Arch Angel - Chapter 1

"Please give David some space!" he shouted. The man looked like a personal trainer - very strong looking, and very tall, which came as a benefit to us. The crowd thinned, and people scattered in different directions, waving their autographs and rushing back to family members who stayed behind at their tables. "Can I have an AUTOGRAPH?" the manager asked excitedly.

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My jaw dropped. Even the manager asking for an autograph? David seemed just as shocked as I was, but didn't refuse.

"May I take your order?" asked the young cashier, about 25, looking very starstruck as she tried to keep from squealing. David pointed at me to go first. I got a small spaghetti and looked in my purse to find my money. David grabbed my shoulder.

"My treat." he said, winking.

"You don't have--" I began.

"I want to." he finished, smiling. David got some thai. The manager came up to David.

"Don't worry about it. Consider it our gift to you." he said, when David pulled out some money.

"It's no problem, really." David continued.

"It's not a problem for us either." the manager smiled. David knew he had to give up. We waited for our food by the little window marked 'pick up'. I didn't have to turn around to know that everyone was watching us. I could feel them staring. I wondered if this was how celebrities felt ALL the time.

"David." someone called from behind the counter. We turned and it was a young man with our food ready.

"Thank you." David and I said at the same time. We took our food and turned around to look for a table. We walked towards one near a window and sat down across from each other. We ate in silence for a while, feeling a flash from a camera now and again. I looked out the window at the people walking around outside. There were young couples holding hands, very happy and excited. They looked so natural. David and I always looked awkward, or at least to me. I looked up and noticed David looking at me and he smiled. I smiled back. We ate the rest of the meal in silence, with the exception of hearing his name being randomly squealed by the occasional fan. After a few minutes of just sitting there, neither of us having noticed that the other was finished, David got up and threw away our plates.

"You ready to go?" he asked. I nodded and got up. He grabbed my hand and we left, but not before he signed about 10 more napkins. We walked out into the sunlight and I had to adjust my eyes after being inside the darkened restaurant.

"What do you want to do?" I asked David. I must've interrupted some thought he had, because he sort of absentmindedly looked at me, like he was concentrating on something.

"Um... I don't know. How about we just walk around for a little?" he asked, squeezing my hand and giving me an adorable half smile. How could anyone say 'no' to that?

"Sure." I replied. We walked around aimlessly for a little while, and I noticed that David still seemed to be in that trance state, as if his mind was somewhere else. I wondered what he was thinking about. I decided to ask, hoping he'd tell me. My curiosity was too much.

"What's wrong?" I asked. He didn't answer me. I stopped walking, and he stopped to look at me.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"I could ask you the same thing." I responded, and we walked to an empty bench and sat down. "You seem really preoccupied. What's up? You can be completely honest with me, you know that." I reminded him.

"I know." he replied. He seemed like he wanted to tell me, but wasn't sure how. He looked away, watching a bird fly above us in the cloudless, blue sky.

"Come on, just tell me. If it's something you're not supposed to tell, you can tell me and it won't go past me." I said, squeezing his hand.

"I know, I just don't want you to be upset." he said.

"By telling me that, you now HAVE to tell me what's going on." I said. He knew he couldn't leave me hanging. It's like telling someone 'I know something you don't know'. You just have to tell them.

"OK, but I want you to be completely honest when I ask you this." he said. Now I was worried. What could he possibly have to ask me?

"I will. I promise." I said, secretly hoping it wouldn't be a question that would be too difficult to answer truthfully. I'd hate myself for lying to David after promising I wouldn't.

"OK." he said, facing me. I could tell we might be sitting here a while. He was getting too comfortable on that bench for this to be a quick thing. "You know I'm leaving in a few days, right?" he asked.

"Yeah. I remember." I said.

"Well, I was wondering if...." he began. He looked away again, squinting up at the sky. I squeezed his hand.

"If...." I said.

"If you'd like to come with me."