Eliezer’s Ange by Eden Auclair

VI

cassiopeia is nineteen

she is a junior in university

Carousels and Dingeswas rather quiet when Eliezer entered. The tiredness of his being evident as ever with the weariness seeping through his features. His lips were pulled into a small frown; his eyes were teary from hurriedly putting in his contacts.

Cassiopeia was sitting in a corner booth, illuminated only by a small ceiling lamp. She was writing frantically in a maroon leather-bound notebook. A bright and foolishly wide smile was etched on her face and her eyes were wide with wonder. She was, however, visually pale, exhausted—something he took note of once he situated himself in his usual booth and studied her from afar. They were settled in booths in the very opposite ends of the shop, for Christ’s sake, when all Eliezer wanted to do was peer into her wintry irises. There was something eerily off about her, the air surrounding her screamed melancholicand bittersweet.

It had become a daily ritual between the two—for her to always notice him once he’d step foot in the shop and give him her sweet, honey-like smile—but today seemed like the exception; the first of what would be many to come. She hadn’t either realized or acknowledged his presence as of yet with her head adamantly buried in her notebook. His body wracked painfully with the need to just walk over to her, nestle her in his arms, and fix her.

For Cassiopeia Leilani was nothing short of an angel from heaven with tattered wings.

As per usual, he pulled out his MacBook and opened the projects and spreadsheets he’d been working on last night, all the while his attention was entirely fixed on the girl who was solely focused on her writing. Half an hour had blurred past them and she hadn’t moved while he felt lost. He needed, desperately, to get his mind straight and the only remedy would be her.

So when a waitress, who was everything buthis, came to him, it seemed all things went to hell.

“Hello sir, what can I get for you?” The girl smiled faintly, clearly trying to hide her evident nervousness.

“You’re not Cassiopeia.” Eliezer’s quiet voice came out in a cold, clipped tone.

The girl’s eyes momentarily widened before she answered in a shaky voice, “C-Cassiopeia’s busy.”

No shit Sherlock, you don’t say, Eliezer wanted to retort sarcastically, mentally scoffing.

“Listen, darling,” he started with a controlled voice and hard eyes, “Cassiopeia takes my order every morning, and I’m not having it any other way.” The girl stared at him with lost eyes, entirely uncertain of what to do now. So he opened his mouth once again, this time with finality rang clearly in his tone.

“I want Cassiopeia.”

Inadvertently, his voice rose and deepened an octave, or two. And amidst the quietness of the shop, Cassiopeia’s head snapped up. Her eyes immediately flickered in his direction, locking gazes with him. Her lips were slightly parted and her irises shined with innocence. Eliezer instantly felt his cold and brooding exterior fall apart.

“What’s wrong?” He mouthed, his eyebrows scrunching together in concern. In response, she only shook her head. Her hands flew up to her face and she used the sleeves of her sweater to wipe the tears brimming her eyes. Eliezer frowned deeply, feeling his heart shatter in his chest.

“Come here, ange,” he mouthed once more. She pouted while a blush coated her cheeks. Despite her rather detached state, she slowly closed her notebook and stood up from the booth she was situated in.

“Leave us,” Eliezer stated simply to the girl still at his booth, standing awkwardly. Though not once did his eyes leave Cassiopeia.

“What’s the matter?” He questioned once she was standing in front of him before she could speak first. Her eyes flickered to the ceiling as she shook her head to stop the fresh tears threatening to fall.

She looked back at him, after a moment’s hesitation, putting on the brightest smile she could muster. “What can I get for you, Eliezer?” Her voice was soft.

The frown was evident on his face as he murmured, “You know what I want, Cassiopeia.” In all of the sentence’s simplicity that it was spoken in, it most certainly had a double meaning. Yet she was rather oblivious to the unspoken meaning. He wanted her. However, she did know he wanted his coffee. A blush spread hopelessly across the apple of her cheeks as she scribbled down his drink in her notepad. It had become rather pointless now to do such a thing since it was his usual, and she had it very well memorized.

“I’ll be right back,” she whispered with a faint smile. She seemed to have lightened up in the very presence of Eliezer, her previous sadness gone. He watched her as she moved delicately in all her beauty behind the counter, mixing his drink. He would never get enough of simply just watching her. Their eyes locked with each other as she made her way back to him with his tall drink in hand.

“Here you go.” She slid the glass on the booth with her signature angelic smile. “Do you want something to eat?” She softly questioned. You. Eliezer bit his tongue to refrain from sharing his blunt thoughts. Instead, he only shook his head with another deep frown. That is, until he remembered his wish for her, for them.

“There is something.” A light smile graced his lips. He could’ve sworn her eyes had lightened up as she nodded enthusiastically with a wide smile. She knew what was coming.

“Of course,” her tone was still soft. Instead of answering, he stood up, towering over her small frame. She didn’t falter backward but involuntarily stepped closer to his embrace once his arm came around her waist. She lifted her head and peered into his eyes, her irises wondrous and breathtakingly translucent.

“This is quite a compromising position, don’t you agree?” Cassiopeia only nodded with wide eyes as crimson painted the apple of her cheeks and she hopelessly tried to fight off her smile by biting her lip. Tempting… His eyes darkened.

The only others currently in the shop were the dainty elders—the owners, Autry and Archer, who were nothing less than grandparents to Cassiopeia—and two other waitresses who were conversing back at the counter, and a young couple in the booth of the front corner. It was the owners that worried Cassiopeia—in all her time spent with them, she’d never brought up a boy, except Niccolò, nevertheless, a manin her life. The scene unfolding before them—for she knew they were surely watching with keen eyes—was certainly unusual. They’d be grilling her. She could almost imagine the questions she’d be asked.

“Cassiopeia baby, who’s that mouthwatering young man you’ve got for yourself?” Autry would ask with a wink.

“Autry, watch it, honey, I’m right here. Cassiopeia, sweetheart, who is he, and what’s his story?”Archer would ask with his usual overprotective tones as he would anytime a guy would come around with or for Cassiopeia. All the while, she’d blush beetroot and bite her lip, or the insides of her cheeks to stop from giggling. And though it wasn’t a big deal—or any sort of deal at all—she knew for certain she’d be teased endlessly once she found herself alone in the hands of Autry and Archer without Eliezer around.

“Cassiopeia.” His whisper snapped her out of her thoughts as her eyes cut back to his. His rough fingers gently brushed back her luscious hazelnut balayage; he cupped her cheek, and she leaned into his warm hand.

“I still want to take you out.” His deep voice still a whisper made her eyes flutter shut feeling his lips slightly brush against hers as he spoke. She didn’t even realize that he had slowly leaned down until they were in close proximity—their noses brushed against each other, their breaths mingled, and if either of them leaned in just the slightest bit more, their lips would be completely touching. And Cassiopeia reveledin the feeling. Her heart thrummed violently in her chest, but it didn’t need to, not when Eliezer had always been gentle and made her believe their souls were kindred together.

Her next words were enough to send him over the edge and he yearned for her to know just how desirous of her he was.

“Then take me out, Eliezer.” Her simple reply in a rather sultry, yet innocent and gentle tone stirred his desire.

Little siren didn’t even know how tempting she was.