chapter one
...Friday, 2.47am, Aston Hall Hotel & Restaurant, Room 182, Sheffield...
Shane tossed and turned in his sleep. He couldn't believe that he was still
having these nightmares about her. The accident had happened two years ago to
the exact day. She told him that it hadn't been his fault; still he blamed
himself for what had happened.
Every night since then had thought of nothing else. Shane hated himself for
hurting her. He believed that it had been his fault. He had been the one who had
hurt her, the one thing that had meant more to him than his life. He had driven
her away with his guilt.
Shane lay alone in the bed, thinking. Shane was not alone in the room. Nicky was
sound asleep in the bed opposite him. Dreaming untroubled by the outside world.
Shane closed his eyes.
The girl had only been fifteen at the time, but Shane had fallen in love with
Angel the moment he first set his hazel eyes upon her. They had worked together,
in the Carlton Café, on the weekends and cleaned the dishes in the kitchen.
Even then, when he was fifteen and she eleven, he had found his eyes fixed on
her through the kitchen doors, dreaming of holding her in his arms.
As she grew up she transformed from a beautiful young girl into a stunning young
woman. Shane had loved her then, and if he was completely honest with himself,
he still loved her now. Every time he closed his eyes at night he relived that
night in the café.
He was a shy eighteen-year-old boy and Angel, a mystical fifteen-year-old girl.
His parents had left the café early that night, leaving Shane and Angel
together, alone. She was standing with her tiny delicate hands in the sink when
Shane silently crept into the dimly lit kitchen. He was shaking as he stood
behind her and placed his hands into the soapy water to find hers.
"Shane." Angel softly spoke. She truly was an angel in his eyes.
Before she could speak again, he lowered his lips to her neck and kissed her as
he slowly, gently cupped her hands together. Unexpectedly, she let out a cry.
Shane panicked as he stared at the murky water in the sink. It was red, dark
red, blood red. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"Oh my God..." Shane somehow managed to stammer. Angel screamed again.
Shane quickly reached over and grabbed a towel from the table and held in firm
against her hand. It wasn't doing any good. He couldn't stop the blood. Shane
could see that Angel's eyes were becoming vacant. Shane looked at her with tears
in his eyes. "Take me somewhere Shane, please, please Shane." her
voice trailed off and she collapsed to the floor.
Shane tried to calm himself. Why had this happened? Shane kept asking himself as
he gathered her up in his arms and carried her to the hospital down the road.
Everything else after that seemed to be difficult for Shane to understand.
He immediately woke up from his sleep, breathing hard and fast. Even though he
was on the verge of his twenty-first birthday and now a famous pop star and pin
up, he still couldn't banish Angel from his dreams. Shane turned to look at his
alarm clock, 3.20am. He lay there in a cold sweat, staring at the ceiling,
scared to close his eyes.
He just lay there in silence, questioning himself, questioning his feelings for
Angel. Why didn't I tell her how I felt? Why couldn't I have told her that I
loved her? Why? Shane was afraid. He knew that if he closed his eyes again that
he'd see her. See her, Angel, his angel. Tears began to fall from his beautiful
hazel eyes.
He remembered the way she had looked the last time that he had seen her,
beautiful, young and free. She was standing in front of him as the sun was
beginning to set on the lake in Hazelwoods. Around her neck was the silver
necklace that he had given her only moments ago. A small silver heart shaped
pendant suspended on a delicate snake chain.
They both stood there in silence; Shane didn't know what to say to her. She took
his hand in hers and kissed him. He wanted to stay lost in that moment forever,
but he knew that no matter how much he wanted her to stay with him, she
wouldn't. After an everlasting kiss, their finally lips parted, she smiled at
him, ran her fingers softly over his face and then disappeared into the night.
He stood there in the cool breeze, heartbroken and alone.
Shane rubbed his eyes and buried his head underneath the pillows. He prayed that
maybe now he could get some sleep.