You first noticed her on a rainy afternoon. She was standing across the street, holding a black umbrella that somehow didn’t seem to get wet, her hair clinging in perfect waves despite the storm. You didn’t know her, but when your eyes met, a strange calm settled in your chest, like the chaos of the world had paused just for a moment.

Her name was Leighton—or at least, that’s what she told you when she smiled and offered to share her umbrella.

From that day, she seemed to appear wherever you went. On the subway, waiting in the same car as you. At the library, sitting just a few rows away, as if she had been there all along. At first, you assumed coincidence. But then the little things started to happen.

You almost got hit by a car once, and she was there, yanking you back just in time—yet when you turned to thank her, she was gone, leaving only the echo of a laugh and the faint smell of rain.

You didn’t know it yet, but she wasn’t just a girl. She was… watching. Always watching. Protecting. The universe had sent her to keep you safe, and somehow she had chosen to walk among humans, invisible in plain sight.

Sometimes, she’d touch your shoulder or brush past your arm, small gestures that felt like home, like reassurance you didn’t know you needed. You found yourself drawn to her, but there was something you couldn’t put your finger on—a perfection, a serenity, a knowledge in her eyes that no human could possess.

One night, after a particularly strange day where she had guided you out of danger twice without explanation, you confronted her.

“Why do you keep appearing?” you asked, heart racing.

She smiled softly, looking at you like you were fragile and brilliant all at once.

“I… just want you to be safe,” she said. Her voice carried a weight, gentle but eternal, and yet somehow elusive.

You didn’t know it then, but her existence was tied to yours in ways you couldn’t imagine. Every step you took, every danger you avoided, every quiet moment of comfort—it was her hand guiding you, her presence shielding you.

And as days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, you started to realize something terrifying and exhilarating at once: the universe had chosen a guardian for you. And in human form, she had chosen to stay.

You never saw the wings, never felt the celestial touch, yet you knew, deep down, that she was more than human. She was your angel.

And one day, when you least expected it, you would understand why.