Between the Cross and the Flame

Chapter 8: Chaya

Chaya watched with a warm smile as Del completely floored Mavet with her actions. Their poses were perfectly arranged, too, one of which involved Del pretending to use Mavet to do bicep curls. Chaya turned to Haniel and was about to make a comment about their friends when he realized Haniel wasn't there. In fact, the soccer player was just returning from his dad's side, carrying something behind his back.

"Hey, Chaya, I've got something for you, before I forget," Haniel said.

Chaya could sense Haniel's nerves building up, but couldn't figure out why, so he dismissed it, guessing it was nothing important. The soccer player produced a bouquet of white roses and held them out for Chaya to take. The blonde gasped and eagerly took them, his entire body suddenly electrocuted with excitement. He loved roses! He didn't know how or when it had happened, but he'd decided that roses were the softest, coolest flowers in existence. Chaya pulled them close to his chest and hugged Haniel with one arm.

"Hold on, I've got two more, but these go on our suits," the soccer player chuckled. He pulled out a miniature pair of the white flowers. "These are called boutonnieres. May I?"

Chaya nodded enthusiastically. Haniel carefully pinned the rose to the blonde's suit, causing Chaya to forget to breathe for a moment. He watched Haniel pin his own boutonniere, then grin from ear to ear at Chaya. Irvin flashed some sort of heart sign to Haniel, which appeared to embarrass him, but Chaya still didn't know what that meant, so he forgot about it almost immediately. He found Haniel's eyes and they both let out a laugh, cheeks rosy.

Del ran up to Chaya and nearly tackled him in a hug. She begged to french braid his hair again, so he gave in, and within minutes, his hair was perfectly braided. Chaya allowed Del to place a few roses between the braids. She gave him her personal mirror to see the end result. Chaya loved it so much that he accidentally enhanced the flowers, causing them to grow some curly vines and tiny white rose buds. He didn't care if it looked suspicious; he was so elated for no reason whatsoever that nothing in this world could have ruined his happy mood.

Haniel's dad urged them for some outdoor pictures, and Chaya happily obliged, arranging himself for photo after photo with Haniel. Mavet jumped in and purposely photobombed, and before they knew it, all five teenagers were taking ridiculous photos of themselves, happily trying to embarrass each other for years to come. Chaya felt like the sun had descended from the sky and instead glowed in each of his friends' faces. They were so full of joy! He was surprised his wings didn't make an appearance, but thanked God that they didn't ruin his day.

At long last, the parents each took an individual photo of their kid, then Chaya and Mavet. Del's parents announced that dinner was ready, and they scrambled to the front door, finally realizing how starved they were. Del smirked at Mavet when they entered the house.

"Sorry, State Champions first," she said, darting ahead of him.

"Damn," Haniel chortled. "Ladies first, nothing, she'd just take you down before you got within two feet of her food."

Mavet rolled his eyes. "Of course she would. She's got her priorities in the right order."

Chaya stepped into the kitchen along with the other boys, and his jaw dropped. Del's parents had cooked an incredible array of all foods imaginable: chicken fried rice, burritos, tomato basil soup, steak, caesar salad, tomales, and so much more. The aroma melted Chaya's senses. With the sheer amount of colorful and hearty choices, he hardly knew which one to try first!

Del showed them the fridge that kept all their drinks, and Chaya helped himself to a fizzy drink called Sprite. The carbonation shocked him at first, but he quickly got over it and enjoyed the sweet taste. Once everyone was seated at the table, adults and teenagers alike, they began the feast. Chaya piled all manners of carbohydrates onto his plate, from rice to potatoes to more rice. Haniel suggested that he try the steak, and to his surprise, he loved it almost as much as his mountain of bread rolls.