well, if he really hates people that much, how come he’s okay with you?” Zophie’s question hit me like a burning star— bright and innocent, yet scalding.

I hadn’t meant to imply that I wasn’t human. Immediately reflecting on my mistake, I could feel anxiety burning away at me. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is that he’s going to have a problem with you.”

“Hmm? Well, in that case, if something ever happens to me, we’ll just have to treasure the moments we do have together.”

“Nothing is going to happen to you,” I declared, meaning every word of it.

In response, she simply smiled. “I trust you,” she said truthfully.

I adjusted my position on the stool. Focusing back down on my pancakes, I took another small bite. “Yeah.”

Changing the subject, Zophie asked, “So, what are we doing today?”

Brooding… is what I didn’t say. “What do you want to do?”

“I wanted you to decide, silly. That’s why I asked you.” She smiled hopefully up at me.

There weren’t a lot of places that I knew of to take her. Sure, I liked a couple of isolated places in the city, but I usually limited that to when I was exploring at night.

“There’s a decent park around here.” Maybe I could take her on a walk through the gardens I visited semi-frequently.

“Oh! Let’s do that! I’ll make us lunch, and we can have a picnic!” She seemed so excited by the prospect already, thoughts churning away in her mind as she planned.

***

We stood in front of the park’s gates; for once, I’d be entering when they were actually open to the public. I had to let out a sigh of relief, it’d been taxing leading Zophie here while on high alert, scanning for any other immortals. Luckily, we hadn’t run into any, and the park was part of my territory. I wouldn’t let my guard down, but this should be a relatively safe area for us.

Zophie brushed her hand against mine, pulling me out of my thoughts. I wasn’t sure if she’d done it intentionally or not, but it drew my attention regardless.

“What are you waiting around for? Let’s go!” She fully grabbed onto my hand, all but dragging me through the front gate and meandering pedestrians.

Her soft hand sent shivers up my spine even as she hurried us along. For her, it’d just been to lead me forward, but for me, it was only the third time in centuries I’d felt the touch of a mortal that wasn’t unwanted.

I glanced at her, hoping she hadn’t noticed the way my shadows flickered at the edges of my vision. “You’re blushing, Asmo—don’t tell me you’re shy!” she teased, her laughter sending another jolt through me.

Looking away, I scratched behind my ear. “Whatever,” I said, causing Zophie to giggle beside me.

We walked together through the path, Zophie eventually falling by my side. She still didn’t let go of my hand, and her other arm held a picnic basket. At this point, she wasn’t leading me through the sprouting flora and towering trees, she was affectionately walking by my side. I didn’t know how to feel about it.

When I looked at the shorter woman by my side, I saw beautiful strawberry blonde locks, some of her hair split behind her ear. She wore a straw sunhat and a blue, sleeveless sundress that went down to her knees. Every so often, she’d finish what she was saying and look up at me, prompting me for a response. It was easy to agree with her or give single-word answers. She didn’t mind my lack of speech at all, content as she was to fill the silence herself.

The sun beat overhead, beams hitting us occasionally through the canopy between the cool shaded areas. The air smelled of cedar and willow. Other than the evergreens, the deciduous trees had begun to show greenery from the beginning of spring, the cherry trees especially blossoming with a vibrant pink.

One such petal fell through the air, a breeze having come through the grove to push it toward us. Zophie let go of my hand, reaching up to grab the petal. She held it in her hand for a moment with a strangely sad smile before she let it go again with the wind.

“Don’t want to keep it? Thought you’d put it in your hair or something.”

She shook her head with a gentle smile. “No. There’s something beautiful about letting it go, don’t you think?”

It was my turn to shake my head in denial.

“Well, think about it! The petals come and go.” Perhaps more aware of it this time, no longer hiding behind the thought that she was just leading me around, she grabbed my hand again, slowing down more now that we were looking at the blossoms. When our eyes met, her face blushed bright pink, matching the petals in the air around her. She smiled nervously, but continued her point. “In the spring, they flower, and by the time summer comes around, they’re all gone. Even now, at the beginning of spring, individual petals can come into bloom and then fade in the wind. It’s all so… impermanent, but that’s what makes it so beautiful. We can only enjoy it while it lasts, and then it can only live on in our memories. No two petals will ever be the same.” When she looked up at my face, the sunlight reflected in her shining blue eyes.

“Impermanence, huh?” What did I know of impermanence, forever damned to be stuck on earth? Centuries had passed, yet my existence remained the same. But, now, looking down at the glowing young woman beside me… the weight of the centuries felt lighter, somehow.

“Oh look!” She pulled on my hand, pointing with her other arm and picnic basket toward a particularly wide cedar. “It’s the perfect place to sit down and eat, plenty of shade.”

I let her pull me along, Zophie handing me the basket when we reached the tree. Holding it aloft for her, she pulled out a big blanket that had been stuffed near the top. With one elegant sweeping motion and a loud ‘woosh’, she unfurled the blanket in the air then gently guided it to the packed soil below the tree. Matching Zophie’s dress, the blanket mimicked the clear blue sky above.

When she sat down, Zophie immediately patted the space right beside her, moving the basket aside for me. She looked eager— hungry probably. It’d taken us a few hours to reach this spot after all the traffic in the city.

I hesitated, glancing at how close she wanted me to sit next to her.

“Come on, sit down! Let’s eat,” she urged me impatiently.

Without even waiting for me to take my seat, she rapidly began taking a sandwich out of the basket. She grimaced at the sight of the first one; it had been squished in its bag, with all the innards leaking out the sides.

“Ah, I guess this one will be mine,” she tried to laugh it off. But, when she took the second one out, only to see it was similarly mushed, she had to let out a disappointed sigh. “I’m sorry, Asmo.”

I looked at her like she’d gone crazy. “Don’t apologize when you’ve done nothing wrong,” I urged. “You made us lunch; the proper response for that is gratitude and nothing else.”

She smiled even as she refuted me, “But I wanted this to be special, and I ruined it.” Her smile shifted back to a tense frown. “I shouldn’t have stuffed the blanket in there.”

Reaching past her, my arm briefly brushing against her chest on the way over, I snatched one of the sad-looking sandwiches from her.

She put a hand up as if to stop me, a word on the edge of her lips. But, before she could, I yanked the sandwich free of the bag and took a bite, getting mayonnaise on my hands as I did so.

“It’s not bad. Taste is alright, even if it’s messy.”

She sighed in exasperation, but with a measure of fondness. “Alright! I guess it’s a good thing I brought a lot of napkins, then.” Quickly reversing her downtrodden mood, she became all smiles again.

We chatted and ate, staring at the blossoms as they flew in the wind. At some point, Zophie had sneakily scooted so close that our thighs touched. I didn’t mind, even if her body next to mine felt electric whenever I noticed it. Something caused my heartbeat to go faster. Temptation clung to me, so I gently put my hand on her thigh. She looked at it, surprised. Then, she blushed, but she didn’t tell me to stop. Eventually, the nerves faded away as our conversation continued, and they were replaced by a seeping, pervasive sense of warmth and belonging. Maybe it was alright that I’d left heaven, after all.