Unbreakable Love
Page 18
“Did she say anything else?” Jennie asked curiously.
“No,” Nate responded, “but she took the bag of cookies that I was eating.”
Jennie burst out laughing. “That was definitely Celeste,” she said and then, humbled by Celeste’s sacrifice, Jennie looked down at the ground.
“What’s wrong?” Nate asked, confused once again.
“Celeste,” Jennie almost whispered, “she took care of us.”
Unable to remember anything about his former life except for Jennie, Nate was still confused. Jennie took his hand and rewrapped her fingers around his and they began to walk. They stopped long enough to pick up Jennie’s backpack before moving on.
“Do you remember Kate?” Jennie asked as they strolled down the sidewalk.
“Who?” Nate asked.
“So no to Kate and Celeste. It’s okay; we have lots of time, and I’ll explain the whole thing.”
“It’s good we have time. I have a feeling that it’s a very long story,” Nate said, still grinning from ear to ear.
Jennie chuckled. “You have no idea,” and then as they walked, winding their way around campus, Jennie started from the beginning.
Chapter 36
Celeste sank back into her big black office chair and thought about the last several years. This had been a time of change for her. After she resigned as a manager, she was given a new assignment as a messenger. It didn’t take her manager long to realize that she was not much of a people person. However, her supervisor was also quick to notice that she really knew how to motivate people. After only a year of grunt work, she was promoted to a managerial position and put in charge of training new messengers.
Celeste had learned to enjoy her new job. Trainees came in starry eyed and submissive, just the way she liked her employees. She taught them the ins and outs of working with humans, getting your message across and getting out quickly. It wasn’t as exciting as supervising guardians, but it was also less personal and intimate. That was her favorite perk—no relationships, no inevitable pain.
Celeste straightened herself up in her chair until she was sitting upright with her feet resting lightly on the floor. She glanced at the large silver clock on the wall. Ten more minutes until her newest trainee arrived. She smiled, made happy by her own thoughts. She still had a little time. She reached down into her drawer and pulled out a brightly colored container, sealed in plastic with a picture of rich chocolate cookies on front. She lifted the package to her nose and took in the delectable scent of chocolate and mint blended together in what she considered to be perfection. She tore them open just as a child might open a long awaited gift on Christmas morning, wishing and hoping for and maybe even expecting good things. Once the plastic was torn, the smell drifted upward, the scent stronger than she remembered, triggering memories of Nate. She could see him in her mind’s eye handing her a box of Girl Scout cookies with that ridiculous sheepish grin on his face. That boy—why did she care about that boy so much?
Pushing aside the memories, she dug into the cookies with fervor, taking one in each hand, ready to indulge. That’s when the door to her office opened and in walked Alberto.
For a minute, Celeste wondered if she were dreaming. He hadn’t changed a bit. Not one hair on his head was greying and his liquid brown eyes were just as captivating as they were the first time she became swept up in them. He stood tall and straight, the look on his face giving away his naked surprise. The raw shock mingled with unadulterated joy also told her he was happy to see her. In one sweeping motion, she let the cookies fall to the ground and pushed the heavy oak desk aside. The scraping noise as it slid across the oak floor sounded loud in the room where the only other noise was the sound of them breathing in and out. He was the first to break the silence.
“Mi amore,” he said as he rushed to meet Celeste in the middle of the office.
Feeling as if she were a young protector again, Celeste fell into his arms, and wept shamelessly on his shoulder. Between the tears of joy she muttered, “I can’t believe you are here.”
Lost in his own burning emotions, Alberto held her close and whispered in return, “I have been waiting for this day, dreaming, always dreaming of you.”
Then neither of them spoke because their lips were busy making up for thousands of kisses that had been lost in their time apart. It was a miracle; one Celeste knew was not a random act of the universe. Just like Nate, she had finally proven herself, and now just like Nate, all things had come full circle and, mercifully, true love had come to stay.