of the morning. Mom and Dad believed me, but Emma joked that I made it all up. She said it was because of my desperate need for attention.
Luke must have heard the horror in my voice. “Do not be concerned. I replaced him because of that phone call. So, lucky me,” Luke said.
I wasn’t sure what he meant by that. I thought guarding me was sort of his job. So, technically, I was the one who was lucky.
"Since I can see you now, does this mean someone else will replace you?" I asked.
“Not really. I'm not asking for a replacement," he said. He paused for a while.
"I have wanted to guard you for a very long time,” he added.
“Why?”
“Because you are good.”
My mind began to deny what my angel just said about me. How did he know that I was a good person, anyway? Mom always said that about me, too, but that was what moms are for - to say things like to their children. It boosts our self-confidence – makes us better people.
On the other hand, how would Luke know if I was kind, respectful, caring, or whatever it was that defined being good when he's only been around me for six months?
Luke looked up at the sky.
"Your aura is white," he explained, "like a bright light, and when I look at you, you glow. Your spirit is peaceful, and your destiny will be great."
I smiled. My angel had a way with words, didn’t he? That was really nice – what he just said about me. Maybe I should write that down somewhere, to remind me about my good traits when I’m feeling down.
It was something I’ve never heard from a guy before – my aura, my spirit, my destiny. I could tell it meant something to him. I was very flattered, but I didn’t know how to respond to something like that.
However, what Luke said about my having a destiny was also a little freaky. In my not so distant future, I always dreamed that I would get married someday, have two point five children, a dog, and a goldfish. I would live in Los Angeles somewhere, always close to my parents and Emma – maybe near the beach – and live happily ever after. How did the destiny part fit in with my plans for an ordinary life?
“Would you like to fly?” he asked.
Oh, would I? It was something I wanted to do since the first time we hung out. I just didn’t want to be pushy about it. I stopped myself from jumping up and down with glee. “Of course,” I said calmly, very mature-like.
“Are you ready?” he asked as we both stood up.
I nodded, rubbing my now sweaty palms on my sweat pants. I was nervous in a good way, and my eyes were wide with anticipation. Luke bent down and slipped one arm underneath my knees; his other arm supported my back as he carried me. I looked at his handsome face, which was only inches from mine, and I wrapped my arms around his neck. I bit my lower lip. I could really get used to this.
“Am I heavy?” I asked, self-conscious now.
“No,” he said. “Even if you were, I’m very strong.”
I giggled. “You are very modest, too. It must be hard to be you,” I said , but I knew he was telling the truth. I saw him stop a spinning car once.
He took three quick steps. I felt a dip as he bent his knees, and he jumped up. His wings flared out with a whoosh. My jaw almost dropped from the massiveness of his wings; his wingspan was about fifteen feet across. I don’t usually see him with his wings extended, and being wrapped around his arms, he seemed even larger – wings and all.
His wings caught the wind. There was a sudden upward jerk, and I felt a little dizzy. I didn’t trust myself to look down yet, and my arms instinctively clutched Luke
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