Later that evening Taylor walked out of the bathroom and into his room in a pair of pajama pants, ready for bed. Things just got worse after Angela left; he didn't go downstairs for dinner, which only worried his mother more and she gave him a stern talking to that lasted nearly a half hour. Zac asked what had happened with Angela and Taylor didn't explained, and somehow it all turned out to be Taylor's fault. After that he quickly ushered Zac out of the room and decided it would just be best to go to sleep. He spent ten minutes checking him chest out in the mirror in the bathroom before he put fresh gauze on it. It wasn't getting much better, but it wasn't completely open and bleeding like it had been before.
He walked over to his bed, rubbing his eyes, the diagonal line of white gauze prominent against his chest; he didn't have a shirt on. Although he'd only been up for about eight hours, he was still tired and was happy to be going to sleep. However that happiness waned when there was a knock at his door.
"Just a sec," he said. He opened his drawer and pulled out a shirt that he put on before he walked over to the door and opened it. He froze upon seeing Angela on the other side. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm sorry I ran out on you like that," she said, looking down at her hands. "I shouldn't have done that and I don't want this to be it either."
"It took you two and half hours to realize that?" he asked.
"Well as soon as I left I got on the first bus headed back home and when I realized what I had done, I still had a good twenty minutes before the next stop, and then I couldn't find another bus back here�I should never have left."
"But you're here now," he said. She nodded.
"Yes, I'm here now."
"Come on in," he said. He opened up the door and let her inside. He closed the door behind her. "How'd you get in here? My mother would have had a conniption on seeing you."
"I didn't tell you that I went to a workshop last week, did I?" she asked. He shook his head. "It was one of those things�I go for a few days but when I return it's only been, like, an hour."
"Okay�"
"Well, anyway, getting to the point, one of the things they're teaching me how to do is teleporting."
"You can teleport?" he asked. "Angel, this is very, very weird."
"I know it's a lot to handle but you just have to believe." He nodded. "And I just learned how to do it, and it's one of those things where you have to build up to it. I can only teleport a few hundred feet at this point and I don't always end up in the exact place I wanted to be, I'm usually a foot or two off, but at least I learned how to keep my clothes on."
"So you teleported up here?" he asked. She nodded.
"Yeah. I knew you were up here fixing your chest up so I went to the front door and then teleported outside your door when you came in here."
"Although that is massively cool," Taylor said, walking over to the bed, "I'm still mad at you."
"I know you are," she said. "And I understand if you don't want to talk to me or whatever, but I did want to come back and apologize. You do mean something to me, Taylor. You're not supposed to and I could get in massive trouble for this, but you still do. I kept telling myself that if I never told you anything about me, if I kept thinking that I was just here to make you better and that was it, maybe I wouldn't get attached to you. So much for that one, huh?"
"Come over here," he said, sitting down on the bed. She walked over and sat down on his lap. "So how exactly is this going to work? I mean, people can see and hear you now."
"I was thinking about maybe buying a home out here," Angela said. "And we can see each other while you're in the studio and all. After that�"
"I guess we just kind of have to go with it." She nodded.
"Do you want me to take care of your chest for you?" she asked. He nodded.
"Yeah, this thing's a royal pain in the ass," he said. "Well, pain in the chest."
"Lay down and take off your shirt." He did, leaving his shirt on the floor and laying down. Still on top of him, she carefully removed the gauze he'd just put on there, checking out his severe laceration. "Oh, man, this is ugly."
"Yeah. And it hurts."
"Don't worry, it's not going to bother you anymore," she said. She leaned in to kiss his chest and he stopped her.
"Whoa, whoa, hold on," he said.
"What?" she asked.
"This is really weird," he said. "I usually can't see you when you're doing this. Also, I hate to say it but when I imagine a beautiful girl such as yourself kissing my chest, it's really not for the purpose of healing, if you know what I mean."
"Taylor!" she said, blushing. "Come on, this is the only way I can fix it."
"I know it is, but it's still weird."
"Then close your eyes and try not to think about it," she said. "Think of�I don't know�baseball or something." He opened his mouth but she gave him a stern look. "Just do it, it'll be over before you know it." He closed his eyes and laid his head against his pillow as she began to kiss his chest, healing it. It already felt better. As she planted the last kiss on his chest, the door opened and Zac came in.
"Whoa-ho-ho, now I know I'm interrupting something," he said. Both Angela and Taylor looked over, horrified to be caught in such a compromising position. "I'll come back later when you're not doing that."
"No, Zac, it's not what it looks like," Angela said, getting off of Taylor.
"That's okay," Zac said. "It's none of my business!"
"No," Angela said, and walked over to him. On the bed Taylor sat up. "I was just healing him."
"Healing him?" Zac asked. "Is that what they call it nowadays?"
"No," she said, still embarrassed. "You know about me, you know I have certain abilities�my kisses have healing powers." Zac looked at her skeptically. She grabbed his hand. "Look, you have a paper cut."
"Very observant," Zac said.
"Shut up and watch." Angela kissed his finger and the paper cut healed. Zac was amazed, looking at his hand as if it weren't real.
"Angel!" Taylor said from the bed. "Don't be kissing someone else!"
"I'm proving my point, Taylor!" she said. "And what do you mean, 'don't be kissing someone else?' "
"I mean don't be kissing other people!"
"I'm gonna go," Zac said. "Point proven, you're amazing, and thanks for healing me, and thanks for healing him 'cause that thing was a bitch to clean. Bye." Zac quickly left and Angela crossed her arms.
"I'm not your girlfriend, Taylor," she said. "There's no reason for you to get jealous when I'm just trying to prove a point. Jesus, you act like I grabbed him and made out with him."
"I know you're not my girlfriend," he said. "I'm sorry." She walked back over to him and lay down on the bed with him. "I guess I'm just used to you always being with me."
"I know you are." She ran her hand over his chest; it was the first time she'd ever healed anything that big and she amazed herself at the results. Taylor shivered. "What?" she asked, looking up at him.
"Don't do that," he said.
"Why?"
"You know why," he told her. She was still confused and he gave her a pressing look. It makes me horny.
"Oh," she said, blushing. "Oh, sorry."
"And it's not like you can kiss anything and make that go away. Well, actually�"
"Taylor! Stop it!" she said, turning away from him and putting her hands over her eyes. He laughed. "You find this funny?"
"You're just so embarrassed; it's cute." She gave him a look. "Maybe we should just go to sleep."
"Yeah," she said. "Good idea."
"Are you going to stay here with me?" he asked. "I haven't able to sleep right without you." She nodded and turned back over to him, putting her arm around his waist.
"I know you haven't."
"You know?"
"Well I've been checking up on you," she said. "Making sure you're not doing anything you shouldn't be doing. I'm not constantly watching you, but I have been checking up on you." He seemed uncomfortable by this. "Oh, come on Taylor, as if I haven't been doing it the whole time. I'm not watching you in the shower or anything�"
"Good."
"Come on, let's just go to sleep." They got underneath the covers and Angela put her head against his chest, his hand in her hair.
"Ang, honey, can you turn off the light?" he asked. She waved her hand and the light turned off. "Thank you." A small smile crossed her face as the two of them fell asleep together.
When Angela woke up the next morning she was alone and there was a note on the pillow next to her. She picked it up, a small smile on her face, and read it. Angel, as much as I wanted to spend the day with you, I have to go to work. When I get back we'll do something. Until then you should probably disappear; I don't think it would go over so well if my mother walks in the room to find you in there. See you tonight. Love, Taylor. The smile on her face grew and she got up.
The sound of someone approaching got her attention and with a faint pop she was outside, appearing on the grass instead of the sidewalk. "Dammit," she muttered and took a step onto the sidewalk. "At least I'm getting closer." She sighed; teleporting was tiring and she hadn't built up the stamina to do it in rapid succession. She walked off the property and down the street.
She found a payphone and called for a cab, and waited on the curb for it to arrive. When it arrived, she got in the back. "Where to, miss?" the driver asked.
"Uh�the nearest four-star hotel," Angela said. "Whatever that is."
"All right." He pulled out onto the road and Angela closed her eyes to check up on Taylor. He was at the studio, singing. She smiled and let his voice fill her ears; that boy definitely had an amazing voice. So did she, of course, but that was just because it was the stereotype. She had the voice of an angel simply because she was an angel. She was perfect, more perfect than regular humans, because of who she was. He was a simple human with flaws and problems but with an extraordinary talent that was better than hers because it was meant just for him.
"Here you go, miss," the driver said. She opened her eyes. They were in front of a hotel.
"Thank you," she said. With a glance at the meter, she paid him and got out of the car. What the hell happened to her? the cab driver thought and Angela realized that she was still broken and beat up. She wasn't as bad as she was in the beginning; her bruises were yellowing and her cuts were healing, but they were still there. She healed what she could but she even she didn't have the power to kiss her own face.
She went up to the front desk, where the concierge looked her over with great disdain. "Can I help you?" he asked.
"Yeah, I need a room," Angela said.
"Name?"
"Angela Kennedy." As soon as the words left her mouth, the concierge recognized her and began to apologize.
"I'm sorry, Miss Kennedy," he said. "I thought�"
"Stop it," she said. "I know what you thought. Do you have a room for me or not?"
"Of course I do," he said. "There is an open suite upstairs that we reserve for guests such as yourself." She waved her hand, not really caring, as long as she had a place to stay. "Would you like an employee to take your things upstairs?"
"I don't have any things," Angela explained. "I came here on a whim. Just take me to my room." The concierge handed a key to an employee who took Angela up to the top of the building where her room was.
"If you need anything, please call the front desk," the employee said, handing Angela her key after opening the door to her room for her. "I hope you enjoy your stay."
"Thank you," Angela said. She gave him a generous tip and went inside her room, looking around. It was very nice. It was a bit too nice, actually, considering she wasn't planning on staying for very long.
Hey Angel, how are you doing? Taylor's voice asked. She sat down in a chair and closed her eyes, seeing Taylor sitting down in the editing room, sort of off to the side while everyone else did some work.
I'm fine, Angela answered. I found myself a hotel room. How's work? How come you're not playing with the rest of the kids?
Are you watching me?
Of course. I don't like talking to someone I can't see, she explained. Taylor sighed and put his hand against his head. It was uncomfortable for him knowing that she was watching him and yet he didn't have a direct place to put her. You play nice now, Taylor.
Are you going to be there when I get home?
If you want me to.
I want you to, he told her.
All right. I'll be there. He smiled and she opened her eyes, looking around at the extravagant room around her. She thought of something. If you want we could come back here. We won't have to worry about Zac walking in on an awkward situation.
That sounds great. Tell me where you are and I'll come to you this time. It's not always about me, Angel. Sometimes it's about you. She smiled.