Providence: On Angels' Wings

by Lauren Wynn

  “That twenty totally paid off. Glad I paid him instead of giving my underpants.” They all giggle.

  “It was only just a dre…e…eam,” Providence sings along with the song.

  Taylor dances around them until the beat changes, causing them to pump their fists in the air. A tall, dark-haired stranger shuffles up, handing each of them a shot glass before wrapping his arm around Taylor’s waist and sneaking a kiss on her jaw bone.

  “Cheers,” Taylor yells.

  “Again. And this probably won’t be the last if you two have anything to do with it,” Providence says, gulping down the black liquor.

  The girls jump and twirl to the edge of the dance floor where Lily blows a kiss to a blond at the bar, ensuring another round of drinks will be in short order.

  “I just ordered us another round,” Lily confirms.

  “Do you even know who that is, Lily?” Providence asks.

  “Nope, but I plan to.” Lily winks.

  Sure enough, success—another round of shots, but this time golden in color. They each gulp down the golden liquor, including the blond guy.

  “Ugh, yuck! I like the licorice one better. Man alive, I think I’m going back to cosmos.”

  A burning sensation runs down my throat, settling in my chest, and I watch as Providence places her hand on her upper chest, causing me to realize it was the drink that caused the burn. A trace of fog casts over her eyes but doesn’t seem to detain her.

  Hanging out by the back wall, I lean against the aluminum siding, which rattles my entire body, and I quickly decide to straighten up. I turn to my right to check out Leo and the circle of ladies mesmerized by his skills, and I elbow Grant to move his attention in that direction. I flip back to my left where Providence and the girls are huddled.

  “They’re tipping a few back tonight, man,” Grant says, noticing that my caller, little 120-pound Providence, just drank two shots and one cosmopolitan within thirty minutes of her arrival.

  “Surely, they’ll slow it down now. Otherwise, we’re going to have to get Leo to pull ’em on to the dance floor to burn off the alcohol.” I glance over again at Leo who’s still tearing up the dance floor. It wasn’t until now that I realized he was wearing black leather pants, a feat I could not pull off in a million years.

  By the time I look back toward the bar, the girls, each with a second umbrella drink in hand, are strolling to the middle of the dance floor.

  “Phew…I needed a cosmo to wash down the taste of that nasty shot your friend got us.” She slowly sips and spins around Lily until the blond guy from the bar smacks Lily on the rear. Lily glares at him with an angered look, but in a blink her palm is pressed flat on his stubbly cheek and she lays one on him.

  “Taylor, we just lost Lily.” Providence’s pink drinks sloshes to the rim of the martini glass as she swings her hips, meeting Taylor’s, twirling out, concluding with a ballerina-style spin and a slight bow.

  “Just you and me, babe.” They clink their glasses once more before swallowing the last gulp of yet another cosmopolitan. Their hands joined, Taylor spins in and out in a shag, nearly taking down a few unsuspecting dancers in her path.

  “Oops! Sorry!” Taylor says, returning to Providence.

  “I love you, Taylor.” The alcohol buzz sparks a fun wildness and she throws her arm around Taylor’s shoulder. Uninhibited, she smooches her cheek leaving behind a hint of glittery lip gloss.

  “Oops! Good thing it’s your color,” Providence says, wiping Taylor’s cheek.

  A somewhat familiar-looking, brown-haired guy nonchalantly walks past, removing the glass from Providence’s hand, ensuring their skins touch, leaving a warm tingle. He glances back over his shoulder on his way to the bar.

  “Thanks,” she yells to him over the loud bass.

  “That’s Chance,” she whispers to Taylor.

  Moments later Chance reappears with another cocktail offering. Bracing her with his arm around her waist, he dips her gently before handing her a fluorescent-yellow concoction. A grin spreads across her now-rosy cheeks and a thicker fog clouds her vision.

  “You look absolutely amazing tonight,” Chance declares.

  “Thank you.” She blushes.

  “The only thing that would make that outfit complete…” he pauses, eyeing her up and down.

  “I assure you, nothing else is going to fit in here.” Providence runs her hand up and down her body, noting her skin-tight outfit.

  “A green apron. You see…I have a thing for this barista.” He winks and steals a kiss on her cheek.

  The rose in her cheeks deepens from a soft pink to a dark scarlet.

  “Hmm…is that so? Well…you know, I can brew a mean…” She begins flirtatiously but is interrupted by a giant bear hug from Lily before she escapes to a dark corner with the blond.

  Taylor grabs her hand. “Time to freshen up our lips gloss, Prov.”

  “Hold that thought,” Providence says to Chance as Taylor whisks her off to the restroom, leaving Chance and Knox solo.

  Two single men in the middle of the dance floor doesn’t last long. They are quickly commandeered by two hovering females, although that ends almost as fast after they issue the save-me hand signal to call three friends to rescue them.

  Taylor and Providence make their way back toward the dance floor, past the line of ladies waiting for the restroom.

  “So help me count, Tay. How many drinks have we had?” Providence slurs her words.

  Taylor holds her hand out, counting on each finger, slurring, “One, two, three, four, five…yep, you had two shots, two cosmos, and the yellow thing.”

  “And here’s one more,” Knox says, handing them both a shot.

  “Cheers,” Providence and Taylor yell simultaneously, clinking their shot glasses together. They both throw back their heads, swallowing the drink in one gulp.

  “Ah,” Taylor says, licking her lips and hooking her index finger in one of Knox’s belt loops.

  He leans down to kiss her collar bone, opening Providence’s line of sight to Leo. His dance moves are not what draws her attention to him, though.

  “Those eyes,” Providence says to herself and shuffles toward Leo.

  She grabs his arm. “Your eyes, your teal-green eyes, are beautiful.” She smiles, gazing into them. “You know where I’ve seen these eyes before? I’m going to tell you where I’ve seen eyes like these before…” She runs her thumb along his temple and continues rambling to Leo. Knowing what’s on the tip of her tongue, I send him a quick image letting him know who she is. “Officer Zan, he has beautiful teal-green eyes, just like yours,” she says, slurring her words. “Amazing, I’ve never seen eyes like this before in my life, and now within a week I see two people with them. Do you know Officer Zan?” She leans on Leo, struggling to steady herself. He chuckles to himself giving me a wave behind her back. “You know, I met Officer Zan last Friday night, exactly one week ago. He’s hot.” She fans her face with her hand. “I mean a total stud muffin. Can cops be stud muffins? You’re pretty cute too. Anyway, he saved me. That was a bad night. Don’t ask any questions.” Still slurring her words, she stumbles forward, catches herself, and continues to ramble. “Eww, hiccup, excuse me.” She giggles.

  The effect of the alcohol spreads warmth throughout her body and her eyes cloud over.

  “Well, it was nice to meet you, Teal Eyes. You can put back on your dancin’ shoes. I don’t want to keep you.” Heading toward the bar, she glances around for Lily and Taylor, but in her drunken haze finds neither.

  It’s getting late, and the alcohol is starting to take over, and so is my protective nature. I nudge Grant. “See if you can find Lily.”

  He heads off toward the corner where we last saw Lily. I get Leo’s attention and ask him to find Taylor while I head to Providence. I wasn’t exactly planning on facing her this evening, but with the alcohol taking effect on her body, I worry about her without Taylor and Lily around. Plus, none of them are in any shape to drive home, so a
t a minimum we need to catch a cab for them. I lean against the bar next to her, propping myself up with my elbow.

  “Fancy meeting you here,” I say, attempting to act as if I haven’t been monitoring her every move all night.

  “Officer Zan.” She wraps her arms around my neck and hugs tightly. I place my hand on her back to steady her. She’s warm and her hair still smells of strawberries.

  “Crap, I mean Zan. Shh. I don’t think the people around here like cops,” she whispers in my ear. “Your secret is safe with me.” Her hand passes her lips as if she is zipping them shut.

  “Thanks.” I laugh. She’s quite talkative when she’s drunk.

  “I was just talking about you and those gorgeous teal-green eyes of yours! Ah, I just love them,” she says slurring her words, and taking a step back, she stands on her tiptoes to look in my eyes, her arms still wrapped around my neck. She leans forward so we are nose to nose. “Ama…zing! Phew! Is it getting hot in here or is that just me?”

  There are so many comments I could insert here, but silence seems to be the most appropriate right now.

  Heat radiates throughout her body, causing a few beads of sweat to sprout on her forehead. Lowering herself until she is standing on the flats of her feet, she steps forward to steady herself on the bar. Her head spins as she tries to hold herself up. I wrap my arm around her waist, tugging her close to my chest.

  “Yum, you smell like pine cones. No, wait…like a Christmas tree. I love Christmas. Ah, my Christmas Zan.” Her head turns up under my chin as she takes in another deep breath.

  I can’t help but smile. Her Christmas Zan. My mouth stretches from ear to ear.

  “Zan, I’m super-sleepy now. Do you think we can lie down for a few minutes?” I raise my eyebrows, wide-eyed. “Well…I mean, not necessarily together, I mean I’m not that kind of girl. I don’t know where Lil and Tay are, but they’re with those dudes. They’ll be okay while I take a little nap.” Her eyelids grow heavy and she begins to nod off against my chest.

  “Let me catch you a cab to get home.”

  “No, no, no! I can’t go home like this. My dad will kill me. Oh, please don’t make me go home,” she begs in a tired voice.

  “Where do you want to go? I’ll take you wherever.” I look her in the eye, still holding up her limp body.

  “I’m supposed to go to Tay’s, but I think she’s having a different kind of sleep-over with Knox, if you know what I mean.” She forces at wink at me. “I’ll just stay here and sober up a bit longer, ’kay?”

  “They’re closing down, little one. You can’t stay here.”

  “Just take me with you. I’ll go with you.” She falls forward against my chest, her eyes no longer able to open wider than thin slits.

  I scoop her up, cradling her against my chest. She wraps her arms around me and snuggles her head into the crook of my neck. The essence from her strawberry shampoo wafts around me.

  Grant and Leo meet us at the exit, unable to locate Taylor, and confirming that Lily received transportation from the blond guy.

  “I’m going to take her to our place, just until she wakes up enough to take her home. Grant, I know…”

  Grant looks at me sternly, not approving of the plan, but having no other choice, given last week’s episode with her father.

  “Fine,” he grumbles.

  The cold air chills her skin. She shivers, unknowingly clenching my charcoal sweater in her fist. Her body lies limp in my arms, flush against my chest, fighting the spin that consumes her. I carry her to the rear of the warehouse where I can unfurl my wings unseen in the pitch black night. I prepare for flight embracing her tightly. She moans softly, shifting her neck ever so slightly on my shoulder, never once opening her heavy eyelids. A louder groan slips through her lips as I make my ascent. The wind brushing my body is exhilarating but doesn’t present the same sensation for her tonight. She shivers violently as the arctic evening air brushes over her, but goose bumps forget to form on her exposed skin. The weightlessness of flight never reaches her alcohol-consumed body. Within minutes I arrive at the roof of the loft, planting my feet firmly on its black top. The impact jostles her and she lifts her head, placing her chin on my shoulder. She forces her eyes to open slightly, vaguely making out my white-feathered wings through her clouded vision. The heaviness of her eyelids won’t allow her to open them wider than the slits they are now. She stretches her hand out to touch but only gets a few inches before the dizziness sets in, causing her to retract her arm and clutch my sweater again. I pull her against me to minimize the shaking and bumping as I walk down the flight of stairs to the loft, reluctantly bringing in my wings before I walk through the door.

  “Wh…a…t was th…at?” she asks, barely audibly.

  “Shh, you’ll be able to lie down in a minute.”

  A bed would come in handy about now. I’m certain it didn’t cross Grant’s mind that I would need a bed so my drunken charge could sober up here, thus preventing any further damage that might happen if I took her home to her father, who coincidentally, might be in the same condition. Fortunately, the blanket is still folded over the back of the wooden chair. I slide down the wall to the floor resituating Providence in my lap, her head tilted and resting in the crook of my neck. Her eyelashes graze my neck as she blinks before finally shutting her eyes. Her black pantyhose-covered legs are bent, leaning against the other side of my chest. She groans and takes in a deep breath. The head spins still overpower her body, but after covering her with the blanket and lightly caressing her, she warms up enough to stop the shaking, for the most part. The remainder will wear off with the alcohol.

  She lies still in my arms for hours. My internal light will not provide any relief over the alcohol, but it will provide the warmth that the loft doesn’t. Grant and Leo peek in between calls. Leo is still living off his dancing high, occasionally moonwalking past the door, providing comic relief. We relocate our morning meeting to the loft since it doesn’t appear I will be mobile anytime soon. I’m a little surprised that sitting on the hard floor for hours hasn’t made me restless or cramped. It’s actually incredibly comfortable holding her in my arms. There’s a relief knowing she’s safe here. For the first time I feel like I got to do what I came here to do: comfort, protect, and care for. Without realizing it, my change in mood has my golden light enveloping us and Providence’s energy improves.

  When I’m with her I feel so…at ease. I smile. Then a laugh escapes my mouth as I remember “her Christmas Zan.” I adore her childlike innocence with her frog slippers and cloud pajamas, her quirky choice in beverages, and her funny ramblings. Even in her darkest moments she remains hopeful and faithful. She’s strong and determined. I know what brought me to her: she’s on the cusp of doing great things, and she just needs a little support.

  Providence moans but doesn’t move. She slowly opens her eyes to find the fog has mostly disappeared. “Ugh, ouch, major crick in my neck.”

  “Good morning, sunshine.”

  Zan, Zan is holding me. “Oh, Zan. Please, God, tell me I’m dreaming. Please tell me you didn’t rescue me again. Two Fridays in a row.” Embarrassment colors her face.

  “Do you want to be dreaming?” Why do I feel hopeful about that?

  “Oh gosh, you did.” She pulls her head back, straightens her legs, and looks at me. “I’m totally mortified.” I place my hands on her hip and her now unbent knee.

  “Don’t be.”

  Memories of the evening flash through her mind, ending with the sight of my white-feathered wings.

  Yikes! Time to come clean. I hope this goes better than when I told Avery.

  “How did we get here? I don’t remember much.”

  “Umm, I carried you.” True statement.

  “You carried me all the way here?” she says, looking around the room. “Where are we anyway?”

  “This is my…um…loft.”

  She stands up, wobbling for a moment until I place my arm at her waist.

  “Y
ou live here? I mean I knew cops didn’t make much, but jeez, Zan.” She glances around again.

  Hearing the commotion Leo walks in and hands her a glass of water. Providence tilts her head and squints at him.

  “Thanks. I met you last night too, huh?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Name is Leo.”

  “Nice to meet you, officially. Oh, and sorry about last night. Too many shots.” She rubs her forehead.

  “No harm done.” As proof, Leo holds his arms out and spins in a full circle on his heels.

  “Your eyes, both of you, where di…?”

  “Yeah, they’re not of this world.” He walks out the door, leaving me to explain.

  “Why don’t you sit down?” I point to the chair.

  “Crap, just perfect. This feels loaded. You’re not going to kill me, are you?” She looks me directly in the eye. “You saved me too many times to kill me.” The comment is more for herself.

  “No, I’m not.” I maintain eye contact. “But I need to tell you something. Don’t be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you. I promise.” Rip like a band aid. “I’m not a cop.” Okay, that was the easy part.

  “You’re not?” She raises her eyebrows in question.

  I take a deep breath as if that will help me explain better but end up shaking my head no.

  “Well, spit it out, Zan.” A flash of white feathers comes to her mind.

  “How did we get here?” Panic sets in. Her heart races and her throat constricts. “I can’t breathe,” she whispers.

  I step toward her.

  “Don’t. Not one more step. I need some answers. Who are you? Just tell me…” her voice fades.

  “Okay,” I say calmly. “I’m sorry. This is hard for me. I don’t want you to run away.”

  “Run away? Are you freaking kidding me? I’m safer here than I am out there,” she says, throwing her finger in the direction of my boarded-up window.

  I let out a sigh and raise my eyes to hers. “Providence, I’m an…angel.”

  “A what? Like Gabriel, like the angel Gabriel, like heaven-sent?” The question burns in her eyes, which don’t stray from mine. She’s not scared. She thinks I’m either crazy or lying or both.