Chapter 6

Monica crossed the minimal distance of her room upstairs in the house with a small stack of folded clothes in hand before reaching her suitcase, which lay open on the bed before her. Dropping the few pants and sweaters she had brought slowly into the bag, Monica sighed contentedly and gently but firmly patted them down flat with both hands just enough for them to fit comfortably once she zipped up the nylon lid. That was everything for now. She had packed what few belongings she possessed in that little travel bag. As an angel, needless to say, she didn't need much. She was pretty much 'provided' with whatever she needed, but she liked to carry with her whatever helped her to feel at home just the same.

Andrew had gone back to his apartment a couple hours ago and Monica had told Tess, Gloria and Eliza that she would be staying with Andrew in his temporary apartment, only because it was getting a little crowded over here. Of course, they had thought nothing of it, much to Monica's relief before she had gone upstairs to her room to pack up whatever she felt necessary. Andrew had gone back to his apartment to make room for whatever small space she needed and now she was alone in her room to contemplate every little detail of the events that had occurred ever so quickly over the past twenty-four hours. It was so incredible how everything could change so quickly. This time yesterday, she would have been sitting on that lonely little park bench, all by herself and now…well…she wasn't.

She could never express her gratefulness to the Father for what He'd done for her. All the thanks in the world could've never described how she truly felt now. She knew there could never be a way for her to put it into words, but she also knew that the Lord was aware of what she was feeling and she could practically feel the 'you're welcome's raining down on her like the cool, refreshing drops of a midsummer shower; a gentle relief from the blazing, afternoon sun. She was sure He would never ever tell her that she and Andrew had done the wrong thing. They had acted on their feelings and the Father knew how much they loved each other, Monica was positive of that much. Of course, that didn't cover Tess, but like Andrew had said, there was no use getting her all worked up before they were even ready to confirm their feelings for each other. After all, it was possible they had just been caught up in the moment and they just didn't know it yet, but they would always be just friends. Of course, if that was the case, then why did Monica feel like this?

Every time she even so much as thought of Andrew, she felt as though someone had pounded her across the stomach with a baseball bat and for one, wonderfully-strange moment, she realized she had lost her breath, but the feeling was not a bad one, in fact, it didn't bother her one bit. She loved it. She loved it more than life itself and she would do anything in the entire world just to make anyone understand that. She loved Andrew as much as the heavens and earth itself. All she wanted was to be with him forever. But for now, they had a few things to figure out.

But just then, Monica was torn from her lovely musings when a gentle tapping sound caught her attention. Glancing quickly toward her window, Monica started briefly as the unfamiliar sound came once again and this time she was sure she had seen something hit her window pane. Something small, like a marble, but still something and that was enough to out her even a little on edge. Waiting just a brief second to make sure it wasn't her imagination, Monica's suspicions were confirmed when it came a third time and she knew someone, or something wanted her attention.

Keeping her eyes fixed widely on the window pane, Monica began to make her way over to the window ever to timidly, moving so slowly that she wasn't sure if she would ever get there. She just couldn't help wondering what was down there, looking up upon her. What would her eyes fall upon when she glanced out that window? But her heart was allowed to slow and rest a moment from its frantic ongoings when she finally reached the window and carefully lifted it open before peeking her head over the side. For what she saw only caused her heart to swell with joy and relief as her honey-brown eyes suddenly fell upon a handsome and familiar figure standing on the lawn below with a fist full of gravel stones from the driveway in hand. His blonde head of hair and tender, green-blue eyes staring up at her with such love and affection that it caused her heart to skip a beat in her chest as an ear-to-ear grin suddenly split her face for what must have been the millionth time in the last day.

At Andrew's feet, sat a picnic-looking basket, which he had obviously brought with him for whatever reason possible; Monica could use her imagination. But whatever the purpose, it was clear that he intended to come up somehow. A new concern suddenly finding its way into her mind, Monica glanced briefly over her shoulder just to make sure no one was at her door or at least sounded as if they were coming before turning her attention back to Andrew and making the conscious decision not to do any sort of shouting that may catch anyone's attention. Instead, she simply mouthed out the words, 'use the garage' and waved him up. She knew the entire situation seemed nothing but childish, but she couldn't help it. She suddenly knew what it felt like to be in love and she honestly didn't care how silly any of it seemed.

It was clear that Andrew felt the same way as he beamed up at her with an amused grin and snuck a sideways glance toward the garage before nodded the 'okay' to her, picked up the basket at his feet and disappearing from view once more. Monica watched him go and needn't wait long before he reappeared just across the driveway climbing up onto the garage roof. He then straightened into a standing position and Monica watched with an entertained expression as he began walking the length of the roof ridge before he reached the side of the house and disappeared from view yet again. But he once again reappeared only moments later, but this time just inches from Monica as she first noticed his feet and then the rest of him followed as he climbed down through the window and – with minimal difficulty – dropped in and landed squarely on his feet in Monica's room.

An excited grin spread like peanut butter across her face, Monica rushed forward the moment he was in and, wrapping her arms around his neck, allowed her lips to fall gently onto his in a tender, long kiss. Dropping the basket once again at his feet, Andrew returned the soft caress and raised a gentle hand to the back of her head, pulling her a little more firmly against him while the other hand served a similar purpose across her back. He wished they could just stay in such a stance forever. It was the only action he knew that could express even a tenth of how much he loved her and he knew that if he could, he would've kissed her until the world ended.

The moment seemed like hours before they finally pulled apart, though their faces didn't stray far from each other and Andrew then rested his forehead on hers as they stood there together for yet another long moment that seemed to last an eternity, only content to just stay in each others arms.

Finally, the delicate silence was broken when Andrew finally felt the need to explain his arrival. "I thought you might be hungry for some lunch." He whispered with a kind smile, though he still didn't move from where he stood against her. Monica closed her eyes briefly just to savor the moment and smiled in a small but meaningful manner. It was just like Andrew to do something so considerate and yet loving at the same time. She couldn't help but think she hadn't loved him enough before if that was possible. It seemed that every second they spent together was new and exploratory. Like they never knew a feeling such as this ever existed. Monica felt as though every second that passed she just loved him more and more and she was almost fearful that it would never stop. But then that fear inexplicably showed itself in her heart as a wonderful feeling of bliss each time he kissed her, like a caterpillar that evolved into a butterfly.

She had known him for so long before. Years in fact. But when he died that day five years ago, something inside her died with him and she was almost sure she would never get it back, until he came back. Only then did she feel whole again and she knew she could never be more convinced of his love for her in return. She had loved him for years as a friend. The best friend she had ever had. And so when that friendship blossomed into something so beautiful that neither of them could ever describe it, they needn't think twice about it. In fact, they couldn't think of any possible reason they hadn't felt this way the entire time. They couldn't believe they had been holding out on their feelings the whole time. How had they not noticed such incredible emotions? It was like explorers had suddenly discovered an island in the middle of nowhere that measured thousands of miles wide and they couldn't believe they had never noticed it before. It simply seemed impossible.

And yet here they were in each other's arms and realizing none of this was impossible. The dream had become reality and now they were determined to never let such a feeling escape either of them. It just couldn't. Never.

But just then, the entire moment was snatched away from them when a sudden knock at Monica's bedroom door stole away their attention. "Monica? Can I come in?" Tess' throaty, unmistakable voice drifted through the wooden doorframe and Monica and Andrew immediately leapt apart, all the while jumping somewhere around five feet in the air as the tender moment shattered around them like stained glass. Exchanging horrified glances, both Monica and Andrew knew they didn't have to discuss the situation to agree on one thing: Tess could NOT see them together now. Andrew was supposed to be at his apartment and Monica was supposed to be packing, not having a picnic with her secret love life. It pained her to no end to keep such a thing from her supervisor, but she had no choice and wasted no time in responding to Tess' inquiring voice.

"Just a minute!" She called in reply as she gestured quickly with one hand toward the minimal space beneath the bed. Andrew understood instantly and got down on his stomach, sliding himself under the bed. But it didn't take long for both of them to figure out that was a lost cause. The space was far too narrow for even Eliza to fit underneath. And so Monica grasped Andrew's hand, helping him hastily toward his feet before pushing him in the direction of the closet. But yet again, it was no use, for, upon opening it, their eyes fell upon nothing but stacks upon stacks of storage boxes, completely taking up what small space there was inside. It was then that Tess' voice came once again, slightly more urgent this time.

"Baby, is everything alright?" She ventured in a bit of a concerned manner through the door once more. Now Monica and Andrew were beginning to panic as they realized there was nowhere for him to hide and they were more than likely going to get caught, forcing them to give some kind of explanation. And, when Monica busied herself desperately searching for more potential hiding places, she hadn't a chance to answer her supervisor, causing the worry in Tess to rise beyond repair. It was only another moment before the horrible click of the doorknob could be heard and they both realized they were out of time, but thankfully, Andrew's quick-thinking mind got the better of the both of them and he rushed as quietly as he could toward the door, positioning himself quickly against the wall behind it as it swung open and Tess stepped in the room.

Monica did her best to look nonchalant and as innocent as she possibly could as she kicked the picnic basket on the floor beneath the bed and seated herself casually on the mattress next to her suitcase. Tess shot her that suspicious sideways glance for a brief moment as she glanced around the room uneasily. "Are you okay?" She ventured finally, after a lengthy, awkward silence. It was then that Monica realized her supervisor had absolutely no idea Andrew had ever been here and she released the deep, cleansing breath she didn't even realize she had been holding.

"Yes, Tess, everything's fine. Really. I was just finishing up packing." She forced a small, innocent smile and patted her suitcase next to her with one hand as if to express her point. She then caught her breath once more as she glanced down behind Tess and noted that Andrew's feet were more than visible beneath the door but fortunately, Tess didn't seem to notice so far. "Are you sure?" She questioned yet again as she lowered her gaze momentarily in an attempt to catch Monica's. But the younger angel quickly rearranged her fearful features and forced yet another smile of reassurance as she nodded in return, but said nothing. Tess then glanced around only one more time before letting out a sigh of trust in her trainee's words and shrugged as if she was convinced. "Well, alright. I just came up to tell you that lunch is ready." She informed her gently, though she seemed only slightly distracted before she flashed Monica one last suspicious glance and turned to leave. Monica watched her go, every second seeming like a lifetime until Tess finally disappeared into the hallway and closed the door quietly behind her.

Both Monica and Andrew let out impossibly long sighs of relief as their eyes met once again across the room. They knew they were both thinking the same thing. They had to tell Tess sometime. That was just too hard for both of them. But again, they both knew they just weren't ready quite yet. Tess would know. But not right now. Of course, it seemed as though the clock was ticking short of time for them and they knew they had to tell her soon…