Read Grim Love - A Novella for Free Online

nibbled
her bottom lip, hoping it wouldn’t happen after all the hard work
they’d done. After what felt like days, the judge looked at Jasper,
“You've done much more than I expected, Mr. Muldoon. Last time I
saw you, it seemed obvious to everyone that life had damaged you
more than it had most people, and, after all you’ve been through
I’m not surprised, but now it looks like you’re trying to sort your
life out. I see no reason to lock you up yet. Now tell me, the job
you’ve found, is it one you can walk to or do you have some means
of transportation other than you getting behind the wheel
again?”
    “I can walk or take the bus.” Hoping the
judge meant what he thought he meant, Jasper continued, “I don’t
have a car now anyway, so I'll have to find another way.”
    “Good answer because you have no business
driving.” The judge nodded. “I’m banning you from driving for six
months.” Looking at the state's attorney, “Has the BMV been
notified?”
    The attorney nodded. Turning his attention
back to Jasper, “The court rules that a fine of $1000 plus the
$1.00 court fee be put in place. Now, that you will be employed, I
will extend payment until 60 days from now. Contact the county
clerk for payment instructions and, understand this, Mr. Muldoon,
if your fine is not paid by the end of that 60 days, we will be
right here again and you will go to jail. Understood?”
    Jasper nodded. “Yes, your honor. Thank
you.”
    “Keep walking the path you’re on now, Mr.
Muldoon. Let's try and get it right. Get some help. Go to a
meeting.”
    Jasper had worked hard and, at last, it
seemed to be paying off. Lucius had a growing sense of uncertainty
as he watched Evangeline. Jasper, no matter what she did, would be
dead within a year, and there would be no way around it. Lucius
didn’t know what would happen, but he knew something would. It
wasn't a reapers place to know how ahead of time. As he watched
them, Jasper hugged Evangeline in thanks for all her help. He
studied the looks they gave each other. Although they weren't yet
ready to admit they were falling in love, Lucius knew he had to do
something to stop it from destroying his reaper. Sighing, he
brushed a hand through his hair as he tried to work out what his
next step would be. He knew whatever he did would upset Evangeline.
Sometimes he hated his job.
    * * * *
    The couple sat in Jasper’s apartment.
Evangeline snuggled up against him, knowing she had to tell him
sooner rather than later that she wasn’t his guardian angel. She
knew what would happen if she did. He’d go crazy, do something
destructive, and everything they’d done together would be for
nothing. As she bit her lip, she looked at him, their eyes meeting
as he looked down at her. Smiling, he reached down to brush wisps
of hair off her face before bending to kiss her.
    “Evie, I know you aren’t..well, like real or
whatever, but I think I'm falling in love with you and I want us to
make this, whatever it is, something more.”
    “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Jasper.”
She sighed. “I care about you very much, but...”
    “Care about me?”
    Sighing, she bit down harder on her lip.
“Okay, maybe that wasn’t the right word to use.”
    “Do you feel the same way about me as I do
about you?” When she opened her mouth to answer, he shook his head.
“This isn’t about what you think you feel, but about what you know
you feel, so I want an honest answer. If you don’t love me, just
tell me.”
    For several seconds she did think that would
be the better option, but she'd already lied to him more than she
cared to admit. “I do love you. That doesn’t mean that this is a
good thing. I’m…”
    “Yeah, I know, but it doesn’t matter to me.
You are who you are and I want to be with you for the rest of my
life however long or short that ends up being. I want us to be in a
relationship.”
    “Nothing about this is normal. Being in a
relationship with someone like me