Bring on the rain - by Gaby

Monica stood up from the bench where she was sitting and walked some steps away. Andrew followed her. “Monica?” he asked leaning over her face. “Is there something in your mind?”

“You mean something else besides you?” she replied reaching to give him a light kiss on the lips. He wrapped his arms around her and she continued, “I was just trying to imagine those two in 50 or 60 years looking back and remembering how was like to be 16 and in love.”

He sighed and rested his head on her shoulder. “If they could only know now what they’d know then...”

“But is it love or infatuation or what?” Gloria asked coming closer to them. “I mean... How did you two know you were in love? How did you know it was love and not just attraction?”

Both angels seemed startled by her question. Andrew opened more his eyes and Monica stuttered a little before answering. “It’s hard to tell, Gloria... It’s not something you can know at once...”

“Still, it makes everything so different,” Andrew added looking directly at Monica’s dark eyes. “It makes your world a lot better!” The little angel smiled at him and they kissed lightly again.

Gloria sighed. “Then I may not know what to do on this assignment! It seems perfect just for the two of you!”

****

After sharing Thanksgiving dinner with Natalie and Annie and unfortunately having witnessed how the teenager lied to her mother again, Monica walked into her trailer carrying a pumpkin pie. She was so lost in her thoughts about her assignment that she walked in and turned on the light without paying attention to anything around.

“Are you planning to eat all that pie alone or can I get a piece?” said a familiar and warm male voice behind her when she took the pie to the little kitchen.

“Andrew!” she almost jumped and leaving the pie on the table, she turned to wrap her arms around his neck. “You’re here! I thought I wouldn’t see you!”

The blond angel hold her tightly, cherishing the feeling of her small frame in his arms. “Thanksgiving is meant to be spent with the ones you love... and there’s none in this world I love more than you, Monica,” he said seriously, his face buried in her soft hair. “I’m looking forward to spend this weekend with you, starting with a dinner tonight...”

“Andrew...” she said sadly pulling apart of his hold. “I... I’ve just had dinner with Annie and Natalie...”

He smiled tenderly at her upset face. “But you won’t refuse a good cup of coffee... and that pie looks good. I brought a new blend I think you’ll love...”

The little angel leaned to kiss his cheek lovingly. “Of course I’d never refuse a cup of coffee! Specially if I’m sharing it with an angel I happen to love very much...”

Much later that night, Andrew and Monica were warmly cuddled in the Irish angel bed, talking in the semi dark as they had only left a nightstand lamp on.

“I feel really sorry for Annie,” she murmured, her head resting right over Andrew’s heart. “It must be horrible for you like a mother to know your daughter is ashamed on you...”

“Natalie is a good girl,” he replied monotonously running his fingers through her short hair. He was leaning over the head board of the bed, feeling absolutely content with Monica’s light weight against his chest. “She’s just a teenager... She feels everyone measures her by what she has, not by what she is, and unfortunately she doesn’t have a rich mother...”

“Why is it that someone who loves you can hurt you the most?” Monica asked quietly.

“To love someone is complicated and you know that... Sometimes you don’t mean it and you hurt them...” he replied kissing the top of her head. “I hurt you once and I never meant it...”

The little angel moved to look at his sad eyes. “But you didn’t want to hurt me, Andrew, you were trying to joke!” She knew he was referring to a time, a couple years ago, when, being a judge as part of an assignment, he had threatened her to send her to jail if she didn’t do a two week community service.

“But it still hurt you...” he said.

“And I forgave you!” Monica stated firmly placing a hand on his cheek and looking directly at his eyes.

“But I can’t forgive myself, Monica. That’s something I will never forget...”

She silenced him with a long kiss. “You hurt me, that’s true, but you didn’t do it on purpose, Andrew, and that’s why I love you so much.”

“You can’t possibly know how much I love you too, angel,” he whispered stroking her cheek. “I won’t ever hurt you again...”

“You will, I know that...” she answered resting her head on his shoulder.

He pulled her to look at him again surprised by her statement. “I won’t hurt you, baby!”

“You’re not perfect, Andrew. And I’m not perfect either, so for sure I will hurt you once too... But it would never be on purpose. Knowing that is what will make us stay together forever.”

Knowing she was right, the blond angel didn’t reply. He only continued to comb her hair lovingly, feeling how she was drifting off to sleep.

“I love you, Andrew,” Monica murmured before she closed her eyes, her head still resting on his chest.

The angel of death felt a knot forming on his throat at the simple sincerity of her words. She loved him and expected nothing from him but to love her the same. She didn’t expect him to be a better man, ...or angel, but to be as he had always been. He wondered if there could be a more amazing creature in the world and tightened his hold on her at realizing how lucky he was to have her... “I love you too, Monica,” he whispered long minutes later when she was fast asleep, “and I do promise I will try to never hurt you again, baby. God help me...”

***

Next morning Monica stirred lazily when she felt the warm sun over her face. She had slept all night on Andrew’s shoulder, feeling content and protected, and he was still sound asleep, his arm fiercely wrapped around her waist. She sit up a little to check the hour and she realized it was almost 9.00 am. She went back to her place on his shoulder and circled his waist possessively, smiling at the thought of this very pleasant way to wake up, with him at her side and with no rush to arrive anywhere.

“You know what I dreamed about?” she heard him murmuring though his eyes remained closed. “I had this dream about a beautiful Irish angel who was sleeping right beside of me...” Hearing her chuckling, he opened his eyes and looked at her. “Oh, wait! It’s not a dream!”

Monica couldn’t help but feel her heart full of love for him. She sit up and kissed him on the lips. “Mmm... A very realistic dream if you ask me...” she said when they parted.

“No... It was better than any dream...” he replied pulling her down for another long kiss.

“Do you have any assignment today?” Monica asked long minutes later, her head resting on his chest once more.

“A tentative by 11 but nothing long... I think we can spend the rest of the day together...”

“Great! Then I can prepare you something delicious for lunch!”

He looked at her with skeptical eyes. “Like what?” he asked knowing what she used to “invent” for meals.

“Oh, don’t give me that look!” she said moving upwards to be face to face with him. “My abilities in cooking are much better now! I promise I won’t try to improvise anything!”

He chuckled at her lovely annoyance. “You could cook rocks and I still said they’re delicious!”

“I’ll show you in breakfast!” she announced and tried to get up but he stopped her and pulled her down to bed again.

She shrieked. “Andrew!”

“I don’t want you away from here now...” he said.

“Want to bet if I can get free?” she defied him. She moved to cover him with her body and she felt his heart racing with anticipation. She leaned down to start kissing him, running her hands down his chest until his waist... She then kissed him, and he never expected what she had in mind...

“AAAAAARGH!” he shouted and jumped on the bed, almost making her fall. “NOOOOO, not fair!” he was almost crying with her slender fingers tickling him.

“Say I win!” she told him still not releasing him.

“Ok, ok, you win!” he said, tears rolling down his cheeks and panting hardly.

“Hehehe... See? I’m resourceful, Mr. Angel of Death!” she chuckled.

He still took a little to regain his breath and when she was about to stand up, he took her by the waist and now he was the one tickling her.

“NOT FAIR!” she screamed kicking like a little girl after he had made her lay on her back, but his being heavier than her let her no way to fight him.

“Everything is fair in war and love, darling!” he whispered against her lips and kissed her, just then changing the tickling for soft caresses. “I win so I get to make breakfast,” he announced pulling apart. “You can stay in bed a little longer.”

***

Annie walked to Monica’s trailer feeling absolutely miserable after the fight with her daughter. She knocked at the door expecting not to bother her neighbor too early, and was shocked when the one to open the door was a blond handsome man in sweat pants and a T-shirt. “Hi... Hum... Sorry, I was looking for Monica...” she hesitated not expecting to find someone else in her friend’s trailer.

“Yes, yes, come in” the angel said. “Monica! You have a visitor!”

The little angel appeared then at the bedroom door, equally dressed on sweat pants and a T-shirt, her hair a little disarrayed. “Oh, hi, Annie!” she said walking towards the small living room. “This is Andrew.”

“Nice to meet you,” Annie said shaking hands with him

“You’re Natalie’s mother, right?” he asked. “Monica told me about you. I leave you to talk,” he said and then got into the bedroom.

“Monica! I didn’t know! I hope I didn’t interrupt you...” the woman said to a blushing Monica. “He’s very handsome! There I was talking about Howard and you didn’t say a word about this piece of a goodness you have as boyfriend!”

“Thanks, Annie,” she replied with a tender smile. “So, how’s Natalie? Things are better now?”

Annie sighed. “No. She doesn’t talk to me. Today she woke up early, took some cereal and some milk and went back to her room. She’s there and doesn’t want to leave. We used to have a picnic on day after Thanksgiving with the leftovers of the dinner when she was a little girl but now...”

“That’s a lovely idea, Annie! Why don’t we do a picnic?” Monica proposed with the smile of a little girl. “If Natalie really broke her boyfriend up, then that might cheer her up! I could help you and prepare some sandwiches and some coffee for dessert!”

“You think that would be a good idea?”

“Of course! Let me tell Andrew...” the little angel said and stood up but her smile faded when she saw him coming out of the bedroom perfectly dressed in his formal angel suit.

“I’ve just been called, baby,” he said not missing her disappointment. “I have to be in the hospital in half an hour.”

“Do you know for how long? Annie and I were planning a picnic for today...”

“I think I can meet you afterwards. This is a young man with cancer... he seems to be agonizing,” he explained.

“He’ll no longer be in pain then,” she murmured holding him tightly. “Go. Do what you do best.” She then released him and reached to give him a light kiss on the lips.

“I’ll be back, sweetie,” he told her stoking her cheek tenderly. “Enjoy your day.” He smiled at Annie and left the trailer.

****