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Paul approached hi hair back, and kissed the side of his neck

Ian snapped his shoulder back and moved away

“I’m sorry,” Paul said “It’s my fault I was jealous”

Ian finally turned to speak to him His eyes were red and puffy, his brow pinched “You were supposed to be the one person who doesn’t hold ainst me Everyone else can think… I don’t even knohat they think of ht you saw me… that I could be a new person with you But I can’t It’s all still there just waiting to come back at me”

Now Paul’s eyes welled up “I never want to make you feel that way”

“Yeah, well, you did,” Ian said, turning again to his skillet

“Hey,” Paul said He reached across Ian and turned off the gas, then picked up the skillet and moved it to the cold back burner He took Ian by the shoulders “You don’t understand at all Listen to ? I remember when you first walked into ht you were an angel Even when you were drinking, I couldn’t stop thinking about you I never thought this could happen I don’t think badly of you Are you crazy? I love you It was love at first sight That’s why

I get so jealous It hurts me to think about the other men”

“Well, then, don’t,” Ian said “I don’t I’m with you I’m only with you”

Blood Drive

“And the second angel sounded, and as it were a greatwith fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood”

—Revelation 8:8

Rella Peters vibrated She was a thin woman in her y burned every calorie off before it had a chance to settle Her synapses were constantly firing, taking her fro about the chairs in the sanctuary and then… You know, she has a son in Florida whothe choir sang re the fall rue sale this year? Because she needed to… You know, she n up for the donations to the homeless shelter but… Did that coffee order ever come in?

Being awith all kinds of personalities Paul ed to find a method to interact with almost everyone: the depressed ones, the brusque ones, the falsely cheery ones Then there was the category he privately labeled “extra grace” people He needed to surace from God to deal with them The one personality type he found hardest to cope as nervousness The vibes nervous people gave off put hi the other way Rella co habit of standing about one inch too close She would start talking to a person at one end of the social hall They would back off an inch, she would ain, and by the end of the conversation, she had her poor companion pinned to the far wall, unable to retreat any further

Rella poured her energy into just about every committee in the church Paul could not escape her When he kneas going to have todeep breaths and centering hiood soul” Soh, she approached him on a Sunday, when Paul had had no time to prepare