I tried to move my leg, but I failed. I willed every single muscle in my legs to move but they were too heavy for me. So I stood there, rooted to the spot staring at the two people that made my life a living hell.

I was still staring at them when all of a sudden, someone grabbed my arm. My eyes immediately widened and I made to scream for help, but my eyes diverted to the two people I desperately wanted to avoid, and that instantly shut me up.

I'd rather get kidnapped than have them notice me.

The stranger maintained a firm grip on my arm as he led me out of the mall and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't catch a glimpse of his face, so I gave up trying and let him lead me out of the mall. At least my legs can move again.

"You're safe here" he muttered once we had walked a safe distance from the mall and my lips parted in shock at how well I knew the voice. He pulled away the hoodie from his face and my shoulders sagged in relief.

I felt all the tension in my muscles disappear and without pausing to think, I wrapped my arms around him. He immediately tensed up at the contact and it felt like I was drenched in a bucket of cold water. Why on Earth did I just hug him?

Embarrassment flooded my system and I began pulling away while muttering an apology. But before I could pull away completely, he instantly wrapped an arm around my waist, keeping me right where I was. The tension in my body slowly diminished and at that moment, I let myself enjoy the comfort of another person while my mind processed what happened earlier.

The image of their smiling and gratified faces flashed through my mind and a whimper escaped my lips. How could they? How could they be so happy after ruining a life? How could they look so content with life after all they've done?

I balled my fists and bit down hard on the inside of my cheeks as I tried to keep the tears away. I'll be damned if I let a single teardrop escape because of them, they weren't worth it. They never were, and they never will be.

The coppery taste of blood filled my mouth from biting my cheeks too hard, but I couldn't let go. I'd rather draw out blood from myself than shed a tear for them.

"Jophiel" I heard him call out and I tensed up immediately. "You can cry" he whispered and I inhaled sharply. "I'm here for you" I whimpered and he rubbed my back softly, "it's okay for you to let it all out" he paused for a moment and I felt him tense up, "let it all out, for you not for anyone else."

A sob ripped out of my throat at his words, and despite my restraints on myself, I broke down, while he calmly held me. All the tears and pain I was holding in escaped at that moment. I didn't have the willpower to hold it in, so for myself, I let it all out.

I didn't know how long I bawled my eyes out but throughout the time I cried, he stood still while I drenched his shirt in tears. "I- I soiled your shirt" I sniffled as I pulled away from him.

He glanced at his shoulders then looked back at me with a small smile, "it'll dry up. Here you go" he brought out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it over to me.

"Thank you" I whispered and turned to the side as I dabbed my face clean, "does it look like I cried?" I turned back to him when I was done. He stared at me for a few seconds before he gently took the handkerchief from me. He drew me closer to himself and I instantly held my breath while he gently dabbed the corners of my eyes, he didn't seem to notice how close we were. But I was very aware.

"There, it isn't so noticeable now" he looked down at me with a smile, and only then did he notice our proximity. The smile on his face vanished immediately, and he took a step back while I let out the breath I was holding. He cleared his throat and gave me a small smile "are you feeling better now?" I smiled at his question and bobbed my head, I did feel a lot better.

Silence loomed over us after that and while he kept staring at me, I stared at everywhere but him. "Thank you" I breathed out after a while, "but I have a question, how did you find me?" I held his gaze as I asked, and all he did was smile. "Were you close by?" He opened his mouth to answer me but before he could formulate a word, the sound of my name being called from afar shut him up.

I groaned internally and turned to see who was calling me. My eyes slowly widened when I saw Ruth running towards me while Gabriel trudged behind her, carrying all our shopping bags, I'd forgotten about her for a moment.

"I found you!" She breathed out and wrapped her arms tightly around me. "I thought you were kidnapped when I saw your bags sprawled all over the floor, I was so scared!" She rambled as she held me in her arms, I breathed out a laugh and gently wrapped my arms around her as well.

"I'm sorry, Ruth. Something came up and I had to leave immediately" I apologized and she pulled away from the hug. My stomach clenched tightly when I saw the tears in her eyes, but she immediately wiped them away and nodded her head.

"Gabriel explained, I'm just so glad you are safe" her voice cracked and she pulled me into a hug again, "what would I have done if something happened to you?" she sobbed and I rubbed her back reassuringly while she cried on my shoulders.

I saw Gabriel shift awkwardly and his eyes kept darting around. At first, I thought the shopping bags were weighing him down and he was trying to hide it, but when he winced at the sound of Ruth sniffling, I bit my lips to keep myself from snickering.

"How about ice cream? Let's go get Ice cream" he announced all of a sudden and I heard Zadkiel snicker. "What!? Ice cream is good, isn't it, Ruth?" He asked and Ruth glared at him, making him clamp his mouth shut immediately.

"You're so bad at comforting people" she glared at him again as she pulled away from the hug, and he looked away. She took a deep breath and turned to Zadkiel with a smile, "thank you, president" she said and linked our arms together, "we will get going now, it's been a stressful day, don't you think?" She glanced at me and I immediately nodded. I wanted nothing more than to go back and lay on my bed.

"Well, the ice cream offer is still up" Gabriel inputted and everyone turned to him with the oh really look. "What? I was just being nice"

Ruth shook her head and Zadkiel tsked, "this is another reason you can't be Boaz" Ruth said and he smirked.

"Does this mean you were considering it?" Ruth gasped and placed her hand on her chest.

"Can anyone tell me where he got that conclusion from?"

"From your words, my Ruth. The Bible has taught us that a said line can mean a lot of unsaid things" he wiggled his brow and Ruth crossed her arm over her chest.

"Didn't the Bible teach us not to go out of context?"

I sighed and palmed my face at their bickering. Can't they just take a break? I mistakenly made eye contact with Zadkiel at that moment and he smiled. "I'm going to call a cab" he mouthed and once I nodded, he walked away. I stared at his back till he was out of sight and I sighed.

He didn't get to tell me his answer earlier, I wonder how he got there and most importantly how he knew. My train of thought was broken when I felt a tug on my arm and when I looked, Ruth was staring at me with her brows scrunched up, "can you tell Mr. Gabriel here that saying do you want to go get ice cream is just below the radar? You don't ask, you just get the ice cream"

"You should have said so, my Ruth" he cut in and she glared at him. He dropped the shopping bags on the floor and smiled, "you guys can go ahead, I'll get the ice cream" he winked and Ruth scoffed in disbelief, but a smile immediately tugged on the corner of her lips when he smiled and walked away. "I'll be back soon with the ice cream," he said over his shoulder.

I waited till he has walked a safe distance before I turned to Ruth, "you like him" I accused and she shrugged, picking up the shopping bags.

"As I said, half the girls at school are immensely crushing on him and the president. It's nothing new, and it's just a crush." She said and I shook my head as I helped her pick up the bags. Zadkiel returned a while later and helped transport the bags to the cab.

"Aren't you coming with us?" I asked once Ruth and I were settled in the cab, he shook his head and smiled

"Gabriel and I aren't done with what we came here for, you guys should go ahead. We'll meet you in school" I nodded and he closed the cab door. The driver immediately drove off after that. I rested my head against the headrest and let out a deep breath.

*****
Hello!!
I'd like to announce that there's been a slight change to the publishing schedule🌹✨
Instead of publishing twice a week (Tuesdays and Fridays), chapters will be published thrice a week.
Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays ☺️

I apologize for not announcing it earlier and for not publishing yesterday.
Thank you all for reading, voting, sharing, and commenting❤️❤️