Beneath Your Beautiful by shyangel
Summary:

 

 

Short story about the strange love between two very different people.


Categories: Music, Original Fiction Characters: None
Classification: General, Supernatural
Genre: Friendship, Romance, Science Fiction
Story Status: Completed
Pairings: None
Warnings: Fluff, Original Characters, Un-betaed
Challenges: None
Series: None
Chapters: 2 Completed: Yes Word count: 6963 Read: 8421 Published: September 15 2013 Updated: May 15 2014
Story Notes:

Went through and made a few changes. Nothing major, just a few things here and there to make it flow better.

1. Chapter 1 by shyangel

2. Chapter 2 by shyangel

Chapter 1 by shyangel

 

 

“You tell all the boys "No"

Makes you feel good, yeah.

I know you're out of my league

But that won't scare me away, oh, no”

 

It was Thursday again.

 

Angela sat on the edge of her seat as anticipation gnawed ate her gut. Work was dragging on painfully and she couldn’t wait to get home. For the last 2 months she’d been receiving short letters every Thursday. They always started with the lyrics of a song and they were signed “You don’t know me yet but I have always loved you. H.”

 

At first the random letters scared her. Halving a secret admire was not a good thing in this day and age and to make matters worse the way she received the letters was no joking matter. They were always left on her coffee table in the foyer of her locked house. Her first reaction was to change all the locks but that didn’t slow him in the least. After a few failed attempts at keeping him out of her home she had started to anticipate the arrival of the letters. In recent years the course of her life was moving along a very boring track but this brought a spark of mystery back in her life.

 

Tuesdays and Thursday quickly became her favourite days of the week. She got up in the morning and went through her entire day for the sole purpose of reaching home and reading his written word. She was sure she and ‘H’ had never met before but he understood her like no one else did. His need to be accepted was expressed in the words he wrote and most of his sentiments mirrored hers. Before she knew it her entire life revolved around him and his letters.

 

Another game she enjoyed playing was catch me if you can. In essence she gave herself one try a week to see if she could catch him in the act of delivering the letters. Her first attempt was to install cameras all over her home and property. That was a complete failure, they would go blank for exactly 10mins and then letters would be waiting on the table. Since the cameras were unable to catch him in the act she had hired body guards. When she came home that evening they were out cold and her letter was waiting for her. In that letter there had been a last hand addition.

 

“You've carried on so long,

You couldn't stop if you tried it.

You've built your wall so high

That no one could climb it,

But I'm gonna try.”

 

………..

 

P.s nice try but you will have to do better than that to catch me, only you can do it. H

 

When all else failed she’d taken to leaving work at unpredictable hours and racing home in an attempt to catch him. She was never successful. The letter was always waiting on her. It was as if he knew her every move even before she decided to make it.

 

“Angela…..Angela,” called a voice that could make the deaf weep. The annoying voice of her boss broke through the cloudy veil of her musings.

 

“Yes Mrs Burns,” she asked unable to keep a note of disgust out of her voice. Dragon Burns always tried to keep her at work late, especially since she realised how much it meant for her to reach home early on Tuesdays and Thursdays. “Is there something I can do for you?”

 

“Since you’re not busy at the moment, could you possibly stop wasting company time and deliver these to accounting.” Even though her statement was phrased as a question, Dragon Burns voice told a different story.

 

“I would be delighted to,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she snatched the documents form her boss, who had the audacity to wear a smug self-satisfied smile.

 

“Would you let me see beneath your beautiful?

Would you let me see beneath your perfect?

Take it off now, girl, take it off now, girl

I wanna see inside

Would you let me see beneath your beautiful tonight?”

 

As she walked to accounting office she remembered her favourite letter and with the memory came a wave of anxiety. Beneath Your Beautiful by Labrinth feat Emeli Sandé was one of her favourite songs and it was the only song he used more than once. The song itself was a duet with on part sung by the male, the other sung by the female and the last part was sung by both together. She had a feeling that it would soon be time for their duet and while the exchange of letters was fun. Meeting him was a different story entirely.

 

Yes, she also left letter. It had taken her awhile but she had started leaving her own letters in response to his. At first she used random song lyrics mimicking the format of his letters. He would open the letters but he always left them on the table. Then she wrote one letter where she wrote the lyrics to Beneath Your Beautiful, it was the first letter he ever took with him. Subsequently she wrote three other letters.

 

1.“You let all the girls go

Makes you feel good, don't it?

Behind your Broadway show

I heard a boy say, "Please, don't hurt me"

 

2.” You've carried on so long

You couldn't stop if you tried it.

You've built your wall so high

That no one could climb it.

But I'm gonna try”

 

3. “Would you let me see beneath your beautiful?

Would you let me see beneath your perfect?

Take it off now, boy, take it off now, boy

I wanna see inside

Would you let me see beneath your beautiful tonight, oh”

 

She had run out of lyrics and he had run out of lyrics. It was time for their duet. Together.

 

Tonight they would finally meet…or so she hoped…maybe. In his letters he always talked about his fear of her not accepting him. He said that he used song lyrics because his own words might scare her and that they truly did not reflect what he wanted to say to her.

 

His longest letter was written on the first Tuesday of the second month. It incorporated all the lyrics of the song When You Look Me in the Eyes by The Jonas Brothers. 

 

“If the heart is always searching,

Can you ever find a home?

I've been looking for that someone,

I'll never make it on my own

Dreams can't take the place of loving you,

There's gotta be a million reasons why it's true.”

 

I have dreamt of holding you in my arms. You are the dream I have over and over again. Where I am pain and misery are abundant. There is always war or a fight of one kind or another. My family is influential so I am speared the harsh truths of such a world. Yet still I yearn for the peace of a home. A home in your arms.

 

“When you look me in the eyes,

And tell me that you love me.

Everything's alright,

When you're right here by my side.

When you look me in the eyes,

I catch a glimpse of heaven.

I find my paradise,

When you look me in the eyes.”

 

If you should ever look in my eyes, will it be out of love or fear. Will the woman who writes me sweet letter still exist if you actually meet me?  I have seen into your soul, I have looked in your eyes before. It was only for a moment and you were too young to remember. We weren’t friends, I was moving away but I knew you were my paradise and that someday you would be in my life. I have never thought of heaven, but if there was such a place, I imagine you would belong in such a place. Your beauty is my heaven.

 

“How long will I be waiting

To be with you again?

Gonna tell you that I love you,

In the best way that I can.

I can't take a day without you here,

You're the light that makes my darkness disappear.”

 

I have waited what seems like centuries to meet you. Ever since our first meeting I have waited to see you again. To talk to you, to laugh with you, to hold your hand and most of all to have you smile at me. If I had a moment such as this I would profess my love for you. It might not be in a way you appreciate or understand but it is the only way I know and it is the best I can do, even though I will try to be better so that I can become someone worthy of you. You are the light and I am the darkness. I will corrupt you, and I will hold you close.

 

“When you look me in the eyes,

And tell me that you love me.

Everything's alright,

When you're right here by my side.”

“When you look me in the eyes,

I catch a glimpse of heaven.

I find my paradise,

When you look me in the eyes.”

 

If the words I Love You should ever pass your lips in reference to me, I could easily die happy. If you stood beside me, I would be your support and you would be mine. Everything in the worlds would be alright. We would have our own world, our own little slice of heaven. If you asked for anything it would be yours because you are my paradise.

 

“More and more I start to realize,

I can reach my tomorrow,

I can hold my head up high,

And it's all because you're by my side.”

 

“When you look me in the eyes,

And tell me that you love me.

Everything's alright,

When you're right here by my side.

When I hold you in my arms,

I know that it's forever.

I just gotta let you know,

I never wanna let you go.”

 

We can have forever, should you choose to be mine even if it is only in a moment of weakness im not sure I can find the strength to let you go. No…I am sure I would never let you go. You would be my queen; I would forever look forward to tomorrow because I knew you would be by my side.

 

“When you look me in the eyes.

And tell me that you love me.

Everything's alright,

When you're right here by my side.

When you look me in the eyes,

I catch a glimpse of heaven.

I find my paradise,

When you look me in the eyes.

Oh”

 

I love you, now and forever. H.

 

His letters always raised more questions than they answered. His use of words made the meaning so vague and he hinted at things that made her wonder. Who was he really?

 

At first she loved the idea of him, a guy so truly devoted to her that he understood everything about her. Then she had started to develop feelings for the glimpses of his true self that he rarely let her see. At the moment she was totally in love with the idea of him and she hoped against all hope that he didn’t have two heads or worse was a woman because she wasn’t sure she could turn him away even if he was a monster.

 

Angela realised that she hadn’t moved a step in quite a while. Whenever she thought about “H” she lost track of time. She forgot everything but him and because of that she was late delivering Dragon Lady’s documents and no doubt would be kept back later for her negligence. She didn’t want to keep him waiting. Not since she was so eager to meet him.

 

Her legs started moving. Faster and faster they went, till she realised she was running. She needed to go now; she wanted to be at home…when he finally came to see her in person.

 

*******

 

 

“See beneath, see beneath,

I...

Tonight

I...”

 

When she got home from work her whole house was dark. It waited ominously at the top of the hill. She’d never seen her warm cosy house look so foreboding, especially since she had an automatic porch light that should have been on long before now.

 

As she started to speculate as to what had happened the light blinked on, cutting through the darkness.

 

He was here. Every fibre in her body knew. She parked her car and approached the house with caution. No matter how much she dreamed of him and how much she had made him into her knight in shining armour he could still be an axe wielding murder, though she sincerely prayed to the heavens that, that wasn’t the case.

 

Tonight would be their first meeting, or the first she knew about. It was where they would test if their voices truly worked well together. Excitement and fear had her fingers trembling. It took her minutes to get into her home instead of the mere seconds the task usually required.

 

As she opened the door, she realised the extent of the darkness that stretch from within. It felt as if it were pulling her in. She wasn’t sure if it was anxieties that were powering her irrational fear of the darkness or if it was really a living entity, like it seemed at the moment.

 

She took a deep calming breath and stepped inside. The porch light went out as soon as she crossed the thresh hold and the door swung close with an ominous thud. She jumped five feet in the air and turned in circles trying to find a light source. It was then that she noticed the dim light in the library was come on.

 

Curiosity got the better of her. Moving slowly, she cautiously approached. The pale beam of light barely broke the pitch black night and so moved carefully so as not to trip. She tried to make as little noise as she could.

 

Rounding the corner she prepared to meet her future. Whatever it was.

 

She stepped into the room glad he had chosen it; it was one of her favourite rooms in the house. The towering bookshelves gave her a small measure of comfort. Looking around she strained to see. Her preliminary search made her relax slightly as she saw nothing out of the ordinary. Then her brain processed information she had previously over looked or perhaps not noticed. She stepped further into the room and was startled to realise she was not alone.

 

Sitting in her favourite winged back antique chair was a person. On closer inspection the top of their head was visible over the back of the chair but in the darkness she’d managed to overlook that detail because their hair was so black it blended into the dark room.

 

“I'm gonna climb on top your ivory tower

I'll hold your hand and then we'll jump right out

We'll be falling, falling but that's OK

'Cause I'll be right here

I just wanna know”

                                                                                          

As she stared at the unmoving head her natural instinct was to run but doubted she could get away if he decided to give chase. Squaring her shoulder and stiffening her spine she went closer. “Hello?” she called into the darkness. Her voice broke slightly betraying her fear.

 

As her voice rang out all the lights came on, efficiently dispelling the darkness. The sudden light made her closing her eyes quickly. When she opened them the man was no longer sitting with his back to her, he stood facing her, and what a man he was.

 

Not only was he huge, he was magnificent.

 

“Hello,” he said tentatively.

 

His deep voice sent shivers down her spine and his look stunned her into silence. She drank him in, her eyes devouring the very sight of him.

 

 The man in front of her stood at least 6ft 7”, if his size wasn’t enough to intimidate you the way he dressed would have the bravest men running for the hills.

 

She appraised him, starting from his feet she moved her way up.

 

He wore biker boots that reached him mid-calf, the boots sported 12 skull buckles each. Past the boots was a pair of black jeans that rested at his hip, secured there by a skull and cross bones belt and chain thing. He wore a normal black t-shirt but over it was a leather jacket trimmed with spikes, crosses and skulls.

 

His hands were in his pocket and thus hidden from her view but she doubted she would have spent much time looking at them. Instead her eyes gravitated towards his neck. A tattoo was inked onto his skin. The words “Hell Rider” was forever marked into his skin in what appeared to be blood.

“Bloody Hell,” she said out loud without realising it. Swallowing she lifted her gaze from his neck and to his face. Half of her wished she hadn’t, the other half praised the heavens. He was an Adonis, all chiselled jaw bone, dark eyebrows, midnight black hair and sexy lips. Then she saw his eyes.

 

They were red. Drag me to hell red.

 

Fear rooted her to the spot. She wanted to run, her ears started to ring as panic set in. He took a step towards her and then stopped.

 

“I shouldn’t have come. I should have left thing the way they were and remain faceless. At least then you wouldn’t be afraid of me.” His voice that had been tentative before was now cold and devoid of emotion.

 

“Maybe if you sat down you wouldn’t scare me so much,” she squeaked out and if you didn’t look like you were dressed for a midnight sacrifice I might relax, she thought to herself.

 

He immediately sank to the floor, crossing his legs as he went. “Is this better,” he asked, his voice holding a hopeful note.

 

Angela took a deep and calming breath. “You don’t have to sit on the floor,” she said, her voice slightly stronger than when she spoke before.

 

A sardonic smile touched his lips. “You are about to fall over. When you sit down in a chair, I will tower over you if I am sitting in a chair as well. I don’t want you to fear me, sitting on the floor is a small price to pay if it means your heart will stop racing.”

 

She didn’t want to sit. It would make her vulnerable it was impossible to run if she was sitting. She couldn’t tear her eyes from his gaze as he sat silently staring at her. He had a tender look in his eyes and if she wasn’t so frightened she might have responded to it.

 

“I will go...” he said, attempting to rise from the floor.

 

She didn’t know what forces came over her but panic at the thought of him leaving flooded her body and blocked her usually rational brain. “Wait!!! Don’t go”

 

“I must,” was his forceful reply. “You’re about to have a heart attack, I have waited a long time for you. What are a few more years, I will stay away until you can accept me.” His voice was deep and the context of his words escaped her. Looking at him he couldn’t be much older than 25, even though the look in his eyes belonged to a much older soul.

 

“It’s not that I want you to leave per say, it more that you intimidating as hell and the way you dress scares the crap out of me. It’s like you’re going to chain me up and drag me to hell to torture me.” Being subtle was not her strong suit and in times of great stress she tended to say whatever was on the top of her mind. Dread settled in her stomach as she realised what she had said to him. She opened her mouth to apologize when she was cut off by a deep laugh.

 

He was now doubled over at the waist and leaned at an odd angle. Making his once harsh features seem slightly childish. This was particularly interesting because he was half sitting half standing. It would have been absolutely hilarious if she could risk laughing.

 

“I want to drag you to hell but torturing you is the last thing I want to do. What I have in mind is more along the lines of tying you to my bed and loving you slowly.” In the space of two seconds he had gone from doubled over in laughter to seducing her…and creeping her out.

 

“Telling me you want to drag me to hell is not winning you any brownie points and I’m going to ignore the rest of it because I can’t deal with it right now.” She had somehow managed to up root her legs and she trudged over to a chair, she collapsed into it with a relieved sigh.

 

She now sat directly in front of him. For some reason the fear she felt was receding into a corner of her mind where she could inspect it at another time.

 

She sat directly in front of him and took the opportunity to inspect him. The eyes that she could have sworn glowed red were now a silver colour that looked like liquid mercury. Staring into his eyes produced a similar effect to drowning and more specifically sinking. If eyes were the windows to the soul then his was a fucking encyclopaedia. His soul was reflected there, she just had no clue how to read or interpret it.

 

“You’re not afraid anymore…”

 

Even though he posed his words as a question, to her ears it sounded like a statement. “I’m too exhausted to be afraid.” She was weary, she didn’t know if she could trust him, yet she felt completely safe with him.

 

“I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad. I don’t want you to be afraid but at the same time I don’t want you to be so emotionally drained. Is there anything I can get you?” he asked. His voice was laced with concern and what she swore sounded like love or at the very least genuine affection.

 

“I’m alright. We got off on the wrong foot. Let’s start over from the beginning.” Her voice was calm and she was sure it masked what her cunning mind was up to.

 

He smiled a toothy smile that reminded her of a panther stalking its prey. At the moment her smile seemed like a stupid joke that was more likely to annoy him than anything else.

 

She stared right into his eyes and she gathered her courage. She would not be intimidated in her own home. “What the FUCK are you doing in my house and how did you get in?”

 

From the look on his face it was evident that he was not expecting her question. His face contorted into a confused look, then it went blank and three seconds later he was rolling on the floor.

 

She couldn’t figure him out. He dressed like a serial killer but acted like a high school boy.

 

“There are no doors that can keep me out, I am the night and the night is me. Second of all…you know why I’m here.” His answer was clean cut and bland. No humour leaked into his voice. It was strange considering how he had been rolling on the floor laughing at the same time he was talking.

 

“What a relief,” she said sarcastically. “At least your back to being your usual cryptic self.” Her words only served to amuse him more. His laugh intensified and his voice deepened. At the rate he was going she was starting to worry that there might be something wrong with him.

 

Just as she was about to call an ambulance he sobered up. “I have waited so long for you. You bring colour, joy and life back to me.” His voice was soft and serious. The words were delivered in a brisk manner but it sent shivers down her spine just the same. He had a way with words, pure, simple and elegant. He always managed to say the right thing.

 

“You make it sound like you were dead,” she said. Her voice trembled and broke again but this time for an entirely different way.

 

“In a way, I was. Life had become so mundane and boring. I was simply moving through it

without actually living and then there you were. Life became vibrant and exciting.” He added no embellishment to his words. It was the simple truth and he delivered it with a shy confidence that had the stone walls around her heart crumbling.

 

She knew exactly what he was talking about. His words describe her life. What was more shocking was that she didn’t know at what point she’d stopped living. Not until she had started to receive his letters. It was at that point that she realised that her life was mundane and all her youthful passion was gone. That was also the point at which she had started to anticipate his letters.

 

Taking a deep breath she stood up. Moving over to him slowly, she paused then stood before him. His eyes were watchful, he searched her every movement for an indicator of what would happen next.

 

Now that she was closer to him she could smell him. He smelt like fire and roasted chest nuts. A natural male muskiness wafted off of his skin and ensnared her senses. Without conscious decision she did what she had wanted to do since she got his first letter.

 

She threw herself at him and hugged him tight.

 

He was completely unprepared for her assault. His body jerked on impact and they began to tumble backwards. He hugged her body to his, pulling her with him as he fell. His body connected with the floor and she felt the impact in her own, which was so closely moulded to his.

 

She started to rise but his arms tightened around her, effectively imprisoning her. “Sorry,” she whispered quietly, afraid to breathe and break the moment. “That had to hurt,” she continued.

 

“It’s worth it.” was his simple reply. She waited for him to say more but nothing else was forth coming.

 

She was content to lie in his arms, so she just burrowed closer. His body was like a walking oven. His high temperature just added to her comfortable euphoric feeling. “Can I ask you a question?” she asked tentatively, afraid to disrupt there tentative relationship.

 

“Anything!” was his quick reply.

 

“What’s with all the black, crosses, skulls and crossbones?”  She felt his laugh more than she heard it. The deep rumbling sound caused his whole body to shake. It was so intense she felt the vibrations at the centre of her own body.

 

“It’s a family thing. We are thought to be a pretty rebellious bunch and we thought it was only fitting that we dress the part.” His voice indicated that there was more to it than he was letting on but she didn’t know him well enough to pry. Even though she was currently lying on top of him…

 

“Your parents approve of this look?” she asked incredulously.

 

“Approve?” he asked, his dark brow shooting sky wards. “My dad is worse than me and I refuse to be seen with my mom in public. Let’s not even go down the road of my grandparents.” Even though his voice sounded exasperated, there was a fond smile on his face that told her what he really thought about his family.

 

Then his words hit her. A giggle escaped as she tried to picture his family. His grandparents dressed in leather had her letting out a full body laugh.

 

“So…you plan to tell me your name?” her voice held a curiosity that only a kitten could match.

 

“Well…I want to but I’m not sure how you’re going to take the news…I don’t want to freak you out again.” His voice was small. She hadn’t thought that would be possible.

 

“Come on! How bad could it be?” she asked playfully.

 

He winced and the involuntary action had her becoming really serious. He took a deep breath and sat them up. “My name is Ian Jonathan Hades the third.”

 

Chapter 2 by shyangel
Author's Notes:

Thats it :) Final chapter.

 

 

 

“Would you let me see beneath your beautiful?

Would you let me see beneath your perfect?

Take it off now, girl, take it off now, girl (take it off now, boy,take it off now, boy)

'Cause I wanna see inside

Would you let me see beneath your beautiful tonight, oh, oh, oh, tonight?

See beneath your beautiful, oh, tonight.

We ain't perfect, we ain't perfect, no.

Would you let me see beneath your beautiful tonight?”

 

“Ha ha very funny. You got me so serious just to play a joke. So what’s your real name?” she appreciated the fact that he was trying to lighten the mood by making a joke but this was not the time or place. She was already on her guard, letting a complete stranger roam around her house was beginning to seem like a really bad idea.

 

 

Wincing slightly Ian looked at the ground. “Most people just call me Hades since I’m next in line to take over the family business. I know it sounds unbelievable but I’m telling the truth. I’m not joking.” His tone of voice was serious, his face was serious and his stance was serious. He would hide nothing from this woman. If she would still have him, he would make her the happiest woman ever.

 

A little giggle escaped her lips, it was nervous a gesture that she immediately hated and regretted. She dragged her eyes from the pattern in the carpet. She needed to see his face. Maybe then she could relax and accept this as a bad joke. She dragged her eyes over the contours of his body till she reached his face. One look at the harsh lines etched there had her fainting dead away. ‘Yeah, he wasn’t joking’ was her last coherent thought.

 

Angela was floating on cloud nine. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt this good, all she knew was that it was the first time in years. It was as if all her worries were gone, earlier in the night something strange occurred but now she was sure it was just a bad dream. After all who could meet the devil and still be this happy and she was happy, probably. She couldn’t explain it but every bone in her body was happy, maybe.

 

She sure howvever that she was in no way ready to face reality, instead she was content to drift in the haze a little more.

 

He smoothed a lock of hair away from her forehead, a worried frown pulling the muscles on his face taut. He had given her a scare, one bad enough that her mind made the decision to shut down instead of face the reality. Should he really stay, was the question that bothered him the most. He was sure this was the only woman for him. Since the day he first laid eyes on her, he was always protecting her, always watching over her. Maybe that was how he should have remained, a nameless, faceless shadow, restricted to the dark where he belonged.

 

In truth he was content there, just watching her, hoping for her happiness. Then one day it became too much. The man wasn’t her first boyfriend and he doubted he would be her last, but the way she looked at the guy named Ron had stirred feelings of utter and uncontrollable rage in him. Yet, still he chose to remain in the shadows, to watch her be happy with someone else. Then the last straw came, he’d watched as the man named Ron broke her heart and Ian with all his anger and hatred broke Ron in return. It was then that he decided to seek her out, to see where the proverbial chips would lie. However he hadn’t prepared for the raw feelings she invoked in him. The simple act of touching her hair had brought him immense pleasure.

 

 

As was the norm these days, there were conflicting emotions inside of him. His mind and body that were usually of one accord were all over the place and it was her fault. On one hand the simple act of touching her hair brought him great joy and he wanted her to keep her eyes closed for a little while longer. On the other hand he wanted her to look at him, to see him. Not for his name or the man he might represent, no he wanted her to see him for the man he truly was.

 

“Rise and shine,” he whispered in a low voice, his tone was seductive and playful. “Do not deny me the pleasure of your eyes any longer. I am not sure I could take it.” Ian knew his words fell on deaf ears but he said them anyway, hoping against all odds that she could accept him, that she could love him for who he was.

 

In her dream she was a princess and if there was one thing Angela didn’t want to be it was a princess.  They sat and waited for people to rescue them. She was tired of waiting. It was time she saved herself. These past weeks she had finally taken the first step and it was all thanks to him. Her life wasn’t what she wanted it to be and he’d helped her to bring it in to perspective. If only he wasn’t lord of the underworld.  Who told that to someone right off the bat anyways? Wasn’t that something you usually saved until you were married at least 5 years?

 

Angela shifted on the bed, rising through the fog of unconsciousness. She felt cool fingers gently running along the side of her face and that soothed her. Then she heard his voice, a rhythmic low sound that crooned a song about love and loss. Her heart twisted at the lonely note in his voice, she lay as still as possible. She wasn’t ready for him to know she was awake. Instead she was content to listen to him sing. As she listened to the song the lyrics finally struck her, it was a ballad and not just any ballad. It was there’s.

 

 He sung about a his love for a girl who could never love him back, he sung about watching over her since she was a child, he sung about watching her with other men and being happy because she was happy. Then his voice broke slightly as he sung about her pain and her loneliness and how he watched as her heart was broken and how it broke his in turn. Then he moved on to the next verse and he sung about when the time came, the moment in which he could no longer watch her live a zombie like existence, he wanted her smile back, her laugh, her happiness and in return his.  Finally he sung about the letters he wrote to romance his love, about the hope they had given him and about the futility of his love. Then he sang of what was yet to come, how he would leave and return to the shadows where he belonged. To watch over her for all of her days, waiting until she found happiness, removing all those who would harm her and protecting all those who she would come to love.

 

Tears rolled down her face and she really looked at him for the first time. Not what he was wearing, or who he was or how he looked. No for the first time she looked past that and she saw him. For all he was and with the little she knew about him so far she decided she wanted to know more. At that thought her tears started running faster and a giant sob escaped her lips. She cried for the fact that because of the preconceived notions blinding her she had almost thrown away what could be the greatest love of her and she cried for the loneliness she heard in his voice but the main reason she cried was because of the loneliness in her that answered his. A feeling so deep and desperate, what shocked her was the fact that this was the first time she’d realised it was there.

 

Ian was so caught up in the song that he hadn’t realised she was a wake. He was pulled back to reality by a strangled sob that tore at his heart. He turned to face her, a slow and deliberate move. He was afraid of frightening her. He was finally facing her and what he saw ripped his heart out. She was bent over with her knees drawn up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them, holding them tightly. Her head rested on her knees as giant sobs broke throw her lips and shook her shoulder. Streams of tears flowed down her face as it contorted in pain. Her eyes seared his and what he saw there had him shaking in disbelief. Angela wasn’t crying for herself, she was crying for him and his mind couldn’t process that.

 

“Don’t cry for me little on. I’m not worth your tears.” His voice spoke of a myriad of emotions that he was barely holding in check. At the rate this was going he would soon be in tears, while there was no shame in crying he didn’t know if he would be able to stop once he started. All the emotions he had buried for so long were bursting to the surface and he didn’t know how to deal with them. Reaching out slowly he put his arms on her shoulders and gently tugged her towards him. There was no resistance on her part so he pulled her firmly into his arms and held her as she cried.

 

He gently rocked her until all her tears were gone, until the shaking had stopped and then until she drifted off to sleep. He rose slowly, carrying her with him. He moved slowly and purposefully until he reached her bedroom where he gently tucked her in and sat by her side. Watching her, content to have these final moments, he waited by her bed as long as he could but when dawn came he slowly stood and walked into the shadows where her belonged. He made a vow to himself never to darken her door again.

 

Angela awoke feeling alive and refreshed. It was a blissful feeling that she had never experienced before. Last night seemed like a distant dream but her nerves were still raw from the emotional rollercoaster and that reminded her that it was real. She stretched slightly and peeked from under her lashes half expecting to find him there. When she didn’t see him and heard no sounds except her own breathing she sat up and looked around. A chair was right beside her bed and she knew he had sat there all night watching her. She reached out and touched the seat, the unconscious action brought her in contact with the cushion and it was still warm.

 

She jumped out of bed and sprinted down the stairs calling his name as she went. There was only answering silence in reply. He was gone, she slowly walked around the entire house searching every closet but he was nowhere to be found. She made her way to her bed room, a dejected feeling settling in her soul with each step she took. When she opened the door she saw it sitting on her pillow. A single black rose, with a note.

 

she frantically swung her head from side to side looking for him but only she stood in the room. She called his name softly, praying for a reply but none came. With a heavy sigh she made her way to the rose and note. She brought the single rose to her nose and sniffed the delicate fragrance. Closing her eyes she enjoyed the smell, wondering why it was so familiar to her. Slowly she opened her eyes and read the note.

 

The note was short and simple. ‘Goodbye and I’m sorry’. That all that was on the note, it was written in strong, bold letters. The same hand writing as her precious letters and she knew he was gone for good. All she had left of him was a note, some letter and a single black rose. She climbed back into bed, curled in a ball and cried. This time for the fact theat she let him slip through her fingers.

 

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