The Angel She Loved - Prequel To Voices Read online

  "Dandelion… like the flower?"

  "Yeah," said Andrew. "I can get another wine, if you like? How about the Chianti?"

  "No, I want to try this flower wine," I said as I held the bottle close to my nose and inhaled. "Fruity."

  "Grandpa added some lemons and oranges," he said. "Do you like white wine?"

  "Yes," I said.

  "Then you'll like this one."

  I held the bottle to my mouth and hesitated. "You go first."

  Andrew chuckled and took a sip. He wiped his mouth. "Wow! If you like sweet wine…"

  I didn't wait for him to finish his sentence. I took the bottle and drank.

  "Well?" he asked.

  I took another swig. "Now, this is the kind of drink that warms your tummy and curls your toes."

  "I gather you like it."

  I gave him the bottle. "This Dandelion wine beats my favorite Ice wine by a mile."

  Andrew took his turn and handed the bottle back to me. "I should warn you that all of Grandpa's home brews have high alcohol content."

  "Too late." I wrapped my arms around my knees and pulled them up close to my body. "I'm feeling the buzz."

  Andrew snorted and splashed some of the wine on me. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to spit on you." He wiped the side of my cheek with his hand.

  "Don't worry about it," I said. "Now, we're even."

  "Yes, we are." He joined me on the floor and we took turns with the wine. "So what do you do?" he asked.

  "I go to school and work part time. How about you?"

  "I graduated last year. I help my cousin designing homes now."

  "Seeing this house, I'm not surprised to hear that." I lay on my stomach and propped up on my elbows.

  My head swayed, but I didn't want to sleep. I plopped my head on the pillow and lay on my side facing him. He looked down at me and for a few seconds, we stared at each other. Sonia came to mind.

  I broke the silence. "Remind me to thank your grandpa for this wine."

  "Will do." Andrew lay on his side and faced me. "Tell me more about yourself…"

  We talked and laughed all night long. I didn't know when we dozed off. But I remembered waking up with a killer headache. When I sat up, I thought a bunch of C4 exploded in my head. Sweat dripped from my hair and face. My shirt stuck to my body like glue.

  "Where am I?" I asked myself.

  A moan beside me made me jump. I hit my head on the window. "Ouch!" I rubbed the back of my head.

  Andrew's eyes sprang open. "Elrenia, are you all right?" He sat up. Strings of curses escaped his lips. "What happened?" He lowered his head back on the pillow. "Why is the floor moving?"

  I couldn't answer him. My throat was dry. I stared at the cobalt blue bottle between our pillows. As I leaned forward to pick up the bottle, my hand grazed his pillow. It was wet. What in the world happened? I stared at him. His whole body glistened in sweat. It took a minute for my mind to register that he didn't wear any shirt, exposing his six-pack abs. I looked further down. Thank goodness he had his shorts on.

  Andrew squinted at me. "Did we finish the wine?"

  I tipped the bottle upside down. "I guess so," I said. "Why are you soaked?" Either the alcohol did the talking or my crazy curiosity took over, I touched his bulging bicep with my index finger.

  He stretched his arm and pulled on my shirt. "So are you. What happened?"

  "I don't remember." I held the bottle and lay down. "Last night, did we…"

  Andrew turned to face me. Our eyes locked. Sonia's face haunted me again. I cleared my throat and looked away.

  My head pounded with every movement. "Ouch, why did I torture myself?" I asked.

  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?"

  He 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."