The first time I met him, we were only seven years old. Normally, we don't make ourselves known at such an early age, but on that hot summer day, Hunter needed me.

"Move, Hunter!"

"Yeah, get out of the way, I want to get my ice cream first!"

The little redheaded boy stepped away from the ice cream truck window and slid to the back of the line. His lip trembled as he kicked the little pieces of gravel, his head hung low.

Finally, it was his turn, and when he turned away from the ice cream truck, he held a SpongeBob popsicle with gumball eyes. He didn't even get to take one lick before a bigger boy jumped out from behind the towering oak tree at the edge of the sidewalk.

"Give me that ice cream, loser," the boy taunted, stepping closer to Hunter.

My hands balled into fists at my side, but I was determined to stay out of the way unless he really needed me.

"No, Brandon. I bought this with my own money. You have your own," Hunter replied in a small voice, nodding his head at the Nutty Buddy in the bully's hand.

Brandon scoffed and gave his ice cream to his sidekick. "But I want yours too," he said, stepping closer to Hunter and yanking the yellow popsicle out of his hand.

"Stop!" Hunter exclaimed, and Brandon reached out, shoving Hunter onto his butt in the middle of the sidewalk.

I couldn't hang back anymore; he needed me.

"Leave him alone!" I marched up to the group and held out my hand to help Hunter to his feet.

He looked up at me, gratitude reflecting in his emerald green eyes. "Th-thank you," he muttered, gripping my hand and hoisting himself up.

"Aw, Hunter, you need a girl to fight your battles?" Brandon snarled as he spitefully threw the ice cream to the grass without taking a bite.

I put my arm around Hunter and led him back toward the truck to get another ice cream. Over my shoulder I said, "No. He needed a friend."

And so, we were inseparable ever since.

As Hunter grew and changed, so did I. It was part of my nature, after all. When he had his first crush, I helped him put his feelings into words that he penned onto notebook paper. The day his first girlfriend broke his heart, it was my shoulder he cried on. On that sunny day when he received his acceptance letter to his dream university, I celebrated with him. I was designed to protect and guide Hunter—to always be what he needed when he needed it, until now.

"Shea, are you going to say anything, or did I just mess everything up?"

I combed my blonde hair from my eyes and met his gaze. "I just don't know what to say, and no, you didn't mess everything up."

Hunter crammed his hands into his pockets and shifted side to side. "I get it if you don't feel the same."

After eleven years together, I didn't think it was possible for him to surprise me. When he asked me to go for a walk, I thought he was simply wanting to confide in me about his impending move to university. The last thing I expected was for him to confess he had deep feelings for me. I bit my lip and looked straight ahead, my mind racing to find the right answer. It was forbidden for a guardian angel to fall in love with their keep. I would be cast out of the angelic realm, stripped of my wings, and my bond with Hunter would be severed. The mere thought of not being what he needed made my chest ache.

But I couldn't deny the truth either—I'm so madly in love with him.

"It's not that I don't..." I stopped, too afraid to say anymore, but not wanting to lie to him. I took a deep breath before starting again. "It's not that I don't feel the same way, Hunter, but...we can't be together." I hated the words as they left my lips, and every piece of my heart was hurting. I knew I wasn't giving him what he needed, and that was making my entire body quiver with a feeling of unease. I felt like I was being ripped in half–a slave to my nature yet tethered to the love of my life.

Hunter threw his hands up and his voice echoed in the dark empty park. "Why can't we? We're together every single day." He took a deep breath, ran his long fingers through his red curls and calmly said, "Just answer me this: am I alone in feeling butterflies whenever our hands accidentally touch? Am I the only one who tosses and turns at night because my imagination runs wild with thoughts of you?" He stepped closer to me and his warm palm cupped my cheek. "Tell me that you have never had to hold yourself back from kissing me, and I'll walk away."

Every cell in my body came alive at his touch, but I felt myself start to panic. This was dangerously close to breaking the one supreme law I had as a Guardian, and if I let this go any further, everything would be ruined.

But it was ruined either way, because I loved Hunter with every piece of my soul, and there was nothing more I want to do right then than run my fingers through his hair and let him kiss me. Because no–he was not the only one who had butterflies when we touched, or lay awake at night thinking of all the experiences I wanted us to have, and he certainly wasn't alone in holding back.

I opened my mouth and told the biggest and worst lie possible.

"No, I don't...I've never had to hold myself back from kissing you. We're just friends, Hunter, and that's all we can ever be."

The lie felt like a stab to my gut, and I could only imagine how I was making him feel. But this was the way it had to be. I couldn't show my love for him.

With a quick sniffle, he nodded and moved away from me. "God, you don't know how badly I needed you to need me." He plastered a fake smile on his face and said, "Who was I kidding? I'm always going to be the nerdy brother type."

The knife twisted in my belly and I felt my heart crack open. I wasn't what he needed. Everything about this was wrong. This was an impossible situation. I forced a smile and shook my head. "We've talked about this–you make nerdy look good. And one day," my voice cracked but I continued, "you'll find the girl for you. But... it's not me," I whispered, the lie consuming my soul.

Hunter stiffly bumped my shoulder with his. "Yeah, one day. Do you want me to walk you home?"

"No, I'm going to hang around here a little longer. I'm sure I'll see you tomorrow."

He squeezed my shoulder, nodded, and walked away.

I watched his retreating form, and my heart sank at the slump of his slim shoulders. I couldn't stand myself–hurting Hunter was something I had never done before.

Gripping my hair at the roots, I paced in front of the oak tree where I had first introduced myself to Hunter and decided I needed to go to the angelic realm, remind myself of why I was making this decision.

With an inhale, I willed my wings to come forth, their ivory feathers unfurling at my spine. My skin took on a shimmery silver tone, and the familiar warmth spread through my body, but it did nothing to warm my broken heart.

"Shea, I—"

My breath hitched and I spun on my heels as Hunter rounded the corner and came to an abrupt stop. His jaw dropped and his eyes widened. "What the hell?" he mumbled.

I rushed forward, my wings catching the night breeze, and he stepped back. "Hunter, I can explain."

"What are you?"

I closed my eyes and bit my upper lip, trying to decide what to say. I couldn't just blurt out that I was his Guardian Angel. But what else could I say?

"I think we need to sit down," I started.

He shook his head. "I'm good. Tell me."

I looked to the night sky and the stars that sparkled there, wishing it could just swallow me up. "I'm–I'm your Guardian Angel, Hunter. I was designed to protect you... to be what you need in every stage of your life. That's why I showed up the way I did that day when Brandon stole your ice cream. You needed me." I waited with bated breath to hear his response–or to see him run away screaming.

Hunter moved closer and brushed his fingers along the feathers of my wings, sending a shiver down my spine. "You're my angel," he whispered in awe.

My eyelids fluttered closed. "I am."

"Is that why you can't love me?"

I opened my eyes, meeting his gaze. "Oh, Hunter... I do love you. There is no law, no consequence, no punishment that could ever stop me from loving you. I've loved you since the day I laid eyes on you. And in recent years, I've realized that love isn't just the love a Guardian has for her keep. I am absolutely, immensely, boundlessly in love with you. Everything I said to you before was a lie, but I didn't know what else to do. If I lose control with you, I will be punished. Harshly. And the bond I have with you that lets me know exactly what you need, that keeps us connected will be severed. I'll be left as an outcast. But you have to know, I love you with everything in me." Sometime during my monologue, I had taken his hand, and I felt his thumb rubbing little circles on my skin, making my heart jump into my throat.

"When will you understand that all I need is you? The worst moments in my life are made better just because you're by my side. And nothing—heaven nor hell—can sever what I feel for you. I'll always love you, Shea. But I won't ask you to give up what you are for me. It's my turn to be what you need me to be."

Memories of my life with Hunter ran through my mind. Every laugh, every tear, the good times, the bad, every moment when I desperately wanted him to be more than just my keep. Could he love me forever? Would this kind of love outlast the heavenly bond we shared? Would it be enough, or would I eventually lose him? Then I'd have nothing, not even the bond, not the only life I'd ever known.

But could I truly live without him? Without loving him?

With an exhale and an outstretched hand, I accepted my fate.