The Sweet One Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  About the Author

  Other Books Written By Andi Anderson

  The Sweet One

  Andi Anderson

  ABOUT THE E-BOOK YOU HAVE PURCHASED:

  Your non-refundable purchase of this e-book allows you to only ONE LEGAL copy for your own personal reading on your own personal computer or device. You do not have resell or distribution rights without the prior written permission of both the publisher and the copyright owner of this book. This book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload to a file sharing peer to peer program, for free or for a fee, or as a prize in any contest. Such action is illegal and in violation of the U.S. Copyright Law. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden. If you do not want this book anymore, you must delete it from your computer.

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000."

  Cover Artist: Reese Dante

  Editor: Paula Schemery

  The Sweet One © 2010 Andi Anderson

  ISBN # 978-1-920468-42-2

  All rights reserved.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental. The Licensed Art Material is being used for illustrative purposes only; any person depicted in the Licensed Art Material, is a model.

  PUBLISHER

  http://www.silverpublishing.info

  Dedication

  To the love of my life, always.

  To Ashley and Mom,

  thank you for believing in me.

  To Stacey and Sharon,

  thank you both for your support and being great friends.

  Prologue

  From the moment of his creation, he knew he served a purpose. For centuries he willingly watched over the souls assigned to him. From the instant they took their first breath and until they took their last, he was there with them. He was the guardian they never knew they had.

  Throughout his existence he had always been able to keep his distance from them. Never once did he get emotionally involved with his assignments. It was against the rules. From Royalty to commoners, saints to sinners, it was his job to supervise their lives and report any good or misguided deeds they had done. At the end of their time on Earth, he would guide them into the afterlife, and to their just rewards, whichever place it may be.

  He had always prided himself on being fair and unbiased. He was to watch, report, guide, and protect them if possible. This was what he was created for and what he did best.

  Until his Sweet One was born. The moment he received his assignment and he watched this new soul come into the world, he felt an undeniable admiration toward him. The child, born two months premature, had to fight from the time he took his first breath: fight to breathe, fight to grow, and fight to live.

  His Sweet One did just that. As he watched his Sweet One develop throughout the years, his heart cried out to him. Sweet One was smaller and weaker than other souls his age. Because of his small stature, Sweet One often failed at any kind of physical activity. Although he was always last, his Sweet One would never give up. Sweet One's determination to complete any task set before him made his feelings change from admiration to a deep affection.

  As the years rolled on, he watched his Sweet One grow into an intelligent and kind soul that was loved by everyone privileged to know him. Because of his small size, his Sweet One was often teased and laughed at by other young souls. This would sometimes cause his Sweet One to become sad and often to cry himself to sleep at night.

  It would cause him great pain to watch his beloved soul so unhappy, so he did something he never had before. He started to become careless while he watched over his Sweet One as he would cry himself to sleep. Anytime his beautiful soul had a bad day or his heart was broken, he would stand at his bedside and comfort his Sweet One with his soothing presence.

  This alone made his Sweet One feel comforted and he would immediately become calm, have a restful sleep, and wake relaxed and happier than the night before.

  He often wondered if his Sweet One saw him. Sometimes his Sweet One would gaze to where he was hovered and a look of peace and adoration would show in those big brown eyes, and a smile would form on his pretty face. His Sweet One would never say anything; he would just roll over, sigh contently and go back to sleep.

  As the years rolled by he watched his Sweet One change. The pain and disappointments life had given him just made his Sweet One that much more determined to find success in life by working hard and having a fulfilling career as a kindergarten teacher, where he was loved by students and parents alike.

  Although his Sweet One loved his job and his family, he was lonely. His heart would break every time his Sweet One failed at being lucky in love. He would watch his Sweet One become disappointed time and again, only to know in his heart why he could never find happiness with another.

  They were soul mates.

  Chapter 1

  "Bye, Mr. Thompson! Have a nice weekend!" Tommy Langford yelled as he grabbed his colorful, cartoon character backpack and scurried out of the room.

  "Goodbye, Tommy. See you on Monday," Micah answered as he continued to gather up the mounds of paperwork from of his desk and put them in his 'to be graded' stack. Micah looked at the never ending pile of papers and sighed. Judging by the height of the stack, it appeared that he would be spending most of Sunday grading papers instead of reading or watching old movies on television like he had planned. He grabbed the tall pile and slid it neatly into his worn, brown leather satchel before he gave his classroom a quick once over.

  Who knew that only fifteen minutes ago his classroom looked like a tornado had run right through it? Now everything was put away in its place. The tables were clean, the pencils and papers were put away, and everything looked almost spotless, until Monday rolled around again.

  Micah slid on his blue jean jacket, grabbed his well-loved satchel, and walked out of his classroom and directly into the cool, autumn air. He quickly made his way to his fifteen year old, faded red Honda CRX and hopped in.

  He put the key in the ignition and cautiously backed out of his parking space. After he slowly drove out of the parking lot, he flipped the radio on and shuffled through the stations until he found a song he liked. Sarah McLachlan's clear voice filled the tiny car with her presence.

  "You are pulled from the wreckage… of your silent reverie. You're in the arms of an Angel, may you find some comfort here."

  A small smile formed on Micah's face. This song reminded him of his own imaginary Angel he used to see as a kid. Whenever he got hurt or had a bad day, his Angel was there. For years, he kept his Angel's presence a secret. His Angel was his best friend and his place of comfort. When times got tough, he started looking for his Angel. He depended on his Angel's soothing presence and quiet support. Once, he tried to talk to his Angel, but the Angel shook his head sadly and disappeared. After that happened Micah stopped trying to verbally communicate w
ith him for fear of scaring his Angel away or making him disappear again.

  Micah hummed along to the song as memories of his Angel washed over him.

  His Angel was the most beautiful man he'd ever seen. He had eyes as blue as the clearest ocean that were brought out by his peaches and cream complexion. His lips were light pink and soft-looking, and when his Angel smiled at him it was like sunshine coming through a cloudy sky. It lit those clear blue eyes up and he seemed to glow from within. He had long, dark hair that fell past his waist in soft waves: a stark contrast to his pure white wings and the gauzy, iridescent robe that clothed his body. Micah had never seen those soft looking wings spread out behind him, but he was sure that if he had, those wings would have easily touched each side of his living room. His Angel was gorgeous, and it made Micah's heart feel light and happy every time he looked into his Angel's handsome face.

  Many times had he longed for his Angel to open up those arms and his lovely wings and offer him physical comfort, but it never happened. His Angel would just hover nearby, quietly, with a serene smile on his beautiful face. Even without any physical comfort, he always made Micah feel loved.

  As he got older, his Angel's appearances became less frequent. The day after he graduated from high school he came out of the closet to his parents. It had been a difficult day, and both his parents had expressed their disappointment and their sadness upon Micah. When Micah had gone to his room to gather his thoughts together, he had never felt more alone in his life. As tears of frustration and despair overwhelmed him, he glanced up and saw his beautiful Angel hovering next to him. His Angel's eyes were filled with a love and compassion that Micah had never felt again since. He felt the warmth of affection in his gaze, and soon Micah was able to relax and fall asleep, feeling loved and accepted.

  When he woke up his Angel was gone.

  He never saw his Angel again.

  Over the next ten years, throughout his heartaches and disappointments, he would look for and hope that his Angel would appear again. It never happened. Micah began to doubt his visions, and he started telling himself it was all a dream or an imaginary friend he had conjured up in his own mind to cope with any negative events that happened to him. He never told a soul about his Angel. It was his secret and his secret alone.

  As Micah pulled out onto the interstate his thoughts were interrupted by a loud pop. He felt the steering wheel start to shake as his car pulled toward the left.

  "Are you kidding me?" he moaned, as he pulled over to the shoulder of the road. He flipped on his emergency blinkers and got out of the car.

  "This is just great," he mumbled as he walked over to his front tire and saw that the rim was practically on the ground.

  He carefully watched the oncoming cars as he walked over to the back of his car and popped the trunk. He lifted up the hatch and bent over to grab the tire iron, when he heard what sounded like tires squealing loudly behind him. He barely had time to spin around to see what was coming, when out of nowhere he saw his Angel in all of his glory appear before him.

  He felt his heart lodge in his throat as his life flashed before his eyes. This is it, he thought. This is the day I'm going to die.

  Chapter 2

  He knew it was going to happen. Just like all of the souls before him, he had known from the second his Sweet One was conceived, when the day would be that his beloved soul would breathe his last breath. He really thought he was ready for it. After all, he had years to prepare himself for this moment. But as he watched the black SUV lose control and slide toward his Sweet One, he reacted on pure instinct.

  He pushed his Sweet One out of the SUV's path and to safety on the grass several yards from his car. There was a loud crash as he watched the vehicle smash into his Sweet One's car and shoot it forward several feet. The sound of metal crunching and glass shattering filled the atmosphere. Debris flew everywhere, but not where his Sweet One had landed.

  His Sweet One was safe and looking at him with a stunned expression.

  "It's you! You saved my life!" His Sweet One exclaimed as he stumbled clumsily to his feet, and stood there staring at him with a look of shocked recognition.

  He looked at his Sweet One and felt a smile come across his face. His Sweet One's face had lost all color from shock. His brown eyes were huge as they gazed upon him. His short brown hair stuck up in every direction, making him look even more confused than he probably was. He looked down and saw a rip at the knee of his Sweet One's khaki pants and the rest of his clothes in disarray, but he thought his Sweet One had never looked better than he did at that moment.

  He was alive and that was all that mattered.

  As his Sweet One took a hesitant step toward him, he saw the driver of the SUV run over to his Sweet One and start to talk excitedly to him.

  His Sweet One broke eye contact with him and looked at the tall man standing beside him with almost an irritated look on his face.

  It was then he realized what he had done and what punishment it would bring. An Angel was never to interfere with the passing of souls. Interference of any kind would bring dire consequences. He knew it was only a matter of time before he would be called to Him, and he would have to explain himself and his actions. He would have just a short time left. He hoped he would have enough time to communicate with his Sweet One once more before he was forced to leave.

  The thought of leaving his Sweet One forever caused a lump to form in his throat. He gazed once more at his beloved soul and disappeared from sight.

  Chapter 3

  Micah was in a state of shock. He thanked the officer and stumbled out of the police car. The policeman had been nice enough to give him a ride home since his car was no longer drivable. The whole incident passed with Micah barely remembering what was said to him. He felt like he was sleep-walking through the policeman's report, almost as if he was watching the whole incident on television instead of experiencing it himself.

  Both he and the driver of the SUV were lucky to come out of the accident unharmed. The police officer had said it was a miracle that they both survived such a terrible crash. Micah knew it was a miracle indeed.

  Thanks to his Angel.

  He dug around in his front pocket and found his keys. With shaking fingers, he finally got the key in the keyhole and unlocked the door. He walked into his small townhouse and into his kitchen, where he tossed his keys on the bar. Suddenly feeling like he stood on watery legs, he went into the living room and sat down on his plush couch.

  Micah had worked hard to make his house into a sanctuary of comfort. His living room was decorated in warm, rich tones and his furniture plush and comfortable. He felt pride when his friends or family came over and told him they felt at home there.

  Micah didn't feel safe and comfortable now. Coming down from the shock of the unbelievable events of the evening, he felt the sting of tears as his eyes watered up. He took a deep breath and shakily wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his blue jean jacket. He knew he needed to call his family and friends and tell them what had happened, but the thought of reliving the accident so soon was enough to make him want to fall apart.

  "Everything will be all right now, my Sweet One," a deep, melodic voice softly spoke, interrupting Micah's train of thought.

  Micah looked up with tearful eyes and saw his Angel standing before him with a serene look on his beautiful face. His Angel slowly reached out his hand and wiped a fallen tear from Micah's cheek lightly with his index finger. His touch was warm and inviting, so much so that Micah jumped to his feet and threw himself into his Angel's chest and wrapped his arms around him. He felt the silkiness of his Angel's white robe against his cheek as he clung tightly to him.

  Micah felt warm, strong arms surround him and the softness of his Angel's large wings enclose him in an embrace he had dreamed of as a young boy. He immediately felt comforted as he snuggled his way into his Angel's arms, as close as humanly possible.

  In the cocoon of the Angel's embrace, Micah felt safe for the fi
rst time since his Angel pushed him out of the way and saved his life.

  "Thank you," he murmured, hoping that this moment would never end. The feeling of unconditional love almost overwhelmed him. He raised his head, which had been nestled against his Angel's chest, and looked up at him with love and gratitude in his eyes.

  His Angel looked down at him and smiled. Those ocean blue eyes lit up as they gazed upon him. "You are safe now. That is all that matters." His lovely voice flowed right through Micah and into his soul. Micah smiled up at him and then once again laid his head down onto that warm, firm chest and tightly hugged his Angel to him.

  "I can't believe you're here. I'd convinced myself that you were always a beautiful dream, or an imaginary friend who took care of me when I needed you most," Micah said as his fingers slid into his Angel's long, jet-black hair. It felt like the finest silk as it slipped through his fingers.

  His Angel said nothing, but continued to hold Micah close to him as if he were the most precious thing in the world.

  "You've always been there for me, haven't you? I've always felt your presence with me. Through good and bad times, you've been my protector and my friend. Thank you for that," Micah said softly as he looked up at his Angel and smiled shyly at him.

  The Angel's blue eyes burned brightly as he gazed upon him, and he gave Micah another breathtakingly beautiful smile that made Micah's heart beat faster as he returned it with a smile of his own.

  "Are you feeling better now, Sweet One?" The Angel asked as he cupped his large, warm hands around Micah's face.