Fallen (4 page)

He seemed to consider her question very carefully before responding. “I’m sorry,” he said, placing a hand at the small of her back. “It’s just that I’m worried about you going home alone with no one to take care of you.”

She smiled, now understanding why he’d been so uncharacteristically quiet. Her heart melted at the thought of his being so concerned for her. She smiled and reached out with one hand to squeeze his, using the other to keep her balance with the walker. “I’ll be fine,” she assured him. “I’m stronger than I look.”

He nodded. “I know. But still…”
H
e trailed off as the elevator opened to the hospital lobby. He stood aside for her to exit in front of him. “You should at least let me see you home so I know you’ve made it safely,” he said as he opened the door of a waiting cab for her.

“
If it’ll make you feel any better,” Shayla said, trying to sound casual as if she hadn’t been wishing for him to offer that very thing. She didn’t know what would happen once she was safely home. She didn’t even have his phone number. How on earth would things be between them now? Would he ask her out? Should she ask him out? Was he even attracted to her?

Shayla knew she looked like someone who’d been run over by a truck. Her face was still sporting a few very nasty bruises
,
which had recently turned a very sickly-looking shade of green. She was bent over a walker like an old lady at a nursing home. Of course he couldn’t be attracted to her, she chided herself as they rode silently together in the back of the taxi. The fact that he’d been beside her every day, holding her hand, only meant that he was a compassionate person taking pity on someone who had no one. The fact that his thumb traced slow, lazy circles on her palm as he held her hand didn’t mean a thing…did it?

She shoved her thoughts aside as they arrived in front of her building and concentrated on getting to the elevator. By the time they’d reached her apartment on the fourth floor she was exhausted. Her weakness was frustrating, and she could hardly wait to continue rehab after a few days of rest. Holding her arm, Amir helped Shayla ease onto the black leather sofa before placing her walker within arm’s reach. He then dropped her bag onto the cluttered coffee table before turning in a slow circle to take in his surroundings.

Shayla tried to hide her embarrassment; her apartment was a chaotic mess. She never had developed any sort of organizational skill, and it showed. Old dance magazines and newspapers practically covered the coffee table, her favorite blanket and a book she’d been reading were strewn across the couch. A pair of sneakers rested on the rug beside her favorite overstuffed chair. Beside her stereo was a stack of CD’s nearly as tall as she was; beside it sat her grandmother’s old record player along with a stack of old jazz and classical albums. Her kitchen was clean enough, though the island where one was supposed to sit at matching barstools to eat was covered with take-out menus and even more dance magazines. She was grateful he couldn’t see her bedroom, where she knew she had left piles of clothing on the bed and floor.

“
Would you like to stay for a while?” she asked before she could lose her nerve, not ready to say good-bye just yet. “If you’re hungry I have an array of takeout menus to choose from and there’s a stack of movies beside the DVD player that I haven’t even watched yet.

“
Yes!” he answered eagerly
,
almost before she had finished.

He sat beside her on the couch
,
after grabbing a few of the menus from the island in the kitchen, and they thumbed through them together before settling on Chinese.

They had just settled in front of the television, side by side on the couch, each holding white cardboard cartons and chopsticks, when the sound of the buzzer cracked through the dim room like thunder. Amir went over to the intercom and pressed the button for Shayla, who slowly stood and leaned on her walker.

“
Who is it?” she asked once she was close enough to the speaker to be heard.

“
It’s
M
ama and
D
addy, Shayla,” said a voice from the other end. “We’ve come to see that you’re all right.”

Shayla frowned. As much as she had wanted to hear from her parents, she couldn’t help but feel annoyance at their bad timing. “Come on up,” she said before pressing the button to let them into the building.

Chapter 7: Feelings

The door to Shayla’s apartment swung open to admit an attractive couple in their early sixties. Mr. Ronald Gaines, dressed in a three-piece suit and long overcoat, eyed Amir with interest. Mrs. Sharice Gaines, dressed to the nines in a little black dress, kitten heels, and fur, ignored him completely. Ronald Gaines seemed like the sort of man whose dignified exterior hid a softer, more accessible personality. Amir felt nothing but cold indifference radiating from Sharice.

Shayla forced a smile, but Amir knew that she was uncomfortable. After all, she hadn’t seen her parents in over two years, ever since she’d decided to drop out of college to become a dancer. Sharice swept forward, her hand pressed to her forehead dramatically.

“
Oh my baby!” she cried, wrapping her arms around Shayla. Shayla stood silently in her mother’s embrace but kept her arms at her sides. “Thank God you’re all right,” Sharice continued, leaning away and appraising Shayla from head to toe.

Ronald placed a hand on his daughter’s shoulder, and Amir felt her stiffen beside him. He fought the urge to shove his body protectively between her and her parents and shield her from the tumultuous feelings that were radiating from her. Anger, hot and fierce rose up within him
.
Amir realized
,
in an instant
,
that this was not just a reflection of what Shayla was feeling
.
Some of the anger was his own.

“
We came as soon as we heard,” Ronald said.

“
Shayla was in the hospital for weeks.” Amir heard the words spilling from his mouth before he could stop them. Never had he lost control of his own tongue, but his anger was so overwhelming, he could not seem to stop himself. “The hospital staff tried to contact you.”

“
We just returned from an Alaskan cruise this morning,” said Sharice, eyeing Amir warily as if noticing him for the first time. “Shayla, honey, who is this?” she asked, wrinkling her nose at Amir.

Shayla leaned into Amir, placing one hand in his possessively. “This is Amir,” she said defensively. “He is my…my friend.”

“
Yes, well, I’m sure Amir won’t mind excusing us,” Sharice said imperiously, pushing past them and making her way into the apartment. “I’m sure he’ll understand if we ask for some private time with our daughter.”

“
Your daughter whom you haven’t seen or spoken to in two years,” Shayla hissed from between clenched teeth. Amir placed a hand against her shoulder, nudging her mind with his to calm her. It was subtle, just enough of a mental push to ease her turbulent thoughts. He knew that this could not be easy for her, but he did not want her to say something she would regret later. She visibly relaxed, and Amir felt the muscles in her back go soft and pliant beneath his hand.

“
It’s all right,” he said with a little smile. “You need time to catch up. I’ll leave you to it.”

“
Will I see you tomorrow?” she asked, practically pleading with him.

Amir hesitated for a moment. He hadn’t thought he would see her again past this night. He had planned on relishing the evening with her before walking out of her life forever. “Of course,” he said, giving her shoulder a light squeeze before grabbing his jacket from the coat rack beside the door. “In the morning? Our usual time?”

She nodded and smiled. “You bring the éclairs.”

Amir took one last look at her over his shoulder before closing the door behind him. Her smile warmed his heart; he hardly felt the biting cold as he walked home.

“
We need to talk.”

Amir felt Sarah’s presence before he saw her. She was standing in the middle of his living room and had obviously been waiting for him. He wasn’t sure how long, but he figured it had to have been a long while based on the annoyance flickering across her features. Amir removed his leather jacket and hung it up neatly before joining Sarah in the living room. He indicated that Sarah should sit too, but she remained standing, her arms crossed over her chest.

In her angelic form, Sarah was one of the most beautiful beings he’d ever seen. As a human, though, her chosen form was decidedly plain. Her mousy brown hair hung like a straight curtain to her waist, her frame was long and rail thin. Her eyes, hazel with flecks of green at the center, were her most noticeable feature. Hers was a face that was easily forgotten. Once
,
when he’d asked her why she’d chosen such a plain form, Sarah had told him that she found humans to be too focused on outward appearance. As a messenger, she wanted people to focus on what she needed to say to them, thus her plain human appearance.

“
What is it you wanted to talk about?” Amir asked. “Obviously it was important if you felt the need to wait here for me.”

A frown pulled at the corners of Sarah’s mouth and creased her forehead. “You and I have worked together here on earth for a very long time,” she began, folding her hands behind her back.

“
Three hundred years, at least,” he commented.

Sarah nodded. “Yes, well, it is because of our long history that I feel justified in having this little talk with you. I find it necessary to remind you what happens to angels who succumb to temptation. I can assume that since you are still here, that it hasn’t happened…yet.”

Amir’s eyes widened with understanding. “You’re concerned about the amount of time I’m spending with Shayla.”

“
Don’t you think I have a right to be? After all the angels you and I have watched falling from grace, why would you even put yourself in that position?”

“
What position is that? As you said, if I’d already fallen you would know it by now.”

“
You know exactly what position I’m speaking of,” she argued. “You’re getting too close, and that can mean nothing but trouble. You’ve healed her, Amir. She no longer needs you. It’s time to end this thing now before you do something you’ll regret for eternity!”

Amir left his place on the couch and stood to face Sarah. “You know how lonely things can get between assignments, Sarah,” he said. “She’s just my friend. We’re allowed to have friends.”

Sarah sighed, a loud puff of air a testament to her annoyance with him. “I’m just looking out for you, Amir. She’s beautiful and engaging, and the perfect trap for an angel to fall into. Is one moment of passion with her worth it to you? Is it worth an eternity as one of the Fallen?”

Amir did not answer. Instead, he turned his back on Sarah, who was already heading for the door. When he heard the door close behind him, he finally exhaled; he hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath.

As much as he wanted to be angry with Sarah for intruding in his affairs, he couldn’t deny that she had a point. Countless angels had fallen from grace because of their desires for human men or women. In the grand scheme of things, no woman was worth spending an eternity in hell serving the Evil One. It was not worth his soul, yet no matter how many times he told himself this, he could not stop thinking of what it would be like to kiss her. And that only led to him thinking of what it would be like to touch her. And on it went until he was undressing her in his mind, tasting her flesh with his tongue, laying her down and consuming her completely.

Chapter 8: Can’t Buy Me Love

“
So, how was your cruise?”

Shayla didn’t really care to know, but someone had to fill the awkward silence that had dominated the room after Amir was gone. She missed him already, and was angry with her parents for choosing tonight to walk back into her life.

“
Oh it was just delightful!” cried Sharice, slipping out of her fur and tossing it on the nearby coat rack. She joined Shayla on the couch and patted her daughter’s hand affectionately as if it hadn’t been two years since they’d seen each other. “You simply must make the trip when you’re better, Shayla,” Sharice babbled on. “The northern lights were so beautiful and the food…oh, it was to die for!”

Ronald, who had been hanging back silently, finally joined them in the living room. He sat on the other side of couch, sandwiching Shayla effectively between them. He smiled at her tentatively. “How do you feel, baby?”

Shayla rolled her eyes. “Like I was hit by a truck.”

“
Yes, well we’re so glad you’re on the mend,” Sharice said, reaching out to push stray tendrils of hair from Shayla’s forehead. She jerked away as if she’d been burned before reaching for her walker. After she’d pulled herself up on unsteady feet, she turned on them, finally losing control of her turbulent emotions.

“
Why are you here?” she asked, her voice shaking with barely contained rage.

“
We just wanted to see for ourselves that you were all right,” Ronald replied. “When we got home from the cruise and got the messages from the hospital we were worried sick.”