You can't outrun your past

The coffee shop was packed with people at this time, some still working, having meetings or sitting with their laptops, others were conversing about the daily gossip. Michael ordered a black coffee when it was his turn in line. He needed a kick of caffeine since he barely slept at night. It helped his mind stay focused. “Have a nice day,” he said to the barista and smiled briefly before he turned around and walked outside, however that was as far as he got. He stopped the moment his eyes landed on a familiar face. A face he’d never thought he’d see in real life again. He got shoved by a person trying to get by him to the coffee shop, but his feet were glued to the ground beneath him. He just stared at her, feeling like time stood still around him. He knew that the most sensible thing would be to turn his face away and walk before she noticed him, but he just couldn’t. He’d been dreaming of this moment ever since he left, and now that he was here, he couldn't run away again.

His hands were trembling at the mere thought of her looking at him, at the possibility to hear her voice again. It was surrealistic, and maybe he was just dreaming. Another person shoved him, and it was his wake-up call to move. He walked towards her slowly, feeling his heartbeat accelerate by every step. “Clarissa,” he said almost breathless as he’d gotten close enough for them to stand within a few meters of each other. The emotions crazed inside of him, unstoppable and immense. “It's really you...” he said in a low voice, almost as if he was still in disbelief, but he knew these feelings were too real to be imagined. He couldn’t help but stare at her as he’d never imagined this moment happening, not now. He was sure his father would have prevented it by all costs. Back then he'd forced him away, because he knew that Michael just needed one look at her, one single word from her voice, to turn around and ignore his command. Just like he had when he fell in love with her. But now everything was changed, hundreds of years had passed and so much had happened. He parted his lips slightly, feeling like it was impossible to even make his voice say anything. “H-How are you?” he asked. He knew that she was doing well, his daughter had assured him of that, but it felt like the most natural thing to say.

It was nice being back in her shop. Being back at work and actually not sitting still. It had never been Clarissa's style to sit still and look pretty. But with children she knew they needed her more stable side, and she gave it to them. But to night, she had just ended her shift - Cain was at home taking care of the girls. Clarissa just enjoyed the time to herself, even if it only was a few hours. An old familiar scent made her stop for a second. Clarissa took a deep breath in. She knew he was in town, Grecia had told her. She turned around and caught his eye. It was like her gaze back at her past. It was like her breath had been taken away as he walked closer to her. Her darkbrown eyes looked up into his as he came up to her. Clarissa felt all of her emotions wash over her and trying to drag her out to sea. "It is.. and its.. its you," she felt breathless. Lost for words. She didn't know what to say or do. It was so many years ago since they parted their ways, forced from each other with pain and tears. But he was one of the people she could never forget, she had her brother spelling her memory to refresh the good ones once in a while. just as a reminder of the good days. His question made her blink, as if she had been starring this entire time.
"I'm good, thanks," she smiled at him and took a deep breath in. "I own the shop around the block, I just closed off for the day," Clarissa told and ran a hand through her raven black hair.  "I was going to grab some food.. you wanna catch up?" It was typical her to suggest a chat. Even if she didn't know how she should feel about it, her impulses was strong.

He was mesmerized in the moment, looking at her beautiful features that he’d dreamed about so many times. Hearing her voice again made him smile sincerely. He’d missed her, for all those years, but he also knew that even though you missed someone, it didn’t mean that you should see them. It had taken him a long time to accept it, but eventually he did.

It warmed his heart to hear that she was doing well. It was the only thing he hoped for. “That’s good,” he said with a faint smile on his lips. As she continued speaking it was almost like they were two friends catching up after a day at work. Had she expected to meet him? Michael could have probably predicted that they would meet after he'd met Grecia, but nothing could’ve ever prepared him for when it happened. “Yeah, that would be nice,” he replied before he put his hands in his pockets, as if that would stop them from shaking. He would understand if she had better things to do, with a husband and two kids, there wasn’t much time for oneself. He glanced at her hand to see her wedding band, before he looked to the side at some of the store signs to find a restaurant. His gaze stopped at one further down the street, so he slowly started walking towards it. It would take them much longer than a few hours to catch up on everything, but any kind of conversation would be a start. In the restaurant, the host showed them to a table in the corner. Michael took of his jacket before he sat down by the table. It was hard for him to know what to say, he had a million questions, but it was like none of it mattered. “I still can’t believe it's really you…” he said looking into her dark brown eyes. He'd seen her many times in his memories, she'd been a part of the stories that he told himself. The stories that kept him going through dark times. With her, he shared some of his only happy memories.

He lowered his gaze a bit at the menu, looking briefly over it so he knew what to order in case the waiter came, then he looked back at her. Thinking that the best thing was to start at the beginning. “What happened after I left?” he asked. It wasn’t so much the obvious he wanted to know. It was to know whether God had listened to his prayers about leaving them alone, to not punish them like he did to Michael. He had heard absolutely nothing about their lives. It had been forbidden for him to seek any information about them. Even though he only wanted to know if they were doing okay, that nothing evil had happened to them.

Clarissa followed him. It felt natural to let him lead the way. He was one of few who could contain her spontaneous spirit. It was weird seeing him in these street lights, it was a long time since she had given up on seeing him again. Even through she had tried to find him years after.
"I agree.. it seems almost like a dream," she admitted and took a deep breath in. Clarissa looked into his eyes and tilted her head a little to the side. "It's weird seeing you in this light," she chuckled a little before looking at the menu.

His question made her freeze a little as her mind wandered back to that time. It was a long time ago by now, and much had happened.
"Not much. There have been very good days, and there have been days I wished would never have been there," she breathed out. Clarissa didn't know if she should tell him about the awful stuff. Should she tell him about all the broken pieces she has had to pick up once in a while. Not only had her daughters heart been shattered, but her own had as well. It wasn't easy. "The hardest thing was her asking everyday for over a year.. always waking up in the middle of the night to hope for your return.. It took some time for her to adjust," she added and folded her lips a little as she blankly starred at the menu. Then the waiter came and she looked up.
"A double chicken cheese burger.. with sweet potato fries, and a large pepsi max, thanks dove," she ordered with a smile on her lips and looked at Michael. She didn't know if he wanted anything to eat. Clarissa would let him order if he wanted anything, and after the waiter was gone she looked at him again. "What happened after you left?"

He smiled briefly when she said exactly what he’d thought in the beginning, however he knew this was far too real to be a dream or an illusion. He looked up at the dim lighting by their table as she said that it was weird to see him in this light. He suppose no matter how they'd met, it would've been strange. Nothing about their situation was normal.

He felt relieved to hear that not much happened, that there had been some days that were better than others. It was only natural. He looked into her eyes with a melancholic expression as she mentioned how Grecia had waited for his return. It truly broke his heart thinking about it. He'd seen how Erin had dealt with the loss of her mother. He’d never forget the sleepless nights and the endless crying... he hated himself for putting that upon Grecia. He nodded slowly as he glanced down at the menu once more. “I’m just happy you’re both alive and well,” he said as he looked back at her with a genuine smile. He had feared many times that something awful had happened to them, that the next time he’d see them, it would be as spirits. He was at least grateful for that, that they’d both gotten to live a long life. The waiter arrived, making him look away from Clarissa to order a cheeseburger, fries and a glass of water.

She returned the question and he hesitated for a moment, before his green eyes sought her brown. “I spent thirty years in purgatory. Serving the punishment for defying my father,” he replied. He always believed that he deserved it. He wanted to do penance for all the wrong things he'd done. Clarissa knew that he’d been to hell prior to their meeting, he’d told her of the endless torture he suffered there, but purgatory had been different. Everything that existed there was real, as opposed to being mere imitations. “ After that I lived in Heaven for a while, mentoring new angels, training my army… healing my mind after everything,” he said. The waiter came back with their drinks, so he took a sip of the cold liquid. “However, it wasn't long before I got sent back on earth to do God's bidding,” he said, which explained why he was here now. He leaned slightly back in his seat as he looked at Clarissa. “Anyway, I heard that you're married now and recently had twins? Congratulations,” he said, sending her a warm smile. He'd lie if he said that it didn't hurt him to think about her being someone else's wife, but he was truly happy for her. He'd always wanted her to find love again, to have a real family. She deserved much more than he could ever give.

Clarissa was a bit scared of his answer. She knew it couldn't have been easy on him to return after being with her. She was a demon and he was an angel. Healing your own mind could be chaotic, she knew about that journey. Clarissa listened to every word he said very carefully. However, when he told her what he had heard, she chuckled lightly. Grecia had clearly felt him in on some wrong and right details - not that she blamed her daughter. It was weird for Grecia to suddenly have her father back.
"I'm not married, but I have twins - so yeah, thanks," she corrected him with a smile. It would have been typical to be married before having kids, but it wasn't like the twins had been a part of her plan. However, she felt like it was a part of fate. She didn't know how Micheal would react if she mentioned it was Cain. The samle Cain that killed his brother Abel and was punished by the same God that Michael followed orders from. But maybe God wasn't as angry at her as he could be. She had helped Cain regain some of his reasons to live - and she felt beyond pleased to help him.
"How about you? Are you happy?" She asked and tilted her head a little to the side. Clarissa always hoped that he could find some sort of happiness again. But it couldn't have been easy leaving Grecia. Clarissa had lost children before, to death, but being forced to leave was a pain she had been free from outliving. Thankfully.

//Lemme know, om du stadigvæk gerne vil holde det her kørerende. Eller om vi skal lave dem have et nyt c: <3