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AJ watched as Anael jumped onto a nearby swing. Her body swayed in the wind as she offered a gentle smile toward him. AJ felt his heart sink down to his feet. Anael had forced AJ to take her to the park during their break. AJ had declined at first when he noticed the darkening clouds in the sky, but Anael was persistent. The threatening clouds didn’t bother him once Anael had him under her spell. He believed that whenever he was around her there was always a brilliant sun shining. She always warmed his insides, no matter what the temperature outside.

“I love parks!” Anael enthused with a delighted smile as AJ stood behind her. He grasped the chains of the swing, gently swaying her back and forth. Anael glanced up into his dark eyes with amusement. Her sapphire eyes sparked with warmth and love, causing AJ to offer a nervous smile. “Thanks for agreeing to come out with me, Alex.”

“I had nothing better to do,” AJ teased.

“Do you always have a smart comment waiting for me when I try to thank you?”

“Does it seem like I do?”

“Shut up,” Anael laughed, pushing her swing away from AJ’s grasp. She smiled with triumph, and jumped off the swing. She landed on her feet with desired grace. She began to run, assuring herself that AJ would certainly follow. Only, it began to grow quiet behind her. Anael chewed on her bottom lip with apprehension. She slowly turned around only to be charged by AJ. He grabbed her waist and tackled her to the ground. Anael shrieked with annoyance as AJ pinned her beneath him on the sweet smelling grass. “ALEX!”

“I believe that I beat you, Grace-Anne,” AJ declared loudly.

“I suppose I’ll have to agree,” Anael answered with a syrupy twang in her voice.

“So, why did you bring me here?” AJ asked, still laying on her.

“Why wouldn’t you want to come to a park? It gives y’all a kind of freedom that no one can explain. Swinging on the swings, running around, sliding, skipping, laughing – that’s freedom. I used to take my little sister to the parks all the time. We’d jump around and tease each other like there would be no tomorrow. I can’t believe y’all don’t miss the magic here… It’s like we can just turn back time here… Be kids forever,” Anael explained softly.

“I never knew you had a little sister…” AJ commented. So much of the woman’s life was a closed book. AJ had never pried before, because he feared Anael might turn away from him. Spending so much time with Anael had caused AJ to completely change. He found himself turning away from the bars to spend nights curled on a couch watching movies with Anael. He found himself turning down woman’s offers of pleasures in order to take Anael out for dinner. Yet, with all the effort, AJ never expected anything physical in return. He felt his heart burn for her.

“Yes, I did. I nev’a get to see her, because I moved away and can’t catch her sometimes. She knows I love her more than life itself.”

“I’ll take you to see her one of these days,” AJ promised.

“Thank you for the offer, but—”

“Grace-Anne, can I tell you something?” AJ interrupted, staring down into her deep sapphire eyes. AJ feared that if he looked too deep he might be stuck in the pools of brilliant blue forever. He could no longer lie to his heart. He needed her and wanted her. His mind began to cloud as she smiled with curiousness at him.

“What do you want to tell me?”

“Well, I’m sorry for the way I treated you the first time we met. I think I was just intimidated by you. But now that we’re so close… I feel like you might actually be my other half. I think that you… It’s just, I want to tell you…” AJ felt his throat tighten as he stared down at her confused eyes. She was so open with him. He sighed softly, struggling to find the words.

“Alex,” Anael called, shaking him from a daze.

“Huh?” he asked with confusion, feeling an icy liquid drip down his neck. He shivered terribly, glancing up at the sky to see the clouds rip open. Within a few seconds, the rain began to pour down upon them. Anael shrieked as AJ scrambled to get her off the muddy ground. “Shit!” he cursed, holding his jacket above her head.

“Sorry,” Anael laughed.

“Wait, this vendor sells umbrellas,” AJ announced, shielding his eyes from the blurring rain. He quickly ushered Anael to a small vendor sitting beneath a large plastic canopy. AJ motioned to one of the umbrellas and thrust out some crumpled bills. He smiled and opened the umbrella, quickly wrapping his other arm around Anael and walked out into the pouring rain. “I saved us.”

“You always seem to do that,” Anael declared, glancing at the other people running for cover. She felt her skin prickle as AJ drew her close to his side. Anael wasn’t blind. She knew that she was developing feelings for a man she was supposed to turn toward God. She felt her heart pound as she watched some taxis zoom by on the busy street. “Do you want to hail a cab—”

“Let’s just walk back to the hotel. It’s not far from here and I like the sound of the rain on the umbrella.”

“Okay,” Anael answered quietly, simply allowing her body to tightly fit against AJ’s body. She couldn’t fight the temptation for once in her life. She wanted AJ more than he would ever know. At first she detested him, but now there was something inside him that she needed. She fell quiet as she allowed her head to rest on his shoulder. They moved slowly down the street, enchanting Anael even further. The drumming of the rain against the plastic sheath of the umbrella began to flow against the steady pounding of AJ’s heart.

“I love the sound of the rain,” AJ stated after a steady period of silence. He glanced down to see Anael at peace with the sounds amongst her. He smiled softly as she glanced up. They were at the front of the hotel, but Anael made no move to leave the embrace.

“Are you trying to seduce me?” Anael answered somewhat nervously.

“Is it working?” AJ asked with a sly smile.

“Unfortunately, yes,” Anael whispered, leaning forward. AJ wrapped his arms carefully around her waist, pulling her close. He allowed the umbrella to slip from his hands, falling against the sidewalk with a gentle bounce. His dark eyes bore into her own as he leaned downward. Anael focused on his soft velvety lips, closing her eyes. She felt her lips burn with anticipation and stood up on her toes.

Waiting.

Wanting.

Longing.

Needing.

“ANAEL!” a voice screeched, halting the entire universe. Anael’s eyes bugged open in horror as AJ’s face froze inches away from her own. She felt a brilliant light burn against her skin as the icy rain halted in the air. Each drop sparkled with prism rainbows as the light grew more intense. Anael turned around to see Brea crystallized before her. Anael groaned in dismay, feeling her cheeks burning with awkwardness. “Anael! Glad I caught you!”

“Glad you caught me? Brea, you’re in Heaven! I mean, how could you not catch me?” Anael answered, stepping away from AJ’s frozen form.

“Gabriel wanted me to check in on you for a minute. Seems that everything is going haywire at home. Go figure. I always thought Gabriel could handle everything,” Brea declared, glancing up quickly as if she expected Gabriel to throttle her into the ground. Anael watched her friend land gently against the ground. Brea looked spectacular as ever. Her golden wings were arched and fully opened to reveal all her glory. She wore a simply white gown with gold stitching. Her shoulders sparkled with golden warm as she tossed her dark curls behind her shoulder.

“Why do I need checked up on?” Anael asked finally.

“By the looks of it… You need plenty of checking in,” Brea answered, gesturing toward AJ. Brea’s dark eyes glanced over the man with appreciation. She smiled warmly at her friend. “He is quite cute, though.”

“Brea!”

“Forgive me… Earth always seems to do funny
things to me.”

“No, you always act like this.”

“Thanks, Anael,” Brea snorted. “Gabriel wanted me to tell you that your mission is coming to an end. Gabriel thinks that your wayward man is starting to change. You need to pull the final strings to complete the mission. He thinks you’re doing fantastically, too. So, just be careful, okay?”

“That’s what you came down here to tell me? You couldn’t have sent it through a crystal vision?” Anael questioned with an irritated glare.

Brea shrugged her shoulders and spoke, “Like I said, be careful.”

With a strong blow from her wings, Brea propelled herself back into the air. Anael stumbled backward toward AJ as the rain started to fall once again. Within seconds, AJ became animated and leaned in to finish his thought. Instead, Anael grew fearful and turned her head. AJ stumbled forward, completely missing Anael. She pulled at her at her soak jean jacket, glancing at her hands as she spoke, “I think we need to stay friends, Alex…”

AJ’s only reaction to her proposal was a frosty glare as he let the rain pour down on his freezing soul.