Andrew sat next to me and ran his fingers through his wet hair. "When you find out the answer, please let me know."
I laughed. He joined me.
"Andrew! Are you up there?" a voice called out.
The buzzing sound of the ladder magnified. I closed my eyes and covered my ears with my hands.
Andrew covered his head with the pillow. "Please, stop." He groaned.
"What are you two doing up here?"
I opened my eyes. "Jon…"
Andrew removed the pillow. "Good morning, Grandpa."
"Good afternoon. I'm glad I found you before you die of heat stroke."
Heat stroke… I pointed at the tinted window. "Did we close the window?" I asked.
We looked at each other and burst into laughter.
"No wonder we're sweating like pigs," said Andrew.
Jon shook his head. "Heat stroke is no laughing matter."
"Sorry, Grandpa," said Andrew.
"Were the lights on all night?" I pointed to the ceiling. "I don't remember seeing the fluorescent lights lit up when I woke up."
"They're on a timer," said Andrew. "When the ladder goes down, the lights come on automatically and shut off after a few hours."
"We can talk about electricity downstairs," said Jon. "Please leave the attic now before I rush you to the hospital."
"Yes, Grandpa." Andrew stood and swayed. He held on to the window for support.
I stood and bile rose to my throat. "I'm going to be sick."
"Did you two drink all the wine?" asked Jon.
"I think so," said Andrew.
"Oh boy. Can you two get down safely?" asked Jon. "Or should I get help?"
"We're beyond saving," said Andrew. "Aren't we, Angel?
I laughed as I got down on my knees and crawled to the ladder. Midway, I stopped. "Wait."
"What?" asked Jon.
"Can I have the wine bottle?" I asked.
"You can have any bottle in the cellar," said Jon. "Let's go."
"She meant this one." Andrew picked up the bottle and crawled toward me.
Jon took the bottle from him and helped me down. Andrew turned around and climbed down with his body facing the ladder for better balance. Jon handed me the bottle. I held it close to my chest.
Chapter Sixteen
Jon made some greasy breakfast with lots of eggs and forced us to finish it. Andrew and I sat next to each other. I leaned my head on his shoulder and he leaned his head on mine. After the much needed food, I took a quick shower in Andrew's bathroom and changed into his T-shirt and my shorts. He offered me his bed, and he slept on the loveseat. We didn't wake up until late that evening. After dinner, he drove me home. I held the cobalt blue wine bottle and my shirt in my lap.
"Do you remember what we talked about?" asked Andrew. "Last night in the attic," he added.
"All I remember is we laughed so much. And then, we woke up in a pool of sweat."
"Yeah, that's what I remember too," he said.
"What a great night, huh," I said.
"We should do it again," said Andrew.
We both laughed.
"I had a great time though," said Andrew.
"Me too," I said.
"You amazed me," he said.
Huh? Did I hear that right? My heart fluttered like the wings of a butterfly, and my curiosity grew. "What do you mean?"
"Everything about you… I can't find the words to explain." Andrew glanced at me and smiled. "I'm sorry I'm not making any sense."
No, you're not, I wanted to say, but I didn't want to put him in an awkward position. "Well, to be fair, you're pretty amazing yourself."
That seemed to lighten the air between us. We talked about nothing and everything until he stopped in front of my apartment. I wanted to kiss him at least on the cheek, but didn't have the nerves.
"Thank you so much for driving me home," I said.
As I headed toward the stairs, the car door opened. I glanced over my shoulder. "Is everything okay?" I asked.
"I'm sorry," he said. "Where were my manners? My Grandpa taught me better than this." He held out his arm. "May I, My Lady?"
Smiling, I curtsied and took it. "Certainly."
We walked up the stairs arm in arm.
"Nice apartment," he said.
"Juliana lives next door," I said.
"Ah, good to have your best friend close by," he said.
"I won't trade her for the world," I said. I won't trade you either, I added to myself.
At the door, he took the keys from me and unlocked the door. We stared at each other. Another awkward moment crept between us.
I broke the silence. "Would you like to come in?"
"I'd love to," he said. "But I should get going. Can I get a rain check?"
"Of course," I said. "No blackout dates."
He grinned and grabbed his phone from his pocket. "Give me your number."
I rattled it off to him. He typed something and my phone beeped. I put down my shirt and the bottle, and grabbed my phone from my purse.
The text read: "Thank you for a great weekend."
I smiled at him and texted back. "No, Thank You." I stopped for a second before continued typing. "You're an Angel."
His phone beeped. He read the text and kissed my cheek. "Good night, my Angel."
This must be a dream. Although he only kissed my cheek, I felt like a rocket blasting off into outer space. I took a deep breath and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. "Good night, Andrew. Drive safe. Text me when you get home."
He promised he would, and he did. Ever since that night, not a day went by that we didn't talk or text each other. And not once, did we mention Sonia. She somehow became a forgotten subject.
Andrew's grandfather invited us back to the Forgotten Forest for Halloween. At first I hesitated to go, but Juliana begged me. In the end, I agreed. Learning from the recent experience, Juliana and I opted for costumes with pants. Juliana picked Super Woman. I chose Spider Woman. Michael wore the same Top Gun outfit. Jesse dressed up as Iron Man minus the mask. With his height, he looked the part.
To my delight, Andrew came alone. I hadn't seen him since he dropped me off after the twins' party. He still had the same hairstyle, but a little shorter. He wore black pants and jacket. Dressed all in black, he looked mysterious.
"Where's Sonia?" asked Jesse.
Thank you, Jesse, I thought. At least, I wasn't the only one noticing Sonia's absence.
"She's not coming," said Andrew.
"Is she still upset about the Zombies?" asked Michael.
Andrew shrugged. "That and other things. We broke up a few days after the…" He glanced at me. "Unforgotten Forest."
Juliana gasped. I elbowed her.
"Since we're short one person, can I invite Christine to join our team?" asked Jesse.
"That's cool," said Michael.
"Who's Christine?" asked Juliana.
"She's the Zombie that killed me," said Jesse.
"The one that attacked you?" I asked.
"Yes," said Jesse. "Ironic, huh. We hooked up in Jon's garage that night." He waved at someone behind us. A short blond girl in Black Widow costume waved back.
"Wow, Iron Man and Black Widow," said Juliana. "You should have told us. We could have dressed up as The Avengers."
"Let's do that next year," said Jesse. "I'll be right back."
Jesse's story brought back memory of Andrew and I drinking Dandelion wine in the attic. So many things happened in Jon's ranch house, I thought.
Jon organized another scavenger hunt. This time, we had to collect six pumpkin-shaped bottles. Yes, bottles again. Each one contained a special kind of alcohol. Finders' keepers also became the night's motto.
Since Michael had Juliana, and Jesse now had Christine, Andrew and I stayed together.
"Like the old times," I said.
"Yes," said Andrew. "The good old times. I love your outfit."
"Thanks," I said. "What are you? A Ninja?"
H
e laughed. "Ninjas don't wear jackets. I decided to wear something comfortable for tonight."
"Good thinking," I said. "I'm sorry about Sonia," I quickly added. Although they had broken up, I still had a hard time saying her name.
"It's for the best," said Andrew.
That was the last time we talked about Sonia. We collected three bottles within the first thirty minutes. Christine found the first bottle, followed by Juliana, and Andrew. Christine and Jesse led the team. When we reached the middle of the forest, Jesse held out his arm.
"Wait," he said. "There's something glittering on the tree."
"I can't see anything," said Juliana.
"He's tall, remember," I said.
"Yes, he is," said Christine. "He can touch the moon."
Jesse inched toward the tree and glanced over his shoulder. "I'll take that as a compliment," he said.
"What did you see?" asked Michael.
"Bottle number four," said Jesse.
"Way to go, Babe," said Christine.
Just as Jesse stretched his arm to grab the bottle, the grass moved.
"Jesse! No!" I yelled and pulled him back.
A creature with horns on its head and a long tail leapt from a hole in the ground right next to Jesse's feet.
Andrew aimed his paintball gun at the creature. A loud cry made Andrew jerk his hand back, and he missed. Two other groups sped toward us like a charge of rhinos, knocking me down.
"Elrenia!" cried Andrew.
"Run!" cried a guy in camouflaged outfit.
Two Werewolves raced after them. Someone yanked me to my feet. Disoriented, I didn't have much choice, but to follow the crowd. When the chase was over, I looked for Andrew, but I couldn't find him.
As I wandered with the new group of people, I ached to be reunited with Andrew and my fellow teammates. My hand never left my paintball gun, ready to blast anything that moved.
A sudden movement by the bushes caught my eye. I raised my gun, ready to pull the trigger. A man in black appeared.
"Andrew!" I dropped my gun and dashed toward him.
He hugged me so tight, I could hardly breathe. When he released me, he kissed me hard.
"Are we glad to see you, Spider Woman," said Jesse.
My head spun from the kiss. I mumbled, "Thanks, Iron Man. How did you guys find me?"
Juliana hugged me. "By some crazy miracles." She turned to Andrew. "And one very persistent man."
Andrew wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "I need my Angel."
I felt my soul leaving my body and floating around in the clouds. "And I need you," I said shamelessly.
Our group came up second, but we didn't care. That night, Andrew and I sneaked into the attic. A beautiful wooden spiral staircase led upstairs. No more folding ladder. Inside the attic, we had a nice bed and air conditioning.
"Close your eyes," said Andrew when he locked the attic door.
"What are you up to?" I asked.
"You'll find out soon enough."
I didn't budge.
"Please," he begged.
"All right," I said and squeezed my eyes shut.
After a few seconds, he said, "Now, you can look."
He held a bucket filled with ice. A familiar cobalt blue wine bottle sat inside.
"Is that my bottle?" I asked.
"Yes," he said.
"How did you get it?" I asked.
"Juliana."
"That stinker. She told me she wanted to borrow my bottle for some special project."
"Well, this is a special project." He handed me the bottle. "Care to have the honor?"
"Is it the same Dandelion wine?" I asked.
"Let's find out." He pulled the cork. "Ladies first."
I smelled the wine and took a sip. I closed my eyes and savored the wine's sweetness. "Oh my. This tastes so much better chilled. I'm in heaven."
He held my face in his hands. I opened my eyes just as he lowered his lips to mine. I closed my eyes again and savored his sweetness. After a full minute, he pulled back. "Is the wine better than this?"
A spellbinding current flowed through my body. "No way." I leaned forward and kissed him.
With fireflies as our witness, we made magic that night. The next morning, we woke up drenched in sweat.
"We did it again, Angel," said Andrew. "And this time, we can't blame the sun."
We laughed, and Jon didn't come knocking. Officially or unofficially, the attic became our room.
On Christmas Eve, we returned to the attic, and he told me he loved me. By New Year, we became inseparable.
Chapter Seventeen
"And that's how I met Andrew Gritt, the man who stole my heart and then shattered it to million pieces!" Elrenia Kitrusen wiped the tears away and faced Kristoffer Henderson, her new best friend in the Windy City.
"I left L.A. to forget the past, Kris. I flew 2000 miles to let him go." She held up her phone. "And now this email from Laci, his best friend's sister, tears me apart." She sat on the hardwood floor and leaned her head against the wall. "Last night, I read the email over and over until I could recite it in my sleep. Every single memory of Andrew came flooding in, especially how I met him." Her lips trembled. "My almost perfect world came crushing down again. I thought I've forgotten Andrew Gritt. Guess I lied to myself."
Kristoffer took the phone from Elrenia and read the email from Laci Lane:
Elrenia, I'm sorry for being an awful friend. It's wrong of me to think silence is the best medicine to cure pain. It isn't. Then again, neither is moving away! But that's not the reason for this email. So, I'll dive straight to the heart of the matter.
Last night, Andrew came over. He had a little too much to drink... Guess what we talked about: YOU! Before he crashed on the couch, he said, "Laci, I still love her." Remember, drunk people don't lie. You said so yourself!
Anyway, I'm terribly upset with him. How could he walk down the aisle when his heart belongs to someone else? Yes, Elrenia, Andrew's getting married, and he's lucky I'm leaving for Alaska tomorrow. I'll be gone for six months. So, I can't make it to his wedding or else I'd jump from my seat when the priest asks if anyone has any objections to the marriage!
You know what, you should go to the wedding on my behalf! Don't let him make the biggest mistake of his life. And Elrenia, neither should you!
Kristoffer whispered the date, time, and venue of Andrew's wedding. He covered his mouth with his hand and turned off the phone.
He sat down beside Elrenia and hugged her. "No words can describe your pain. And no words can cure it either. But I'm here. I'm always here for you."
Elrenia sobbed in Kristoffer's arms. "I loved him, Kris. I still love him. When I read the email about Andrew being drunk, the memory about the Dandelion wine came to mind. He was my Angel. No matter how hard I try to deny, he still is."
After a few minutes, Elrenia pulled away from Kristoffer. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm stronger than this." She stared at the windows behind the sofa. The curtains swayed. "I'll be okay," she whispered. She wiped her tears with the back of her hands.
That night, while trying to sleep, Elrenia forced herself not to let memory of Andrew invaded her mind. Kristoffer Henderson popped into her head. She remembered how she first met the brown hair and blue eyed guy. Being new to Chicago, Elrenia got lost while taking the Subway. She was busy studying the map when a clean-cut man approached her.
She jumped when he said, "Hello."
From that moment on, Kristoffer became a part of her life. They didn't have any secrets except one. The one secret she didn't share was how she met Andrew… until now. She wondered why she couldn't forget the surfer who broke her heart.
"He's unforgotten," Juliana's words echoed in her ears.
Elrenia's heart ached even more. Her best friend in L.A. married her soul mate, Michael, a few days before she flew to Chicago. Elrenia was Juliana's Maid of Honor.
I miss you, Juliana, she whispered. I wish you were here.
A few days
later, Kristoffer came to visit her and handed her an envelope.
"What's this?" she asked.
"Open it."
Elrenia opened the envelope and pulled out a thick piece of paper with her name on it. She also read Chicago and Los A... She shrieked. "What is this?"
"You're going to Los Angeles," said Kristoffer.
She stared at the tickets. "What are you doing, Kris?"
"Few nights ago, when you told me the story of how you and Andrew met..." He touched his chest. "I felt your agony right here, in my heart. I know Andrew's the reason you left L.A. and I also know after three years, he suddenly disappeared. He stopped talking to you without any explanations. Your world shattered, and you came here to start your new life." Kristoffer sighed. "But yesterday, you revealed something deeper. You loved him, Elrenia, and you still do." He held Elrenia's hands. "You have to go to L.A. just like Laci said in the email."
Elrenia dropped the tickets on the table. "I can't do that."
"Don't you want to know the answer?" asked Kristoffer. "If I were you, I'd want to or I'd die of a broken heart. You're my best friend. I'll never let that happen."
"But…"
"No but, Elrenia. You'd do the same for me, except not in the subtlest of ways." Kristoffer made a face.
Elrenia smiled. Yes, if the roles were reversed, she'd do the same, and she wouldn't take no for an answer.
She looked up at her friend. "I’m scared," she whispered.
"I understand," said Kristoffer. "You're not alone. I'm here always. You can do this, Elrenia. Let the Angels guide you."
I did have one Angel, but now he's gone.
~ The End ~
Author's Note
There's a funny story about how this title came to be. I wanted something unique and memorable, and could be linked to my other Voices series. After changing the titles a few times, my mind wandered to an old TV series called Murder, She Wrote. A light bulb appeared and this title was born.
The Angel She Loved – Prequel to Voices was first inspired by a good writing friend, Chrissy Peebles. So, Chrissy, Thank You, You're an Angel. Also Thank You to these special Angels who inspired me along the way: Patricia Puddle, Carol Cajigas, and June Bourgo. Thank you for the endless supports and encouragement.
Also a special Thank You to my good friend, David Terrace, for editing the first two chapters. Thank you for being a good friend all these years. To Connie Butts, Thank You for editing the rest of the book. You're a gem!
Also Thank You to all family, friends, and beloved readers all around the globe. You know who you are! I couldn't have done this without you. All of you are my Angels.