Chapter One: Charlie Sees an Angel

Charlie staggered down the sidewalk, swerving from side to side and carrying a bottle wrapped with a brown paper bag in his hand. He rambled hysterically, and those who saw him stared at him with bewilderment before hurrying passed. His eyes were red and puffy, and tears stained his cheeks. His hair was a frazzled mess, and the headlights of cars passing by aggravated his bloodshot eyes.

The night was supposed to have gone so much differently than this. The waitress and he should've gone out to dinner together. They would've bonded. They would've laughed. They would've gone back to her place and made sweet love to one another, and then maybe, she would realize that she and Charlie were meant for one another.

Instead, the waitress had walked into Paddy's Pub with Frank and announced that she had slept with him.

The world spinned, and Charlie got caught off balance. He tumbled until he landed in a pile of trash next to the steps of a townhouse. The streets were cleared of all passersby now, and the only sounds in the inky, black night were of distant sirens and the television in someone's home nearby. He was completely and utterly alone.

Charlie sobbed. He weeped so much that he drew the moisture out of his flesh and turned it into tears. His skin paled, accentuating his puffy, red eyes. He felt broken inside, disjointed. He felt that no matter how much time passed, his scars would never heal.

"Hey," a voice said, as soft and as gentle as an angel's, "hey, are you alright?"

Charlie ceased his mourning and lifted his head to train his crazed eyes on the voice. As he did so, he swore he did in fact see an angel. An angel with chesnut waves and captivating, blue eyes and radiant skin. But Charlie was so out of it that he started to sink to the ground, his eyes sliding closed ever so slowly.

The angel gripped his shoulders. "Don't leave me." He heard her whisper right in his ear, and just like that, he sprang back to life. "Do you need help? Where do you live?" The angel continued to question him.

Charlie mumbled his address to her, just barely comprehensible, and the angel slung his arm around her shoulders before lifting him to his feet. "I'm going to take you home now, okay?"

He tried to nod, but instead, his head just rolled to one side. She dragged him to the curb with her. "Taxi!" She called out over and over again, waving her arm frantically to capture the attention of the few taxis that passed by. Then, one pulled up to the curb in front of them. The angel pushed him into the taxi and slid into the seat right beside him. Charlie rested his head against the cool glass of the window and watched as a swirl of colors raced by them

The drive was short. Soon enough, the car pulled up in front of Charlie's apartment complex, and the angel paid the exact amount before yanking him out of the taxi. She helped him into the rundown building, up the narrow staircase, and onto his floor. She surveyed each side of the hall they were in, contemplating which way was the one to Charlie's room.

Charlie grunted and attempted to walk in the direction of his room. He would've toppled over had it not been for the angel supporting him. She got his message and went the way he had suggested, taking him with her. Once they passed Charlie's door, he outstretched a hand to slam his fist on the wood surface repeatedly, babbling incoherently.

The angel, shushing him to prevent him from waking his neighbors, returned to the door. "I need your keys." She told him. He put all of his weight on the door while she stuck her hands into his jacket's compartments. Charlie stared down at the beautiful woman rummaging through his pockets. He couldn't remember the last time he had been so close to a woman, or the last time he had wanted to kiss someone so badly, of course besides...

Suddenly, the events of the night came back to him, and it was like a faucet had been turned on. Tears leaked from his eyes and he choked on his sobs. He caved in like a house of cards and began his slow, steady descent to the floor.

The angel pulled the keys out of his pocket and stared down at him in shock. "I'm sorry! What did I do?" She took his arm and helped him to stand. "I'm sorry!"

Charlie immediately felt guilty. He didn't want the angel to think it was something that she had done to cause him to cry. So, he summoned all of the strength in his body and stopped crying. He bottled up his tears inside of himself, making his face red and blotchy and his eyes watery. It hurt, and as much as he wanted to let it all out and weep freely, he didn't.

After the angel jiggled the keys in the lock of the door, she twisted the knob and pushed open the door to reveal Charlie's apartment. It was a mess. A catastrophy. Dirty clothes covered every surface, and empty cans or glass bottles of beer were scattered across the room. There was a pull-out couch in the middle of the room, which was currently in its bed form, and a miniscule tv directly across from that. The paint on the walls was peeling and the carpet was littered with stains. No house on "Hoarders" could compete with this one room apartment.

Surprisingly, Frank was not home, and Charlie pushed all thoughts of him being out with the waitress out of his mind. The angel and he stepped into his room, and she kicked the door shut behind them. She walked to stand in the middle of the room and observed her surroundings, shocked by the tragedy she had unearthed and unsure of what to do next.

Then, she reached out to him and took his hand in hers. "You should probably go to bed." As she was about to lower him into his bed slowly, Charlie gripped onto the angel just a little too tightly and fell back, crashing against the mattress and taking her with him.

The angel's face was not even a hairsbreadth away from his. He could feel her hot breath fan his face. Charlie continued to stare into her mesmerizing, blue eyes. He was no longer on the brink of tears or mind numbingly drunk. All he could focus on was the stunning woman on top of him and the tempting pair of lips that were within his reach...

She glanced down at his lips for a second before cracking a smile. "I'll help you get comfortable." She pulled away from him slightly and assisted him with slipping off his grey suit jacket. She undid his tie, and Charlie couldn't help but stare at the perfection that was her face. Her features were so fine and delicate, like they had been carved out of marble.

The angel threw his tie on the ground carelessly and moved down his body. Kneeling in front of him, she untied the laces on his shoes and tossed them across the room. Getting up from off of the ground, she dusted herself off and looked down at Charlie with her hands on her hips. He propped himself up on his elbows and stared up at her.

"I guess I'll leave now..." The angel said awkwardly, yet she didn't move. Charlie didn't move either. He wanted to take her in for as long as possible before she left his life forever.

"I can't leave until you lay down..." The angel whispered. Charlie took one last look at her, one good, long look, before he rested with his back against the mattress and closed his eyes.

He heard her footsteps getting closer to the door and growing faint. Then, on a whim, he murmurs, "Don't leave me."

There was no sound of the door creaking open. She did not say anything. She simply paused. "Please." He begged quietly.

Then, he could hear her walk over to where he was. He dared to open an eye. The angel stood above his bed, staring down at him.

"I'll stay until you fall asleep." She agreed. Charlie scooted over on the bed, making room for her. The angel accepted the invitation and lied down next to him so that they were facing each other. She looked at him with her dazzling, cerulean eyes and had the smallest smile on her face.

Charlie stared into her eyes all night long. He continued to stare into her eyes until sleep overcame him, and just as he fell into a deep slumber, the angel covered his hand with hers.