Another First Date

846AD

From above, the landscape upon which the little cottage sat was covered with so much green and little specks of different colours made by the beautiful flowers that sprouted from the earth and it all looked like a painting made by the swirling brush of a passionate Picasso, collaborated by the brush of an inspired Michelangelo.

Hannah was returning from the river with a basket of laundry in her hands. She was close to the house and could see Garin in the distance, bare-bodied with an axe in his hands, chopping some logs of wood. He was beautiful, she thought. The way his tanned skin glistened under the sun and the calmness at which the sweat dripped from his forehead as he swung his axe was hypnotic for Hannah to watch. She began to pick up the pace so she could get to him faster as she had spent a few hours at the river but it felt like she had been apart from him for days.

“Hannah,” A familiar voice called out to her from behind a tree.

She stopped in her tracks and looked at the tree, waiting for whoever was behind it to reveal their self. She was a bit frightened by this unknown stranger who knew her name so she picked up a rock to use as a weapon to defend herself. It had been five years since God cast her out of heaven and it took her a while to get used to being human and having no powers so she had to adapt and learn other ways to defend herself should the need ever arise.

“I know you’re out there. Show yourself.” She called out to the person.

“Relax, sister. It’s only me,” A woman in white said as she stepped away from behind the tree.

She was clad in a white dress and was a joy to look at, cascading with so much radiance that could only be described as heavenly. Immediately Hannah saw her, her eyes filled up with recognition and also with tears.

“Fawn? Fawn, it’s you,” Hannah said happily and dropped her basket of clothes and they spilt all over the dirty ground but she didn’t care.

Hannah ran over to her sister and embraced her, happy to see her once again. It had been half a decade since she saw any of her brothers and sisters so Fawn’s presence here meant so much to her.

“Why did you come? Father will be so upset with you.” Hannah said to her.

“I know but I had to see you again. Father sent me on a mission and so, I decided to see you before going back. How are you, Hannah?” Fawn asked with genuine concern.

“I’m fine, Fawn. It hasn’t been easy, living as a human but it has been one of the greatest experiences of my entire lifetime. I’ve been living a happy life with the one I love.” Hannah said it as she felt it in her heart.

“And how has he been to you?” Fawn asked and stared at Garin who was still chopping wood in the distance.

“He has been perfect. He has been loving, kind, and completely worth not being an angel anymore. He’s filled my days with joy and love that I have never felt before.” Hannah said, also staring at Garin with loving eyes that shot out promises of fidelity and desire.

“And he’s easy on the eyes as well. That’s a bonus!” Fawn joked.

“Yeah, he’s beautiful, isn’t he?” 

Fawn could see quite clearly that Hannah was okay. She was safe and happy and that was good enough for her. But of course, she missed her sister and wanted her home.

“You haven’t been praying to Father, have you?” Fawn said.

“Pray to Him for what? He disowned me.” Hannah said with a hint of anger and yet, without.

“Pray to Him for forgiveness. Father is merciful. If you show Him that you’re truly repentant and ask for His love again, I’m sure He’ll listen and He’ll let you come home”

“This is my home now, Fawn. Garin is my home, my life, my soul, my now and my forever. I belong with him and nowhere else. Our bond is eternal and it will live on forever, in this life and the next to come.” Hannah said.

Fawn sighed in defeat. She could tell that nothing she could say would convince Hannah otherwise. She lifted her palm and used her powers to pick up Hannah’s clothes and clean them up. She levitated the basket and put the clothes back inside it and floated it into Hannah’s hands.

“Take care of yourself, sister. I hope your happiness is eternal. Till we meet again.” Fawn said and released her wings.

“Goodbye, Fawn,” Hannah said and watched her sister fly away into the clouds and vanish into thin air.

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BACK IN THE PRESENT

Josh was in his apartment, seated on his office chair with his phone in his hand. It had been almost twenty-four hours since Isabelle gave him her number but he hadn’t called her yet. He really liked her and didn’t want to seem desperate and come off too strong. He was in his call log and her number was already saved but he couldn’t push the dial button.

Frank and Chris were in his living room playing video games on his couch. He had told them about Isabelle and they had given him all sorts of advice on how to do things with her.

“You still haven’t called her?” Chris asked after he noticed Josh fumbling with his phone.

“Call her, man! Women like a man who knows what he wants and goes after it. It’s a turn-on for them so just do it.” Frank advised.

“I will, I just think I should wait twenty-four hours before doing so. I really like her and I want this to work.” Josh replied.

“Oh, for crying out loud!” Chris said and got up. He walked over to Josh and grabbed his phone from him.

“What are you doing, Chris?” Josh said and tried to grab the phone back but Chris moved away from him and Frank stood as a barrier between them.

“Trust us, buddy. We’re doing this for your own good,” Frank said as Chris dialled Isabelle’s number.

“Hello?” Isabelle said on the line and Chris gave the phone to Frank to speak to her.

*********

It had been two days since Josh had spoken to Isabelle on the phone. They had planned to go out on a date tonight and Josh was feeling slightly nervous. They had planned to go to Guelaguetza which was a Mexican restaurant on Olympic Boulevard.

He could feel something in his heart whenever he thought about Isabelle but he couldn’t figure out what it was. Was she his soul mate? Has he finally found the one he’d been looking for? These sorts of questions stormed his mind and he didn’t understand why but one thing was certain; he needed tonight to go well.

“How do I look?” Josh asked Chris who he had asked to come over to help him get dressed as he was the best dresser in their squad of friends.

Chris took a look and was shocked to see Josh dressed like a pastor in a really poor church.

“I thought you said you were taking her out to a Mexican restaurant?” Chris asked.

“Yeah, I am.”

“Yeah, well that outfit looks like you’re going on a business meeting with the president. Lose the jacket and the tie, lower the buttons and take the gel out of your hair. You’re trying too hard.” Chris said with a smirk.

“I just don’t want to mess this up,” Josh said and went back into his room to make the necessary changes to his look.

“There’s nothing to be nervous about. You’re handsome, tall, successful, and not to mention you come from money. You’re a catch.” Chris said from the living room.

“My family having money isn’t something I like to brag about, remember?” Josh reminded his friend.

“I know, I know. You’re a self-made man and everything you have, you earned for yourself which is another desirable trait. Just be you man and I’m certain she’ll like you and you can finally bring this huge crib of yours to life with a little feminine touch from your new girlfriend.” Chris teased.

Josh came back out, wearing a different look and posed for Chris who smiled and nodded in approval.

“I’m picking her up at her apartment and we’ll head there together,” Josh said as he picked up his car keys.

“Alright, have a good time, man. I’ll lock up before I leave.” Chris said.

“Thanks for all your help, Chris.”

“Any time,”

And Josh left his house and drove off to pick Isabelle up.

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He arrived at her address, came out of his car and walked over to her apartment and rang the doorbell. She opened the door and when their eyes met, Josh felt it again but tried his hardest to act normal. She was wearing a beautiful flower print knee-length dress and packed her beautiful dark hair in a bun. Her blue eyes were stunning and she smelled like roses. Josh’s senses were spiralling out of control but he kept his cool. 

“Good evening, Miss. I believe I have the right address,” He said playfully.

“Indeed, you do Mister. I guess we’re about to begin that tour you offered. Where are we going?” Isabelle asked.

“At the wedding, you mentioned you liked Mexican so we are going to what I feel is the best Mexican restaurant in all of LA,” Josh said with a smile.

“Is that so? Well, I’ll be the judge of that.”

He opened the door for her and they drove away. They arrived at the restaurant and the date began. It got off to an amazing start and it was clear that both of them were very attracted to each other. The food was delicious, the music was nice, and the company was wonderful.

“So tell me, Josh, what do you do for a living that allows you to drive such a fancy car?” Isabelle asked at the table with a mild tone to her voice.

“Didn’t we talk about our jobs at the wedding?” Josh asked, knowing that they talked about a lot of things the day they met.

“Surprisingly, we didn’t.” She replied.

“That is a surprise. Well, I own a wine distillery here in LA along with a chain of vineyards all over the tri-state area. The grapes are delivered here and the wine is made and sold in over 20 different countries worldwide.” Josh said.

“Wow! Good for you.” Isabelle remarked.

“Thanks. And what do you do? You said you worked for a company, right?” Josh asked.

“Yeah, I work as a consultant for Clinton Corp. I’ve been moved from firm to firm over the past two years but I was recently given a promotion to be the main consultant at the headquarters here in LA,” Isabelle said.

As soon as Josh heard the name “Clinton Corp”, he nearly choked on his drink. 

“Oh my God, are you okay?” Isabelle asked and gave him a napkin.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he lied, “I just choked a little there.”

They were done with their meal but the night was still young and Isabelle wanted to go somewhere.

“I may not know a lot of places here but I know a really nice bar where we can go grab a drink if you want.”

“That’s fine, let’s go. I haven’t had a good drink in years and I make alcohol.” Josh joked which caused Isabelle to laugh and the beautiful sound echoed in Josh’s ears which caused him to see flashes of a woman in white but her face was concealed.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Isabelle asked after she noticed him zone out for a second.

“Yeah, I’m fine. This food is just really spicy.” He lied again.

Josh took care of the bills and they left the restaurant and headed to the bar.

Just as they entered his car and drove off, a strange man was watching them the entire time. He was just standing there and he watched them leave without doing anything. He sauntered off into the dark alley and disappeared.

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In hell, Lucifer was watching with a smile on his face. He was about to begin his attempt to break the love chain and he was very anxious to begin.

“Soon! The world will be mine and God will bow before me.” He said.