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Anael yawned softly as she plopped down on the oversized white couch in the living room of their new apartment style hotel rooms. She was tired of the long bus rides that she endured in order to travel from venue to venue. She was also exhausted by the late night concerts and early practices. Thankfully, the boys were now in Virginia for a few shows and some relaxation time. She hoped that she could get some rest and work harder on bringing AJ to God.

To Anael’s delight, AJ had requested that Anael stay at the hotel with him while the others went to the beach for some recreation. Anael prayed that this was the time that AJ might ask for the Lord’s help, but she remained doubtful. AJ had opened his heart up to befriending Anael, but still detested her prayers in the middle of practice and Bible studies with Brian. She continued to pray for his soul every night, begging the Lord to be merciful on her first mission. However, the Lord had never answered her directly, only Gabriel beamed in to check on her progress. He continued to tell her that she was doing well and to keep praying.

“Gracie?” AJ called out loudly, teasing her in a southern drawl. Their relationship as friends had boomed since the fateful bar incident. The boys were surprised that AJ could keep a woman as a friend. Anael rolled her eyes at the thought of becoming romantically interested in her mission and pulled a pillow over her head for protection from AJ’s tickling wrath. She heard AJ stomp out of his room in search of her. His footsteps stopped in front of her, peering at her body hidden amongst the pillows. AJ grinned devilishly, staring at Anael’s bare feet poking out from the pillows. He stooped down to the height of the couch, immediately tickling her feet.

Anael yelped out in surprise, jumping from beneath the covers. She attempted to get away by leaping off the couch, but tripped over AJ’s legs. She fell forward, slamming into the soft carpet. She groaned as the dull ache filled her stomach. Immediately, another force pushed down on her back. She yelped in protest only to hear AJ’s wild laugh. She groaned, struggling to get away as he attacked her with pokes and tickles. She screamed, trying to lunge away once more, but he was too strong. “AJ! STOP IT!”

“Say mercy!” he demanded with an infamous roar.

“Mercy my butt! GET OFF ME, AJ!”

“Say you love me, then!”

“You love me!” she screeched, causing AJ to burst into laughter. He let go of her sides, allowing Anael to wiggle from beneath him. Anael growled at him, running her fingers through her messy blonde curls. AJ laughed, causing her to roll her eyes. He was quite rough when he was in his playful nature. “Must you continue to harass me to show your affection, AJ?”

“At least you know it’s some kind of affection,” AJ declared with a proud smirk.

“Yes, abusive affection,” Anael grumbled, quickly tossing her hair into a ponytail to prevent AJ from messing it up again. She glanced at him, noticing that he was studying her intensely. Anael smiled softly. No matter how much she complained, she really did enjoy AJ’s company. He was was a very comical character and always knew how to make Anael laugh He also became very serious at some instance, seeming to probe deep into Anael’s soul. She tingled from the intense stare, blushing faintly. “What’s the matter, AJ?”

“I have a problem…” AJ hesitated.

“What kind of problem?” Anael asked, feeling her breath catch. She made a silent prayer in hoping that he might ask about God. She wanted so badly to tell him the story of Jesus’ enduring love. She wanted to explain the strength of God’s love and how he redeemed even the worst of sinners. She felt her heart pound with anticipation as she inched herself closer to AJ. Her gray eyes sparked with utter joy. “You can tell me anything AJ, big or small.”

“Well, it seems pretty stupid.”

“Why?”

“I’m just tired of you using my stage name,” AJ blurted.

“Your stage name?” Anael repeated with confusion.

“AJ, you know? My mom gave me that name when I was starting out to give me an edge. The guys call me it because it’s just what they’re used to doing. It’s just, I don’t want you to be used to it. Do you think you could use my name Alex? It’d mean a lot to me, you know?” AJ explained, a blush creeping up to his dark cheeks. He stared at his hands, eyeing the many rings that adorned his various fingers. He always felt like an idiot when trying to communicate to Anael. She was a special woman and AJ just hoped that she knew it.

“You want me to call you Alex?” she repeated, feeling idiotic for expecting so much more in such little time. He obviously wasn’t ready to commit to God. He had been hurt worse than Anael could have imagined.

“If you’d like,” he replied cautiously.

“Of course I’ll call you Alex!” Anael exclaimed, reaching out to wrap her arms around his neck. She decided not to let the negative emotions invade her private thoughts. She felt AJ jump back with surprise, causing her to smile with delight. AJ stared at her in wonder, pushing back a few curls that had fallen from her long ponytail. “What’s the matter, Alex?”

“You always do something to surprise me every day. It’s amazing,” he murmured in a mesmerizing tone.

“Actually, I’m shocked. This is coming from the man who vowed to splatter my guts onto the nearest road during the earlier weeks,” Anael gasped, placing her hand mockingly onto his chest. She stared into his dark eyes as if she were searching for a link. “Are you sure that you’re not sick?”

“Grace-Anne! Stop, I’m actually giving you a compliment!” AJ growled.

Anael sat back, pouting. “I’m sorry. I’ll be good now. So, what do you want to say besides that I’m knocking you off your feet?”

“I want to ask you about yourself.”

“About myself?”

“The guys say you never reveal personal information. I’d hope that you would at least tell me some stuff about your past. Where you grew up, what you were like, what your friends were like, and all that. I just wish that you would connect with me as much as I connect with you. I think you know about everything there is about me, but I don’t know a single thing about you. Like, what did your friends used to call you for a nickname? Don’t tell me they all called you Grace-Anne! It’s too long!” AJ asked honestly, wanting to dive into the depths of her gray irises to reveal the secrets of her life.

“You want to know my nicknames?” Anael asked with amusement. She had first feared getting into details about her personal life. She feared that if she revealed too much, her cover might be blown. Her past life was jaded, not to mention her death. Anael still had trouble conjuring up the pictures of her death. She sighed, tapping her fingers against her jean-clad legs. She could at least some type of information to AJ without jeopardizing her mission.

“I guarantee it wasn’t Gracie or Annie,” AJ declared with a smirk.

“And why is that?” Anael scoffed.

“You don’t act like a Gracie or an Annie.”

“Nope, they never did call me Gracie or Annie,” Anael admitted, thinking back to her childhood. She was so happy playing with her friends in her home of North Carolina. She would always bring her little sister out to the back yard to play with her friends. They would be damsels in distress as her little boy friends would attack the creeping dragons. She would always turn into an angel at the end. Anael sighed happily, leaning back against the couch with AJ. “They called me Wind Angel all the time.”

“Wait, they called you Wind Angel?” AJ repeated.

“My name means…” Anael quickly caught herself. She groaned inwardly, realizing the dangers of her wistful nature. She trusted AJ too much. She quickly reverted her attention, trying to catch herself. She stumbled in her explanation, “I always liked going fast and I was the first on all the new roller coasters at the parks… Momma always said I was a pretty little angel… So Wind Angel just kind of stuck.”

“Wind Angel?” AJ repeated again with a smile on his face. “It suites you.”

“It does?”

“Yes, because the wind can be gentle and warm as well as harsh and nasty. You have both emotions raging in your soul, but the Angel portion of your nickname indicates that you have more gentle winds than raging winds. It definitely suites you,” AJ complimented.

Anael gasped, feeling her heart stir from his sweet praise. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“You definitely have a romantic side, I bet. The Wind Angel nickname sounds romantic for me. Are you sure you didn’t have any boyfriends that nicknamed you Wind Angel? Maybe you two were caught in a storm together? Hmm?” AJ inquired, almost feeling sick at the thought. It scared him to think that she had another love interest in her heart. He watched Anael blush, causing him to smile with appreciation.

“I’ve never had that type of romantic interlude if that’s what you’re implying. I’ve always been too wistful and romanticized for boys my age.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I decided at an early age that my prince charming would come at only one pivotal moment in my life,” Anael replied, still blushing furiously. She couldn’t believe she was going into such intimate details with him. She took a deep breath as he glanced at her curiously. “I decided that I was going to marry the man that rescued me with an umbrella in the middle of a storm.”

“What?” AJ chuckled.

“Shut up! Don’t you realize how romantic an umbrella in the rain is? Two people cuddled up beneath a small umbrella while the rain drops dance on the plastic? The sound of the drizzling as the woman is wrapped in the man’s embrace allures me. The man is rescuing the woman from the rain and it’s like he’s offering her his soul along with the umbrella. It’s absolutely perfect. I always dreamed that I would meet my true love in that type of situation,” Anael explained.

“Are you serious?” AJ asked.

“Yes,” she answered hesitantly, fearing he might laugh.

Instead, AJ jumped up and grabbed his leather jacket from the rack near the door. He threw it toward Anael with a handsome smile. “C’mon, we have to go find some rain and buy an umbrella! I want to be the man of your dreams, Miss Wind Angel!”

“ALEX!” Anael groaned.

AJ smirked, pulling Anael to her feet while she held his coat. He ruffled the curls locked into the ponytail, causing Anael to shiver with delight. He tugged on one of the curls. “Okay, how about I take you out for some ice cream?”

“Ice cream?” she enthused.

“Yes, just let me go grab my favorite pair of shades,” AJ announced, slipping away into his room. Anael smiled wistfully, slipping AJ’s jacket onto her body. She inhaled the sweet scent of his cologne, pushing her hands into the pockets. Something rustled against her fingertips. She pulled the piece of paper away from the right pocket, smoothing it out of its crumpled state. She felt a stab of pain attack her heart as she noted the flowery scribbles of a woman’s name, number, and address. A small note on the bottom explained that AJ should contact her that day for some fun. Anael sighed with defeat as AJ ran out of bedroom. “Are you cold?” he asked in surprise, noticing his coat on her.

“I am now,” she murmured.

“Excuse me?”

“I think I’m going to get ice cream by myself tonight,” Anael mumbled, pulling the jacket away from her body. She set it on the coach, walking over toward AJ. She held out the piece of paper, watching his eyes go wide. “I felt it brush against my fingers and I didn’t know what it was. I guess this woman really wants you to meet her today. You should give her a call.”

“Grace-Anne,” AJ sighed.

“No, really, it’s okay. Meet her at the bar or whatever. I can find the guys at the beach””

“Wait!” AJ barked, grabbing her by the upper shoulder. She flung backward into his chest. She gazed into his dark eyes with surprise. She pushed herself away, causing him to smirk. “Do you mind if I just go get ice cream with you instead?”

“Why?”

“That chick isn’t my type, plus I want to make sure I catch you if it rains.”

“Alex””

“Hurry up, I’m hungry for some rocky road ice cream!” AJ interrupted, tugging Anael out the door. Anael squealed in victory, running to keep up with AJ’s energetic pace.