by Robin M Helm
“Is everything all right?” she asked, putting her hand over his, looking at him with concern.
“Elizabeth, will you promise me something?” He turned his head to look into her eyes and flipped his hand to hold hers.
“Probably. What do you want me to promise?” she asked, puzzled that he was so serious.
“Promise me that you will never go into that house with Gregory without me.”
“Why would you ask me to promise that, Xander? Gregory won’t hurt me.”
And the moon is made of green cheese, thought Michael.
He released her hand, started the car, drove the remainder of the circular driveway, and turned back toward town.
Michael and Gabriel flew overhead, and at Michael’s word, the Host dispersed in a wave. The wind gusted from the concerted movement of so many wings together.
“Elizabeth, I do not want to say anything derogatory about Gregory. I know that he is your friend. Will you just trust me on this? Please?” He glanced at her, his eyes pleading.
She thought about his request a moment, and then spoke deliberately. “Xander, you know that I don’t like to be told what to do, but since this seems to be so important to you, and because I don’t care to be alone with Gregory anyway, I will promise you not to go to his house without you. Are you happy now?”
He took a deep breath, “Almost.”
“Almost?”
“Yes, almost. Will you text your mom and tell her that I will take you home this afternoon?”
“Of course, if that’s what you want, but why?”
He drove with his left hand and reached for hers with his right. She held his willingly, and their hands rested on the console between their seats.
“Because I really need to be with you right now. I do not want to go to class this afternoon. I wish to spend the time with you. Just the two of us.”
She reached into her book bag and took out her cell phone. After sending a text to her mother, she glanced at his studious profile.
“Will you tell me what this is about? I am skipping class for you, you know. I have never done that before.” Her voice was low.
“Your GPA will not suffer. I want to take you somewhere beautiful and peaceful. I want to look at God’s creation and see things that are green and growing. Have you ever been to Hatcher Garden? It should be in bloom now that it is spring.”
She laced her fingers between his. “I think I may have earned a field trip. I haven’t been there for years. Will you be my guide?”
He stroked the top of her hand with his thumb. “Can we not walk together? I will guide you when I must and protect you with my life, but today, I need you by my side.”
She gently pulled her hand from his and stroked his hair, entwining her fingers in his dark waves.
“I want to be what you need right now,” Elizabeth spoke softly.
They rode in companionable silence to the garden. After he parked the car, he came around to help Elizabeth get out, and they joined hands.
“Shall we walk this trail?” he asked.
She nodded her assent. They were quiet as they ambled, admiring the flowers and landscaping.
Under a tree in full bloom, there was a granite bench. Xander gestured toward it. Elizabeth sat down, and he sat beside her, turning his body toward her and taking her hands in both of his. His throat tightened. I have to get this right.
“Elizabeth, I have never made a secret of how I feel about you. My feelings have only grown deeper with time. I love you. I want a committed relationship with you. I want everyone to know that you belong to me.” He paused. “How do you feel about that?”
She looked down at her hands in his and smiled. Then she turned her head and tilted it to look up at him through her dark lashes. “Xander, I don’t know if I love you yet or not, but I do have strong feelings for you.”
“Is that a yes?” His voice was gentle and loving.
“Yes.” She smiled shyly.
His heart nearly exploded with joy. The contrast between the extreme tension of the past hour and the perfect happiness of the present moment was almost too much for him to bear. Xander reined in his emotions with a great effort and took a calming breath.
He put his hand to her soft cheek and held it gently, drawing her toward him and lifting her chin as he slowly lowered his face to hers, covering her lips with his. He felt his stomach twist in a decidedly pleasant way. I have wanted to do this for so long. I have dreamed of this moment.
Xander’s breathing accelerated with his heartbeat, and he pulled his face away a few inches, bringing his other hand to her jaw line, holding her lovely face between his hands. Her skin is like silk, but warm and alive.
He leaned back a little further to look into her sparkling eyes, still holding her face in his hands. “Elizabeth, that was my first kiss.”
“Ever?” she said, wide-eyed and a little shocked.
“Yes, ever. And I am glad that you are the only woman I will ever kiss.” He put his forehead to hers, stroking her cheeks with his thumbs and breathing her scent deeply, slowing the racing of his heart. She leaned into him and put her palms on his chest.
He kissed her again, tenderly. His stomach clenched. My physical reaction to her is so powerful. Gentle. I must be gentle.
She broke the kiss, looking at him skeptically, her face still close to his. “You have never kissed anyone else?”
“Never.” His voice was husky, and his expression was solemn, though his blue eyes twinkled. He could read her thoughts, and they were explicit in expressing her appreciation.
“I must say, you do it very well.”
“Not like a beginner?”
“Not at all like a beginner. Kiss me again.”
Xander chuckled, and did as his lady commanded, drawing her into an embrace and kissing her more deeply. His insides twisted into knots, and his entire consciousness focused on her. Briefly, he wondered if he might pass out from the sheer pleasure of having her in his arms at last, where she belonged. After a few seconds, he knew that if he died from the joy of it, he would die a happy man.
Michael and Gabriel had the grace to remain silent, though Xander knew that they were there.
They sat together on the bench in silent companionship. Finally, she looked at him with merry eyes and stated, “I suppose that makes you my boyfriend.”
“And you are my first and only girlfriend.”
“And you don’t find me boring? I am a good girl, you know,” she teased, smiling and showing her double dimple.
“You could never bore me, and I love you because you are a good girl.” Xander leaned over and kissed her dimple. “You know, that’s where the angels kissed you before they sent you down from heaven to your parents.”
She tilted her head, looking at him with surprise. “That’s what my mother has always told me. How did you know that?”
“You said I was an angel. Remember?” Please understand me. I wish that I could tell you.
Elizabeth gazed at him with eyes full of love. She knew of no other man who was so patient and kind, so godly and good.
“I remember. If anyone ever was an angel, Xander, you are.”
He sighed as he stood and pulled her to her feet. “I could sit here and kiss you for the rest of the day, Elizabeth, and I would never tire of it. But it is probably for the best that we walk for a while before I take you to eat and then back to your house. And, you may think it is silly, but there is something I want to do when I take you home.”
Her curiosity shone from her eyes. “What? I could not imagine ever thinking you are silly.”
“I want to make this Facebook official. I want everyone who knows us to see that we are a couple. I want every human male out there to know that you are taken; you are mine.” And every non-human male as well.
His expression was so full of happiness and love that she could not help but smile. “I don’t go on Facebook very often, but if you send me the invitation, I will certainly accept it.”
And just for that moment, there were no demons or battles, no Gregory or Lucifer. All was very right in Xander’s world.
Chapter 9
“He makes the winds His messengers, flaming fire His ministers.”
Psalm 104:4
June, 2008
Xander and Elizabeth had been providing the music for local evangelistic meetings led by Jonathan Edwards for several months, and the response had been enthusiastic. The rallies had so far been on Saturday evenings in towns within a two hundred mile radius; however, with the approach of summer break from college, they had agreed to more extensive travel and longer meetings. Praying that he would have an evangelistic team together in time, Jonathan and his manager, Dave Branard, in the previous year had arranged with churches in metropolitan areas to have camps, called SoulFire, set up for teenagers in colleges throughout the United States. The teens would be housed in the college dormitories and have morning group devotions followed by Bible study on the college campuses. After breaking for lunch, they would work on supervised mission projects throughout the cities during the afternoons and then would come together for evening worship. The first such event was to be held in Atlanta, Georgia, during the second week of June and would last Monday morning through Friday evening. Students from throughout Georgia and South Carolina were staying in dorms across the city and were going to be bused to one of the city’s major arenas each evening. With a seating capacity of 21,000, it was the largest venue in which Xander and Elizabeth had ever led worship or played before an audience.
The couple had developed a unique style of worship music that was original and appealing. They were each proficient in several instruments as well as various vocal styles, and they had classical and traditional sacred backgrounds from which to draw. The music they had written for the upcoming summer rallies was contemporary but drew from classical themes and great hymns of the faith. Elizabeth had written a piece called “Embrace Me,” based on her experience the previous year when she had felt the presence of evil in her room. The song spoke of surviving an ordeal while feeling the arms of the Savior holding her in His embrace, and she sang it while Xander played the piano and harmonized, while other musicians provided an acoustical guitar and a violin in the background. They also used a full band for several songs, including “Watching You,” written by Xander from God’s point of view, revealing the way God watches over His children throughout their lives. They collaborated on “Healed,” inspired by Charlotte’s recent brush with death, which compared physical and spiritual healing. There were new songs for each evening, themed with Jonathan’s messages in mind, and some of their songs, such as “Forgiveness,” were taken directly from Scripture. Each night, they would begin by singing the same rousing opening number, “Life on Fire,” featuring Elizabeth on the piano and Xander surrounded by three sets of stacked keyboards backed by bass guitar, electric guitar, drums, acoustical guitar, and a quartet of backup vocalists. They had already used some of the songs in the local meetings, and their music touched every heart, regardless of background, religion, or ethnicity; it broke cultural barriers. Xander and Elizabeth could not be associated with one style or genre, because they borrowed from across the wide spectrum of music. There simply was no music that they could not perform well. Their style was to avoid having a style.
Elizabeth was already nationally known through YouTube, national and international concerts, as well as the sale of her CD’s on the internet, but Xander’s reputation was confined to the Carolinas. These meetings would constitute his national debut. When Elizabeth had first approached Jonathan about including Xander in their travels, he was skeptical; however, after hearing them together the first time, he was an ardent fan. The evangelist had feared that Xander’s talents would be no match for Elizabeth’s, but he was soon amazed at how they complemented each other in every way.
In preparation for the series of summer meetings, the couple had hired a photographer for publicity stills and had cut a professional CD of their music to be available to those at the camps and online. Xander and Elizabeth had assisted Dave in hiring musicians; sound, lighting, and video technicians; and a stage crew, and they had rehearsed extensively between the time Converse had dismissed for the summer and the tour started. Each night of the crusade was professionally, carefully planned for the greatest impact, using the most current technology. The week was a visual and auditory feast designed to lift up and encourage believers, and to invite non-believers into God’s family.
The Sunday afternoon before the camp was to start on Monday, Xander drove to Elizabeth’s house to pick her up for the trip. They were meeting Jonathan in Atlanta that night at the hotel in which they all would stay for the week. He parked, went to the door, and rang the doorbell. Gabriel stood beside him.
Elizabeth smiled happily as she opened the door. “Good. You’re wearing jeans, too. Well, your version of jeans, anyway.” Xander had never mastered “sloppy.” He always looked well-dressed, no matter if he wore jeans, shorts, or khakis. All of his clothes were tailor-made for his unusually large frame, and they fit perfectly.
Behind her, Michael looked huge.
“Elizabeth, you look beautiful, as always.” He leaned down to kiss the dimple in her upturned cheek.
When he straightened again, she looked past him out the door.
“Did you get a new car?”
“I thought we needed something bigger for our luggage and all the traveling this summer. Do you like it?”
She squeezed past Xander and ran out to look at his new white Cadillac Escalade. “I love it!” she announced, looking back at him. “Do you still have the BMW?”
He followed her back out to the SUV. “No, I traded it in. I have not really liked it since the accident. Though it was repaired, it always seemed damaged to me. If I want something different when we go back to school in the fall, you can help me shop.” I can get something we both like.
Xander looked forward to the summer with great anticipation, and he had bought the Escalade to make the arduous traveling easier for her. He would be with Elizabeth every day, and he hoped that they would grow even closer over the two months of touring. She would be eighteen and he would be twenty-one in July, and they had only one more year of college before they finished their master’s degrees. He knew that most people did not marry any longer when they were nineteen, but he wondered if Elizabeth would be different in that way as well. She certainly did not conform to all the other norms of teenagers. He never pushed her physically, but privately he wondered how he would wait another two or three years to marry and consummate their marriage. He also missed being with her while she slept; he missed her every minute they were apart. When he was away from her, there was an Elizabeth-shaped hole in his heart, and it ached for her.
“I may be shopping for a car myself,” she said with a huge grin. “Mom and Dad might let me buy a car for my birthday. I’ve been saving nearly all of my money from concerts and CD sales, and I have a healthy bank account now. Mom could stay home, or go back to her job at Peniel. Char and I could still ride together for our last year.”
“That is interesting,” Xander managed to say with a slight upturn to his lips, though it took more than a little effort. He liked for Elizabeth to have Niall with Michael and Edward guarding her on her way to school, and he liked being able to drive her home. We could fly over here and help guard them. But then, how would I get my car to school?
Do not worry about it right now, Xander, thought Gabriel.
I am sure that Edward, the warriors, and I can manage to guard her during a short drive to Converse. You are going to go prematurely gray, added Michael.
“I know that look and tone of voice, Xander,” Elizabeth replied, arching an eyebrow. “What’s wrong with my getting a car? I’ll be eighteen by then. Most of my friends had cars with they were fifteen.” She had a stubborn set to her chin.
“Nothing is wrong with it, Elizabeth. You are very responsible and mature. I just worry about o
thers who are not as good at driving as you are, like the man who rear-ended me in the spring. And Gregory’s playmate who was with him. And, I like to drive you home sometimes. If we went out to dinner, you would have to drive home from Spartanburg alone if Charlotte drove herself. If she did not drive, we would all three be together for dinner. I like Charlotte a great deal, however…” His voice trailed off.
She stood on her tiptoes and put her arms around his neck, pulling his face down to hers for a kiss. “You are very sweet and overly protective, but I’ll be fine, and we can work out all those details later. Charlotte and I could take turns driving. She has her own car. If I’m going out with you, she could drive us to school, and then you could bring me back home. You’re going to go prematurely gray, you know.”
Michael laughed. I think I have heard that before. Smart girl. I knew I liked her.
Not seen and not heard, Xander reminded him as he bent his head for another kiss.
You really should write down all these rules for us, thought Gabriel. Do you have a handbook for guardians?
David cleared his throat from the porch. “You guys need some help with El’s luggage? It’s a good thing you bought a bigger car, Xander. I don’t think all she has packed up would have fit into that BMW.”
Roark grinned from behind him.
Elizabeth and Xander stepped apart, smiling sheepishly, and she headed for the steps followed by Xander. He shook David’s hand, spoke to him, and went into the house after Elizabeth. Her bags were waiting in the living room.
“We’re about to leave, Mom,” she called up the stairs. Lynne hurried down, Niall close on her heels, and gave Elizabeth a hug.
“Call me when you get to Atlanta. Love you. Take care, Xander. Precious cargo, there.” Lynne smiled at him.
David and Xander took Elizabeth’s suitcases to the car and put them in the rear with Xander’s luggage. Lynne followed them outside to tell the couple goodbye. Elizabeth gave each of her parents a last hug and a kiss on the cheek, and then slid into her seat while Xander held the car door for her. After he was seated in the driver’s seat, he waved at David and Lynne through the windshield. They, along with their guardians, waved back.