CHAPTERS 12 & 13

Chapter 12

Andrew remained awake for long hours that night; a turmoil of different thoughts and feelings going on his mind. The fire lit up at the entrance of the cave softly illuminated its interior and he could see Monica's fast asleep face right next to him, head pillowed over his chest as always. Carefully not to wake her up, he reached out and caressed her long auburn hair. Reflected on his face was all his worry about their condition. The blond angel wondered if they would ever be found, as no ship had been seen crossing the horizon line, even though he would always light up fires along the beach at night. Secretly, he also wondered if Monica had really seen a ship a while ago or if that had been just her imagination; the result of their confines in that place.

Sighing deeply, he looked down at her small form and his heart ached with sadness at how thin she was. He had reduced her daily tasks gradually, without her realising it - she was becoming weak and he couldn't risk her getting ill again. A boat sinking, a deserted island, isolation and inhospitable conditions... Andrew would bear anything, except losing his dearest friend.

"I love you so much, angel..." he whispered, fingertip tracing an invisible line along her jaw, "...More than you'll never know... More... than I myself knew it..." he secretly confessed; a secret that he was slowly beginning to come to terms with. Maybe the same confines that had kept them trapped in the middle of the ocean had helped him to see that something had changed, that the immense love he felt for the little angel asleep in his arms had created deeper roots. It was angelic love. It was friendship love.

But it was also romantic love.

Andrew didn't know if one day he would have the courage to tell her about it, as he feared she might not feel the same, and then their relationship would be ruined forever. If he had to exist keeping those feelings just to himself, so be it.

Silent tears filled his eyes when he thought about the worst. What if Monica didn't resist until help arrived? What would happen to them on the following weeks?

He kissed the top of her head and whispered one more time. "I promise I'll make your days here brighter than I've already done, angel. You have my word." He smiled briefly before gazing at her asleep face, drinking in her meek features. "And my world."

X

When Monica opened her eyes on the following day the sun was already shining through the interior of the cave. Sometimes she was under the impression she had been sleeping more than the usual, and therefore waking up later. That fact caused her to feel slightly ashamed, as Andrew was always up and with breakfast ready for her. Yet, there was no way she could avoid it, as she knew she was more and more tired as the days passed by.

Slowly, and still rubbing her eyes, she rose to her feet and went outside, where Andrew had been waiting for her for some time. There was fish and raspberry cream waiting for her on a "table," which made of a small flat rock.

"Hey, good morning, angel!"

"Andrew!" she exclaimed, surprised to see so much food at that time of the day.

"You arrived right on time! C'mon, have a seat, your breakfast is waiting!"

"But... do we have all this so early in the morning? I mean... this is what we eat for lunch..."

"Well, I decided that today we'll have an 'angels' day off'!" he joked, offering her a beautiful orange flower.

"Ah... An angels' day off, huh?" she said, sitting next to him and gladly accepting the flower.

"Yep! No laundry, no fishing, no sweeping the floor... I got enough food for two days and now we'll just relax and enjoy the day!"

"Isn't it wonderful to have friends who know exactly what we like?"

Her cheerful expression and her Irish lilt filling his ears early in the morning brought him so much joy that for some moments he left his worries aside and just enjoyed the time they spent together.

After they finished breakfast, Andrew offered his hand and they started a pleasant stroll along the beach, leaving two pairs of footprints on the sand. Once they reached a certain distance, the couple of angels sat down underneath the shadow of a tall tree and remained gazing at the ocean as their conversation flowed. Listening to her eternal chattering, Andrew took the flower he'd given her and placed it on her ear, and then admired the beauty on her meek face.

"There... the best view of the island!" he said, and despite the joking tone on his voice, she knew he really meant it.

"You're always telling me the most beautiful things, Andrew... I wish I could return everything that you do to me..."

"And who said you don't, angel?"

With a permanent sweet smile, she lay her head over his shoulder and wrapped her arm around his own. The little Irish angel fell silent for the next minutes, something that was not common to her. But on her lips there was a smile as she contemplated the blue ocean ahead of them. She could have faced a terrible accident in the ocean. She could have almost died both drowned and then ill. She could even be lost in a deserted island, isolated from the rest of the world.

But she would always have Andrew by her side. And that made all the difference.

Chapter 13

Two angels stood silently contemplating the vastness of the blue waters before their eyes. Lately, Andrew was having to cope with feelings that he didn't understand, but which were not new to him; just remained dormant somewhere inside his heart. Isolation and closeness on that island had made him realise how much he loved that sweet little angel who would always be by his side.

But at that very moment, sitting on the sand, Andrew had put his concern aside and decided to enjoy his dearest friend's company. Lately, there wasn't a time he didn't worry about hiding his feelings away, fearing that she might not correspond to them; or wonder how long they would stay on that island and, most importantly, about how much their human form would resist to this.

Monica slowly lifted her head from his shoulder and gazed at him with a childish smile and pensive expression on her face. The blond angel looked back at her with a questioning and an amused expression on his face, causing her to blush slightly.

"I have to confess something..." she finally said.

"And what is it, Monica?" He returned her gaze with the same intensity and tenderness, and the fact that she would always inspire the most loving feelings didn't amaze him anymore. Andrew reached out and caressed her face, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I prepared you a surprise too!" She finally spoke, gently nudging him in the rib.

Laughing, and finding her manners completely adorable, he looked around them. "And where is that surprise, may I know?"

"Stay here..." Monica rose to her feet and shook off the sand from her long skirt. With amusement, Andrew watched all her following actions with eyes filled with love. She walked along the beach up to a huge rock, not far from where they were. There, she knelt on the ground and looked for something, and it didn't take her more than a few seconds to find it. The Irish angel returned carrying a small fabric bag in her hands and he stood up from the ground.

"Monica, did you find a treasure and were hiding it from me?" Andrew joked, once she was standing front of him. With a permanent smile, she looked at the small bag for some moments. "Well... my treasure is the angel God sent me when I most needed..." Then she looked at him and handed him the small bag. "This is for you..."

He took the small bundle, but before opening it, he also took her hand in his and squeezed it, "He gave me a treasure too... a beautiful, amazing one..."

They gazed at each other once again, and with an excited smile, she urged him. "Please, open it up, Andrew!"

He gladly obliged her and on the following second, was surprised and moved with what he saw, "Monica... angel..." Andrew knelt down and spread its content on the sand so he could see it better: a collection of small stones, each one had a different shape and was made of a different material. Perfectly polished by the water, or rough, or with infinite shining spots; all of them had different colours and patterns, and a professional would probably reveal that some of them could be semi-precious. They certainly looked like a treasure in any child's eyes, and he wasn't surprised with the fact that they had enchanted Monica so much.

"Angel... I... I don't know what to say..." he said, lost for words with that loving attitude.

"I started to collect them a while ago, while I was walking along the forest... I found them so pretty..." she explained, and then her face turned a little bit anxious, "Did you like them?"

"Like them? They're so beautiful, Monica! And it means so much I..." he turned his eyes from the stones and searched for her hand, pulling her to a long, loving embrace. "I wish I could do more than just saying thank you..."

Andrew sucked in a deep breath; raw pain filling his eyes. As much as he liked the small gift, his heart ached, both with immense love and with guilt. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do for her; and he had promised to make her existence there a happy one. Yet, she surprised him again, with gentleness and affection, and was the one to bring joy to his heart and make that one a happy day.

"If you say you like them, then I'm already happy!" she replied, a broad smile back on her meek face as she wrapped her arms around his neck; her heart filled with a lot more joy than she could ever express.

"I love them, baby. They're just amazing." He said, equally overjoyed to having her in his arms, treasuring each second of that loving embrace.

When they regretfully pulled away, he stroked her face with tenderness. "I saw you picking some of them the other day but I thought they were for you..."

"What would be the fun in keeping all of them just for me? You see, as soon as I started to notice those pretty little stones, I thought they deserved a greater purpose. Then I kept on trying to find out what could be done and it didn't take me too long to find the answer: they would bring you a little joy, and now that you have them they look even more beautiful!"

"You make my soul look beautiful, did you know that? And of all the blessings God gave me, you'll always be the greatest one."

Reflected in his green pools, she saw all his love and affection, and it almost made her want to cry with emotion. Before she could say anything else, they were once again locked up in each other's gaze, and before their thoughts were in order again, there was a moment when their connection felt stronger than never; and loving feelings could be transmitted to each other's hearts.

Smiling softly at her, Andrew gently lay both hands on each side of her face and inched closer, brushing a loving kiss on her forehead. Monica suddenly felt a lump forming on her throat with that soft contact. It was almost as if she treasured that loving caress and wanted to remain in his arms but at the same time, felt suddenly nervous about it. Feeling an emotion she didn't know where was coming from, the little angel smiled at him; her words ceasing as if they were not necessary.

X

The rest of their day was mostly silent. Some tasks such as doing the washing and cleaning the interior of the cave had been left aside, and both angels remained lost in deep thought most of the time. That silence, however, hid the turmoil of feelings and thoughts that was going on their minds. Something had changed, they thought. Or worse: something that had been lain dormant inside their hearts for such a long time was finally starting to show itself.

At night, the sparkling fire set at the entrance of the cave illuminated its interior and allowed Monica to see Andrew's asleep face. Frowning with great concern, she wondered why she was feeling that way, and was even more amazed to realise that that sensation was not new to her - that all that joy and tenderness had always been present when Andrew was present.

A silent tear escaped from her eye as she touched his face - a feather light touch that didn't even make him stir. She spent most of the night in anxious turmoil, watching him sleeping, her emotions welling up in her throat as she forced them back, afraid to voice them to the one who was always there to listen to her and put her heart at ease. But how would she if what was going on in her heart was directly related to him, even though she couldn't understand all those emotions - she only knew that they caused her great joy, bringing tears to her eyes.

It was only when day light was starting to shine across the sky that the Irish angel managed to fall asleep; exhaustion finally winning the battle.