angel

chapter thirteen

"Well?" Shane asked with anticipation. "I don’t know Shay. We were talking and the door went. She says she still loves you Shay…" "If she loves me then why’s she hurting me?" "I don’t know Shay, she’s very confused." Nicky tried to stop imagining what would have happened if… "Stop it Nicky, concentrate" he told himself. "Look, I’ve promised that I’d phone me Mam tonight Nix. I’ll think about what to do after that. You should phone Georgina, you look like you could do with it. You don’t look very happy." "Yeah, I might just go do that." "See ya Nix." "Yeah smell ya later Shay!" Nicky was pleased that he had managed hide his feelings from Shane.

Nicky wandered into the lobby and sat down. The lobby was quiet, the perfect place to phone his girlfriend. Half of him wished that his girlfriend wasn’t Georgina, someone else perhaps. He had never thought of anyone else except for Georgina before meeting Angel. She had bewitched him. But she was Shane’s love, not his and if Shane didn’t stop her from marrying Carl tomorrow, she wouldn’t belong to either of them.

Shane picked up his mobile and dialled home. He poured his heart out to his Mam, begging for her advice. After all, she knew Angel considerably well too. She had been like another daughter to his Mam, Mae.
"If you really love her Shane, don’t let her marry him." She advised her youngest and most precious son. "I’m so sorry that me and your Dad tried to keep you apart when you were together, we were just scared that it wouldn’t work out." "That’s okay Mam." Shane ran his fingers through his hair. "Be strong Shane, you know that whatever happens we’ll be here for you." Her words gave Shane some comfort, but not much. "Thanks Mam." He hung up. Shane knew what he had to do.

Shane sat down at the table and took a pen from out of his pocket. He had won Angel’s heart by writing her a letter when he was sixteen, maybe he could do it again now that he was nearly twenty-one? He knew that it would be too hard and painful to face her again, to tell her how much he loved her and how he didn’t want her to marry Carl tomorrow.

Dear Angel,
I know that by the time you read this letter it will probably be too late for both of us. You will have already made up your mind to marry Carl tomorrow, instead of me.
I know that you still have feelings for me Angel. If you didn’t, then why didn’t you just leave on Sunday morning before I woke up and recognized who you really were?
I realize now that I should have told you how much I love you and how much you mean to me. There isn’t a minute that passes by that I don’t think of you. Baby I miss you so much. I miss us. I miss the way we used to be in Ireland. When you left me, it felt like the world was about to end.. I loved you more than anything then and I love you still, more than ever. We had something special, something real. If you marry Carl tomorrow then all the dreams that we’ve shared together will be shattered.
Please Angel, I know you better than anyone else on this earth; you know this isn’t what you really want for either of us. If you marry Carl my life won’t be worth living. You’re the only thing that has kept me strong through all the bad times in my life. I know you’re scared baby, I feel scared too, but we can get through this, together.
I love you far too much to lose you again the way I did before. I don’t think that I’d be able to cope with a broken heart for a second time.
Even if you don’t feel the same way or if you’ve decided to marry Carl anyway, I just want you to know that I will always love you and that’s something that’s never going to change Angel. Never.

Love
Shane xXx

He put the pen down and sat staring at the letter in front of him. Shane sighed. He took an envelope out from his bag, folded the letter, placed it in the envelope and sealed it. He picked up the pen again and wrote "Angel" on the front and put the letter in his pocket.

Tuesday, 12.05am
9 Tutbury Gardens, Cantley

The streetlights shone brightly and seemed to be fuzzy in the rain. Shane was begging to regret leaving his jacket back at the hotel. The streets were deserted. The occasional car drove passed, but nothing else. Cantley was dead. It was starting to rain harder. Shane wandered lonely through the alleyways before he finally reached Angel’s house. He looked at the gate. "Heaven" was the name of the house. Quite appropriate that Angel should live in a house called Heaven he thought. It was perfect, just like its owner. "Here goes," muttered Shane under his breath. He opened the gate, walked up the path, posted the letter and left.

Angel stood in front of the full-length mirror, looking, staring at her reflection. She had been ready for hours; her dreams had kept her awake all night. She smiled nervously. She easily lived up to her name, Angel. But to whom did her heart belong, Carl or Shane or maybe even Nicky? She knew that Nicky wasn’t for her. Although Nicky was an incredible kisser and very handsome man, he was too charming, too daft, his blue eyes were too enchanting and he was a blonde. She’d never liked blondes. Carl or Shane? Carl OR Shane? She didn’t know. A week ago she had been certain but now, she wasn’t sure about anything. It was too late to back out now anyway, no matter how she felt. Take a look at yourself Angel, What are you doing? Her thoughts plagued her troubled mind.
She looked into the mirror again. She was dressed from head-to-toe in ivory coloured satin. An ivory corset gave her a gorgeous hourglass figure. A long, ivory skirt with a single split added the finishing touches to a stunning outfit. She looked beautiful and she knew it. She didn’t feel it though. Angel walked across her room and put on her favourite song, "The Power Of Goodbye" by Madonna.
She looked at the envelope on her bed. It lay unopened. She was confused enough. The last thing she needed was more uncertainty. She knew whom the letter was from. She had instantly recognised the way her name had been written. Shane. She wanted to read it but something stopped her from opening it. She knew that no matter how she felt, it was too late now. She was marrying Carl today.
There was a knock on her door and she turned her music off. "Come on honey, It’s time to go" her Dad smiled approvingly at her and continued, "You look just like your mother did when I married her." Angel smiled. She took his hand and left the house. The letter lay on the bed, unopened.

Shane paced the room. "Sit down will ya Shay, you’re making me dizzy!" Nicky sounded pretty agitated. "I’ve gotta get out of here Nix, It’s driving me crazy!" "I know the feeling." Nicky was being sarcastic. Shane was restless. "She’s probably already married Carl y’know." "No, Midday she said," Shane sounded confident "Look, It’s only eleven-thirty… I’m going for a walk." "SHANE DON’T…" Before Nicky could even finish his sentence Shane was gone.

Angel stood at the alter. Carl stood beside her. He leant over and kissed her cheek. "You look beautiful my love." He whispered into her ear. Angel felt sick. What was she doing? It was a question that even she God couldn’t help her now. Carl took her hand and gazed lovingly into her eyes. Nothing. All she could hear was the question chasing in her head. Angel Clarke or Angel Filan? Shane or Carl? Carl or Shane? Shane? Carl?
She turned and looked back at her father. He knew that something was troubling his precious Angel. But what? He had seen the envelope on her bed but had dismissed it. Somehow he knew that this union wasn’t right.
"Do you Angel Leigh Summers, take Carl Stuart Clarke to be your lawfully wedded husband? The vicar looked straight at her. Angel remained motionless, silent, and unable to answer the question.
"Do you…" the vicar’s words were interrupted by a loud "NOOOOOOOOOOO!" The entire congregation, except Angel turned instantaneously around and glared. Angel slowly turned around. Her whole life seemed to be in slow motion.
"Shane? What are you…" Shane ran towards her and took hold of her hand. He looked deep into her eyes. She started to weep. "Baby, please, don’t do this do this to yourself," he wiped the tears away from her eyes, "I love you, I love us, It’s killing me to see you doing…" "Shane I love…" he stopped her. "I know you’re hurting Angel, but you’re only going to hurt us both even more if you go through with this, please baby don’t do this." Shane begged her, "Please Angel."
Angel looked at Shane and then at Carl. Carl looked hurt and yet somehow understanding. Angel had told him about her childhood relationship with Shane. However, Carl didn’t know about the events of the past few days. She ran her finger faintly over his face. He tried to smile through his tears. Angel turned to look at Shane, who was still holding her hand in his and smiled. Shane smiled back at her and then softly kissed her hand. Everyone was taken aback by what had just happened. Angel’s father smiled at his daughter. She looked happier than he had ever seen her.
Shane and Angel walked together, hand in hand down the aisle, down the steps of the church and down to the quiet and tranquil park.

Shane took his jacket off and placed in on the ground under a large oak tree, before sitting down on it. Angel sat next to him and fell into his open arms. Neither Shane nor Angel said a single word. Angel put her head on his chest and smiled to herself. The voices in her head were silenced. She knew that she had made the right decision by not marrying Carl in the church. She knew that Carl would be hurt, but in time he would get over it. If she had married Carl today neither Shane nor she would ever truly be happy.
Shane held her close to him. "I’m so happy to have you back in my arms Angel, I love you more than anything in this world. I don’t know what I would have done if you’d married someone else." Angel lifted her head and turned around and kissed him. He couldn’t believe that this was all real. She was his angel again. And they were together again. Forever.
They sat in silence, content with just holding each other. "You’re my angel, Y’know that don’t you baby?" She giggled as Shane tickled her sides. "I’ve always been your angel Shane." They were happy and lost in each other’s love for the other. Shane cheekily grinned back at her and whispered into her ear "Bí mi ben roimh Cóimhdhe?" Angel knew some Irish and tried to work it out in her head. After a few minutes she turned around and looked at Shane. She had always wanted to hear Shane ask her that question. She looked passionately into his dark, sexy eyes and then softly whispered back to him "Còrd."

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