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Abbott smiled at her, his dimples digging into his cheeks. "It's okay. You can visit her whenever you want, however you want. Just know that I'm here for you."
She blinked at him a few times, then looked down at her food, gulped, and nodded. "Thanks, Dad." She wondered how her father always knew the right thing to say.
Abbott patted his mouth with the napkin, then placed it on the table and said, "I'm going to the graveyard. Don't go too far. Okay, honey?" She nodded. "Ruth was telling me about this gang that's been terrorizing Petrichor. I want you to be careful."
"What gang?" asked Giselle.
He shrugged. "Maybe it's a fragment of her imagination, but she said something along the lines of 'black leather' and 'wrath' and 'murders' and whatnot."
She pursed her lips. "I'll be careful."
"Got your pepper spray?" he asked.
"Always."
"Strong girl." He got up and kissed her on the head before ruffling her hair. She grinned.
He left without another word. She headed out after a few minutes, too, in the opposite direction. Her flip flops ever so slightly sunk into the mud here and there as she made her way toward the vast, green field on a soft steep going upwards to the peak of the mountain.
Giselle reached her destination after a ten-minute climb. The land was surrounded by trees, large rocks gathered to form a seating area, and a carpet of fresh grass spread far and wide. She gave it a once-over searching for Xavier, but he wasn't there yet.
She took off her flip-flops and placed her bare feet on the slightly wet grass. The scent of recently rained-upon ground eased her nerves, so she took a deep breath. She looked up at the sky as the clouds grumbled and growled again, ready to shower her.
The weather today was exactly the same as two years ago when Xavier had first approached her. Before that day, every Summer Giselle would visit Petrichor for a few days with her parents, and she'd spend her time reading in the park. And every day, without fail, she'd see a man clad in all black sitting on the farthest bench, immersed in his phone. Every time their eyes met, heat would crawl up to her cheeks. It went on for five years. They'd see each other, smile, and get back to their solitude.
And then her mother died. Rose had made Abbott promise a few days before cancer claimed her life, for him to bury her in Petrichor. So, that unfortunate September, they were in the village to fulfill that promise. Chris had been sent on a business trip, and despite his claims that he didn't care if they didn’t land the contract or if he lost his job, she'd convinced him that a week's delay of his presence made no difference.
Though it did. She'd felt utterly alone as she walked in the field one morning, a few days after the burial. They were supposed to leave the next day, and the emptiness she felt after her mother's death was only increasing. Nothing in her life seemed to make her feel better. She dreaded going back to the huge house in the city where her mother's laughter didn't echo, and she hated being in the village where she was buried six feet under.
It had only been a few days to her death, so emotions overwhelmed her, and she sat on the ground as the thunder clapped above her head. She gasped with the pain she'd kept inside during her mother's long illness and then her death. The rain didn't start slow, it poured down in sheets and drenched her from head to toe instantly. She shivered under the rain and cried as loud as she could, wondering if she'd ever get such an opportunity again.
When she looked up, a man was sitting in front of her, his hands tied around his knees, his head down as if silently listening to her. Giselle stifled her cries, choking on her breaths. He looked up at her. Although it was hard to see anything under the pouring rain that drenched them, she recognized the man she'd waved at every year.
He said nothing, just offered her his hand. She shuddered with a silent sob and placed her hand in his without hesitation. He nodded at her and she let herself break down. Her warm tears were a contrast to the cold raindrops that pierced her skin.
The entire time it rained, she cried herself hoarse. He held her hand firmly, his head hanging. When the downpour transitioned into a gentle splatter and the clouds gave way to the light, he looked up at her. Their eyes met. She let out a shuddering breath, embarrassed at her breakdown.
Tucking a strand of wet hair behind her ear with the hand he wasn't holding, she'd whispered, "I'm sorry."
And he'd spoken his first words to her, "I'm here for you."
They'd spent the entire day talking about nothing in particular and exchanged numbers by the time she left for the city. They texted back and forth the whole year after, talking about the most random things.
Although he was only two years older than her, he sounded mature and understanding through his words, and without warning, she was starting to fall for him. He resembled the grumpy love interest from a romance book she'd once read, and she felt lucky to be his sunshine.
"My love." Xavier's warm breath tickled her ear, snapping her out of her thoughts. He placed a kiss on the side of her neck that sent soft tingles through her.
Letting out the breath she didn't know she held, Giselle turned around, her braid hitting him.
Without a look at his face, she wrapped her arms around his muscled body and he held her, his leather jacket scraping her face and umbrella digging into her back slightly.
He didn't feel familiar, for this was the second time they'd embraced. The first time they'd met after a year of text-friendship, it was her mother's first death anniversary, and it had taken them her entire visit to confess that they were interested in something more. The first time they'd hugged was before the day she was supposed to leave for Phoenix.
The year after was the start of their long-distance relationship. This was the first time she'd seen him after they became involved, and she was excited to see if he was as romantic as his texts painted him to be.
I'll experience being Xavier's girlfriend this week,she thought happily, breaking the hug. But when she looked at his face, her smile faltered.
Chapter 4
