Most likely to succeed - by Deyse

Tess watched as Monica organised the papers on a desk placed at the entrance of the club where the reunion of Dennis and Melissa’s high school would be held. The supervisor had noticed how sad and quiet her dear charge and friend had been lately and, as most of the guests had already arrived, she took the opportunity to talk to the Irish angel.

“Hey, baby, is there something troubling you?”

Somewhat surprised with her question, the Irish angel lowered her head, “No... it’s... I guess I’m a wee bit worried about this situation, you know...”

But if there was an angel Tess knew like a mother knows her child, this angel was Monica, “Angel girl, I can see there’s something else troubling this little mind of yours and it’s not only this assignment!”

A little taken aback by Tess’ words, Monica bit her lower lip nervously, “It’s... difficult to explain and... I... I don’t know where to start...”

The supervisor placed her hand over Monica’s and squeezed it, “Baby, you know you can trust me, don’t you?”

The Irish angel finally lifted her head up and returned the squeeze, “I know that, Tess. And I’m so grateful for your friendship...”

“Then let me help you.”

Monica turned her eyes to the hall, where some people where dancing, others talking, and where Andrew was. The blond angel had just arrived, bringing Melissa in a wheelchair and was standing next to the lady and her husband while they greeted Dennis, the organiser of the reunion. Although he didn’t notice Monica’s look, Tess didn’t miss the mix of feelings evident in the Irish angel’s eyes.

“Angel girl?”

“Tess... do you think it’s possible for an angel to... to fall in love?”

“Monica... are you telling me...”

“It’s just a question...”

But the supervisor couldn’t be fooled that easily: in a matter of seconds, everything became clear to her, Monica’s behaviour lately and her sudden quietness, “Now I see... Now I understand everything! The reason why you’ve been away from Andrew in the last months, the way you’ve been avoiding him, the way you avoid his company during the assignments!”

The truth in the oldest angel’s words caused great shock and surprise to Monica: she would never think that the secret behind her latest actions would be found. Sad and a bit embarrassed, the Irish angel lowered her head once again, “I... I didn’t know what else to do...”

“So... you... you love Andrew? You’re in love with him?”

“Yes...” she spoke, a single tear falling from her eye, “... and... I know this is wrong, I know that we’re angels and that shouldn’t be happening! It’s a terrible thing and, even if it was possible... I wouldn’t bear to face Andrew’s rejection...”

“Hey! Hold on a second, Miss Wings!” Tess interrupted her, with a stern expression on her face, “What made you take your conclusions so fast?!”

“Isn’t it true? I’m an angel, Tess! Andrew and I are both angels and...”

“You two are God’s children in the first place! And you have a great capacity to love, maybe greater than humans, exactly because of your Heavenly nature!”

Monica frowned with concern, “I’m afraid I don’t understand it, Tess...”

“What I mean is that the Father would never be angry at His children because they love each other! Love, pure love like the one you’re feeling inside this little heart of yours, is holy too and you must find out how God wants you to expand it!”

A spark of happiness, together with some more tears, appeared on the angel’s face, together with a slight smile, “So... you’re telling me that... the Father blesses this love I’m feeling?” she said, not believing in the supervisor’s words.

“Of course He does, baby! Imagine if a caring Father, Who loves His children so much, would forbid them to love and deny them the feeling of happiness and joy!”

But Monica’s smile faded away some moments later, when a sudden thought crossed her mind. “Thank you for telling me this, Tess...” she spoke, and, after looking at Andrew once again, she lowered her head for the third time, “It’s good to know that. Even though Andrew doesn’t feel the same about me...”

“Oh that’s the other point I’d like to make! What the heck makes you think that Andrew doesn’t love you?!”

“He does... I know that. But... I’m afraid not the same way I love him...”

“And did he tell you this?!”

“N-no... but...”

“So you’d better wake up and start smelling coffee before it’s too late, Miss Wings! Don’t just ‘assume’ how a person, or in this case, how an angel feels about something if you’re not really sure about it!”

“Are you saying that I should go to Andrew and tell him how I feel? I... I don’t know if I would have courage, Tess! I don’t know if this is the way he’s feeling too and... I’m afraid that... if I tell him and find out he doesn’t love me... I’ll lose his friendship too!” more tears rolled on her cheeks and, this time, the oldest angel felt sorry for her dearest friend and charge. And, in a way, she knew that Monica was right and that facing Andrew’s rejection would break her kind and compassionate heart forever.

With gentle fingers, she wiped away her tears and kept on talking, “And if you were sure? If something, maybe a sign, showed you that angel boy loves you exactly the same way you love him?”

A tearful smile formed on her lips, “That would be... the most blessed present I could ever receive...”

“So my advise to you, Miss Wings, is that you stop running away from him, as you’ve been doing in the last few months, and pay attention to his actions. Look deep inside his eyes and seek for the truth; the same truth that you’ve taken to so many assignments!”

x

Andrew watched, from a certain distance, as Melissa came closer to Dennis in her wheelchair. “Hey,” she said, smiling at her old classmate.

“Hey,” he replied, and the blond angel could notice all the love and sorrow the man was feeling at that moment.

“You know, I always did have a little crush on you.”

“Really?” a slight surprised smile appeared on his face.

“Yeah. You were so smart, nice... and strong. No matter what anybody dished out, you never stroke back.”

“I wish I was as good person as you see it.”

“You are,” she looked at Ricky, her husband, who was talking to some other people, “I always knew there was something special about him.”

Dennis knelt in front of her, “Would it be a terrible thing if I told you I loved you? That I’ve always loved you?”

Hearing that from where he was, Andrew lowered his head from a second, and, when he raised it up again, the blond angel looked at Monica, who was sitting together with Tess.

“What a wonderful thing, Dennis. It’s always nice to know that somebody cares about you.”

“I seem to remember you telling me that once before,” he said, taking her hand in his one.

“Thanks for being you,” Melissa finally spoke; emotion evident in her face and in her eyes. From distance, with his hands in his pockets, Andrew watched as Monica stood up and started to prepare the stage for Tobby Keith, who would be singing soon. And, noticing how beautiful she looked, the blond angel smiled with tenderness.

x

Some time later, Tess announced that Melissa and Ricky had been elected the king and queen of the reunion, and called them to be crowned, under their former classmates’ enthusiastic applause.

Monica walked over to the stage and took the microphone, “Ladies and gentleman, Mr Tobby Keith!”

As the music started, Andrew watched as Ricky helped his wife to stand up from her chair and they started to dance.

“...give my girl a little kiss, that’s the next thing on my list...”, said the lyrics.  It was then that the blond angel looked at his dearest friend and smiled when he saw that she was looking at him, from the other side of the hall. Their eyes met in a long loving gaze and Monica felt her heart beating faster in her chest and butterflies in her stomach.

Practically hypnotised by Andrew’s sparkling green eyes, she started to walk towards him. And this time it was the blond angel who felt a lump forming in his throat when the pretty angel came closer to him. But smiling and also with a deep sensation of joy inside his heart, he took her hand and gently placed it over his shoulder; a smile also appeared on Monica’s face as he bent down, and both angels tenderly rested their heads together for some moments. No words needed to be spoken, as that single gesture was enough to make evident that both angels shared the most beautiful feeling.

When they pulled away, the Irish angel still let her hand fall and gently caressed his chest. Then, Monica walked away, and, with his eyes, Andrew still followed her heading out of the club. When he turned his head back to the dance floor, he met Tess’ gaze: the supervisor was looking at him with a slight smile and an encouraging face.

Hardly believing that could be an answer to his prayers, the blond angel gave one final look at the couple who danced close together a few steps from him and that image reminded him of all the times he and Monica had danced together. Taking a deep breath, Andrew seemed to have made up his mind, and left the hall a second later.

Outside, the little Irish angel walked around the swimming pool and looked up at the sky with a grateful expression on her face, “Thank you, Father,” she said, and a white dove cooed and flew up in the sky, once again confirming that those feelings she had been keeping inside her kind heart had been blessed.

Some seconds later, she heard the sound of steps coming from behind her and turned around: Andrew was coming towards her, with a tender smile and a loving look in his green eyes, which made her smile too; her heart filled with happiness.

He stopped in front of her and took her hand in both of his, “You look gorgeous, Monica.”

“Thank you...” she replied, slightly blushed.

“Have you ever felt glad for working on an assignment?”

“Sometimes... Why?” she asked, with questioning face.

“Well, because this is what I’m feeling right now. I’d say more: I’m feeling grateful for that. This assignment made me hear the truth I needed to hear...” he spoke, looking straight inside her brown eyes. “I’ve learned a precious lesson from Melissa and Dennis.”

“What lesson, Andrew?”

“That feelings, true good feelings such as love and affection, aren’t meant to be kept inside. We have to tell them to the one we love, with no fear,  even if we’re not sure whether this one feels the same, because they come from God so they can never be wrong.”

The Irish angel smiled meekly, “I’d say it’s a coincidence that this was the same lesson I’ve learned today... But we both know that there isn’t such thing as coincidence...” she returned the same look.

“Yes... And unintentionally, I heard Dennis saying something that I’ve been longing to say to you...”

“What is it, Andrew?” she wanted to know, her heart started to pound loudly in her chest when he reached out and stroked her cheek, “I love you, Monica. I’ve always loved you.”

Shedding some tears and smiling, the Irish angel couldn’t believe she was listening to those words, “You do?”

“Since the moment we first met, when I saw you I felt... something different... as if my heart was being filled with so much affection; you were working on an assignment and I felt I needed to help you no matter what because I didn’t want to see you sad... And... from that day on, seeing you happy... being able to make you happy gives me so much joy you’ll never know...”

Monica squeezed his hand, her sparkling brown eyes shining with emotion, “Oh, Andrew...”

“I... I just hope that I’m not wrong... that this spark I see in your eyes is a sign that you... that you feel the same about me...”

She let go of his hand and wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, more tears of happiness rolling down her face, “Andrew... You’re so precious to my existence... I thank God every single day for sending you to my world, to stay close to me, because the truth is that He sent me an angel to watch over me...” she pulled away just a few inches to look at his handsome face, “... I love you too, Andrew. I love you so much... And I was so afraid of telling you... I thought that if you didn’t feel the same about me I would lose your friendship too...”

The blond angel chuckled and tenderly stroked her cheek, “That’s something I’d say it’s impossible!”

Practically hypnotised by each other’s glance, they stopped talking. Carefully studying the features of her meek and pretty face, he inched his face closer and, with a pleasant feeling of butterflies in her stomach, the Irish angel closed her eyes. Their lips met a second later, in a sweet affectionate kiss, full of emotion and love. Andrew reached out and started to run his fingers through her long hair, while he wrapped his other arm around her waist.

Monica, for herself, placed her hands over his strong shoulders and caressed them tenderly, feeling limp in Andrew’s embrace.

When they finally pulled away it was just for a few seconds so that the blond angel could lay tender kisses on her forehead, nose and, once again, on her lips.

“Oh, Monica... I’ll spend the rest of eternity thanking for this moment... thanking for our love, angel.” He said, when they parted again, tenderly rubbing his thumb on her temple.

“So will I, Andrew, because, in fact, the Father gave me much more than I could realise, you know. In all these years I had not only your protection but also your love... And you and this beautiful feeling are the most precious things in the world to me...” the Irish angel moved her arms to from his shoulders to wrap his waist and, holding him tightly, she rested her head on his chest, listening to his heart beats.

With a happy expression on his face, Andrew kept a tight hold on her and, still stroking her hair, he kissed the top of her head repeatedly. They remained like this for some pleasant minutes, just listening to the love song “In other words”, played by Tobby Keith. It was when he whispered close to her ear, “May I have this dance?”

Smiling, she nodded her head, “Charmed!”

He placed one arm around her waist and took her hand in his, placing it close to his heart. Monica placed her other hand over his shoulder and rested her head against his chest and wishing that moment would last forever, they started dancing, as they did many times in the past – all those sweet moments had always brought them the best memories of their existence.

You've got my heart in unfamiliar territory
It's never been out here on my sleeve
But here tonight with you it's quite a different story
You bring out a side of me no one has ever seen

There's something I'm afraid to say to you too early
But I'd be a fool to wait too late
My mind is cautious but my heart is in a hurry
Which one's right, it's really hard to say

In other words
I can't put "I love you" in other words
When I look into your eyes
No other words can capture what I'm feeling
My heart tells my head some things can't be said
In other words
Better men than I have tried to find a better phrase
Still "I love you" has a ring I've never heard
In other words

What we've got here is a touching situation
You smile as if you've read my mind
A pair of "I love you's" gently ends this conversation
'Cause matters of the heart can't be defined

In other words
I can't put "I love you" in other words
When I look into your eyes
No other words can capture what I'm feeling
My heart tells my head some things can't be said
In other words
Better men than I have tried to find a better phrase
Still "I love you" has a ring I've never heard
In other words

Soon the music was over but they kept on dancing for some time more, when Andrew whispered in her ear those 3 words that made her heart beat with happiness once again, “I love you.”

“I love you too, Andrew. For the rest of eternity,” she replied, smiling cheerfully.

Then, he finally pulled away and, grabbing her face with both hands, he bent down, kissing her lips once again, tenderly and slowly; both of them sharing the most absolute joy.

The end.