Angel of Mine (13 page)

We rock on the porch swing, admiring the changing colours of the afternoon sky as the sun sets. Shades of pinks, purples, and oranges decorate the horizon, and the smile it bestows upon Ally’s face is so dazzling that it lights her up.

Curled up against my side her with feet tucked under her, she absently draws random patterns on my bare leg with her fingertips. She is driving me crazy. I slouch further down into the cushioned seat of the swing and pull her tighter against me, hoping this may cause her fingers to inch just a little higher.

I pepper little bites up and down her exposed neck, making her squirm and giggle. I swirl my tongue around the slight marks to soothe them. I want to eat her alive. “You taste delicious,” my voice is husky.

She guides my hand from her waist to her breast, and I groan. Squeezing lightly, I start to ravage her mouth with my own. Through the thin material of her satin top, I can easily feel the effect I have on her and trace around the hard peak with my fingers while fantasizing about doing the exact same thing with my tongue.

Just as thoughts of how innocent she is pinprick at the outer edges of my brain, she moans into my mouth and I come undone. I lay back and pull her over the top of me, grinding up against her. The bulge in my cargo shorts is hard as a rock, and it pushes stubbornly against my zipper. The side of the swing digging into my back doesn’t even bother me, and I have totally forgotten that we are out in the open.

Any logic that materialized earlier concerning the need to slow things down for her sake has vanished. May God have mercy on my soul.

A howl suddenly pierces my ears and we break apart, breathing heavily. With her lips swollen from my attack, and her cheeks flushed, she is simply breathtaking. As I move in to claim her again, another howl pierces my ears, followed by a whole lot of cursing.

We both sit upright and look around. Seeing that Ally’s eyes have zeroed in on the neighbour who has nailed his hand to a plank of wood and is screeching in pain, I pull her flush against me as she jumps to her feet. Her back is to my front and I wrap her tightly in a bear hug so that she is unable to move. I am careful not to hold her arm that is still healing. I don’t want to hurt her accidentally.

“No way in hell are you going over there sweetheart.” It practically comes out as a growl. An overwhelming need to protect her fills me. I will never let her know pain again. “I’m not letting you go this time. What happened last week, I’m never letting that happen again.”

I’m unable to fathom why she would even consider going over there and taking my neighbour’s place. She’s still recovering from surgery. Does she know no bounds? This fearless woman wants to save everyone, but who is looking out for her? I make it my vow then and there to protect her at all costs. My whole world centres completely on her. In this moment, she just became my everything.

I am disappointed that I am cutting our evening short, but the need to keep her safe is my top priority. I throw her over my shoulder as she continues to fight against me to get next door. “I’m getting you out of here.”

My family looks at me strangely as I cart her through the house and out to my car. Once I have her seatbelt on safely, I run around to the driver’s side and jump in, turning the engine on before she has a chance of escape.

“Did you really have to throw me over your shoulder like that and cart me around like a caveman? That man needed help,” she huffs and glares out the window.

“Okay, let’s get one thing straight here.” I’m facing her, but she refuses to look at me.

“Whatever Theo, I don’t want to hear it. Let’s just go.” With one hand in my face, and the other turning the radio on, she promptly tunes me out.

“No, you need to hear this,” I urge back, pressing the off button as I do so. Adamant as ever, she turns it back on and crosses her arms. Fine, two can play at this game. I switch the engine off so the radio no longer works.

“When it’s either your safety in question or the tough guy’s next door, I pick you. Hell, if it’s a choice between anyone else and you, I choose you. I will always choose you Ally. End of story. You’re my girlfriend, and I intend to look after you and keep you safe.” Finally, she turns to look at me with a huge smile across her face. This sassy girl’s moods are giving me whiplash.

“Did you just call me your girlfriend?”

By the look on her face, this is a good thing, so I reply, “Yes, and don’t you forget it.” Leaning in, I plant a quick kiss on her lips and then start the car again. As we back out the driveway, she turns on the radio and starts singing out of tune to a pop song, but I love her in spite of it.
Wait, I love her?
Yeah, I think I do. Smiling wide, I start singing out of tune right along with her as we drive off.

The trip to her place is short, and I’m not ready to end our time together yet. “Want to watch another one of your movies?” I’m already undoing both our seatbelts though and making a move to come in regardless of what she says.

“Sure.” It’s dark out now, and the streetlight shines in through the window, showing me that she’s still a little bleary-eyed from the alcohol. Her speech doesn’t slur though, so she’s not too bad. I hope that her mum won’t notice.

Sounds come from the living room and Carol has the TV muted slightly as she concentrates on a ton of photos she has lying all over the floor. She sits on a red beanbag in front of them, sorting them into different piles.

“Hi, how was the barbecue?” She smiles up at us, and Ally flops down on the couch as she answers.

“It was great Mum. Rachel is an amazing cook. We were just going to watch a movie. Is that okay?”

“No worries honey. Do you mind if I stick around for a few and finish sorting out these pictures? I won’t be long.”

Not wanting to intrude on what Carol was doing before we got here, I assure her, “That’s fine Carol. Take as long as you like. Why don’t you watch the movie with us?” I’m being polite, but still, I’m a typical guy and silently pray that she leaves the room soon so I can cuddle up to Ally.

“No, that’s okay Theo. I’m sure you two love birds don’t want little old me hanging around and cramping your style, or your make out area.” She winks at me, and I’m not sure what to say to that.
Awkward much?

“Mum!” Ally protests, “You can’t say that. How embarrassing.”

Incapable of forming a response, I laugh nervously and move over to the stack of DVDs. “What will it be Ally?”

“Monster in Law?” Is she joking or being serious?

“Umm,” this is uncomfortable.

“Ally,” Carol says sternly. “It’s not that embarrassing. She’s just messing with you Theo.”

Ally crosses her arms over her chest and pouts at her mum. Even the petulant child look is adorable on her. “How about Knocked Up?” I ask pulling out the first DVD I come across. “Actually, no.” Fumbling, I jam it back into the stand. That sounds like an awkward movie to watch with Carol hovering.

“How about Zack and Miri Make a Porno?” Carol outright laughs, obviously enjoying my mortification.

“Muuuuum,” Ally screeches.

“Okay, okay. Lighten up kiddos. I’m just finishing up now.” She gathers her things and leaves the room.

“Nice seeing you Carol,” I manage, but I’m really thinking good riddance as I breathe out a sigh of relief. That was disturbing. In the end, I put on a copy of Sweet Home Alabama and sit down beside Ally.

I’m not sure if it was that whole scene that just occurred with her mum, but I feel a headache coming on, so I pay no attention to the movie and just enjoy cuddling up beside Ally. Occasionally, I murmur sweet nothings in her ear and delight in her reactions. At one point, we organize to see each other tomorrow. I really can’t get enough of her. After that, we fall silent and are content just being close to each other.

About halfway through the movie I’m starting to feel really unwell. I’m getting cold and hot flushes, and my head is starting to pound. My chest feels tight and I think I might be getting the flu. When I look down at Ally to let her know that I’m going to head off, she is sleeping soundly in my lap.

She looks so peaceful that I don’t want to disturb her. Long dark hair fans out around her pale face, and she snores lightly; it’s quite cute. For a few moments, I appreciate her beauty, and she takes my breath away. Then I slide out from under her.

There is a pen and paper on the table and I leave a brief note so she doesn’t think I abandoned her.

A tartan throw lays draped over the back of the couch, so I pull it off and place it over her. I take off her sandals and tuck the soft material under her feet. She smiles and snuggles further into the couch. The last thing I do before I leave is bend down and kiss her lightly on the forehead; brushing a few strands of hair off her face and tucking it behind her ear I whisper, “I think I’m falling in love with you Ally.”

Then I head out the door for home. The house is dark when I get there and I stumble into the bathroom to find some painkillers. Pajamas would be more comfortable than what I have on but my head hurts and I just want to collapse into bed. The screen on my phone lights up the room and the last thing I see before I fall asleep is a message from Ally.

Ally – I think I’m falling in love with you too.

Opening my eyes, all I can see is black. It is still dark, still sometime during the middle of the night. Chills rack my body, and a sheen of cold sweat covers me.

Propping myself up on one arm and covering my mouth with the other, I cough and feel moisture droplets land on my hand. Mum and Alex burst into the room and flick the lights on. I must have been tossing and turning with sounds of distress to alert them this quickly. Waves of heat followed by cool air hitting my clammy skin assault me, and I start to shiver uncontrollably.

Alex has the phone to his ear, no doubt ringing for an ambulance. He knows the drill by now. Mum drops to my side and presses the back of her hand to my forehead. “Theo, you’re burning up. Alex, tell them to hurry. He has a high fever.” An unmistakable look of agony sweeps across her face, and I catch it before she is able to rein it back in.

This is not good. I look down at my hand, and she follows my gaze. Blood. The leukaemia must be back. I wanted to ignore the signs, but there was no denying it now. There’s a war going on in my head between wanting to get up and smash my fist through a wall in a fit of rage, and giving up in defeat. I honestly don’t know if I have the energy to go on. I don’t have the strength to get up and punch the wall even if I wanted to though, and the pain I am witnessing on my mother’s face persuades me to hang in there with everything I have.

I hear the ambulance sirens getting close, and it looks like they are just in time because I start violently throwing up. Sticky disgusting chunks mixed with blood now cover me, and the putrid smell infuses in the air. Gagging, I vomit up a stream of pure blood and my stomach clenches.

I briefly register my mum stifling a sob before I fall back, no longer able to keep holding myself up. My body aches and I conjure up a vision of Ally’s face in my mind to get me through. She truly is a beautiful angel sent from the heavens above just for me. I love her, and I wish I got the chance to tell her because if the leukaemia really is back, I can never see her again. There is no way on this Earth I’m giving her the chance to get close enough to me to think about curing me. She can never know.

Alex must have unlocked the front door at some stage because two ambulance officers rush in the room. Mum hops up to give them space to assess me and comes back moments later with some wet washcloths and a bucket. As soon as she cleans me up, the officers wheel me out on a stretcher to the ambulance. Mum holds my hand and hops in the vehicle alongside me. Alex calls out that he will follow in the car, and along the way, he will call Dad, who has already left for his next business trip. The doors shut, and we are on our way to the hospital.