The golden streets of Heaven shimmered under a soft sky, pink and lavender clouds drifting lazily overhead. The air was filled with music—lyres in the distance, the gentle coo of doves, and the laughter of angels who had never known guilt, pain, or darkness.
On one of the floating terraces that overlooked the Eternal Gardens, Haruna and Charlie sat together on a bench made of radiant marble that softly hummed with divine energy. The golden trees rustled with feathers instead of leaves, and the scent of peace itself hung in the air.
"Okay, okay," Haruna said, giggling, "but *then* you said—'I thought that was the sword, not the wings!' I still don't understand how you confused those."
Charlie rubbed the back of his head, laughing with a red face. "Listen! The light was bright, I was in a rush, and I hadn't *exactly* been briefed properly, okay?"
Haruna was laughing so hard she clutched her sides. "You pointed a flaming sword at a *nun*, Charlie!"
"I *apologized*! And to be fair, she waved her rosary like a weapon first!"
Haruna leaned forward in a fit of laughter, completely losing her balance—
**And then it happened.**
She tripped.
It wasn't dramatic. It wasn't slow-motion. It wasn't even graceful.
It was just clumsy.
One moment she was sitting up, laughing like an innocent beam of light—and the next, she stumbled forward with a tiny yelp and—
**Her face landed right in Charlie's lap.**
Dead silence.
Charlie's entire body locked up like he had been struck by lightning. His wings shot open on instinct, feathers scattering like snow.
Haruna froze. Her face was firmly pressed against his lap. Not because of any *intention*—but because fate, gravity, and one particularly slick golden feather decided to ruin her entire life in that moment.
"OH MY GOD," she shrieked, leaping up like the floor was on fire. "I—I—I DIDN'T—THAT WASN'T—CHARLIE!"
"I—I—IT'S OKAY I SWEAR!" Charlie squeaked, flailing and standing up so fast he knocked over their divine coffee cups. "I SWEAR I DIDN'T EVEN MOVE! MY HANDS—LOOK—UP HERE!"
He held his hands in the air like he was being arrested.
And then came the worst part.
**Three angels were walking by.**
Ethereal, pure, majestic.
They stopped.
They looked.
Their brows raised in *unison*.
Haruna turned beet red. Charlie looked like he was about to melt.
"It's not what it looked like!" Haruna blurted out. "I fell! My face! Gravity! That feather!"
One of the angels, a tall one with a harp strapped to his back, raised a finger. "Adultery is a sin," he said in a calm, holy tone.
"I DIDN'T SIN!" she cried.
The second angel tilted his head. "There was no touching."
"NO!" they both shouted.
The third angel whispered something to the others and they walked away slowly, clearly amused, though they didn't say anything else.
Charlie sat back down with a groan. "We're gonna be on a stained-glass window for this, aren't we?"
Haruna buried her face in her hands. "*Please* don't say that."
He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well… at least we're not getting smote."
She peeked at him between her fingers, half laughing and half mortified. "Charlie…"
He held up a hand. "Swear to Heaven, I won't tell a soul."
There was a pause.
"Except maybe Jesus," Charlie added with a smirk.
"I *will* push you off this cloud," Haruna deadpanned.
Charlie just laughed again, finally able to breathe.
Haruna looked at him for a second longer.
And then she started laughing too.
Sometimes Heaven wasn't just golden perfection.
Sometimes it was just painfully awkward… and kind of hilarious.
The end of chapter 12.