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Chapter 25
Giselle slammed her laptop and put it aside. She lay down, pulling the blanket to her chest, and squeezed her eyes shut.
Two hours. She'd been searching for Xavier since nine in the evening on different social platforms but none of them was the man that she was looking for. She didn't know what she expected. Could she even imagine him using social media? Unlikely.
Her mind was cluttered, and she couldn't seem to clear it up.
Giselle sighed, regretting her decision to freeze her semester, or else she'd have something else to focus on. But it was better than failing, she reminded herself. She knew it was hard for her to focus, that her mind needed a break, and that she'd have only made it worse if it was continued.
But what good did it do?I have absolutely nothing to do now,she thought,not even the stress to distract me from the mess my thoughts have become.
She lay there, staring into space, refusing to cry.
At times like these, she'd reach out to Chris, and he'd make it all okay, but he was out on a date with Abby. Giselle was happy that he was doing something for himself, but her heart ached. Didn't he know that she needed him the most these days? Was Abby more important to him?
Giselle shook her head. Why was she being so needy? What was she even thinking? Of course, Abby was more important to him. She was his partner, and Giselle was just a friend. A childhood friend, sure, but just a friend. She had no right to be upset.
She closed her eyes, and Chris's face blinked under her lids, mere inches away, too close to kissing her. Her eyes flew open, and it took her a moment to make sense of it.
She told herself not to obsess over it, and that she was happy for him. But he'd said he'd always be there. He'd promised!
It's not his job to be around you all the time,she scolded herself.Get a grip. He has a life. You miss Xavier. Think about Xavier!
Xavier. Of course. Why was she even thinking about Chris?
She closed her eyes and imagined being in Petrichor. She wanted to re-live the first time she'd met Xavier, the way he'd held her hand, but her mind instantly reminded her of the last fight she'd had with her father. Then the mental image morphed into his corpse. She opened her eyes again. Her breaths quickened and heart started pounding against her chest.
Was she never going to be able to think of Xavier without the memory of her father haunting her?
She sat up straight, not wanting to think anymore about her father, or who killed him, or what her life had turned into, or where Xavier was, or her studies, or Chris and his girlfriend, or even about herself and what she needed.
Distraction. That was the answer.
Grabbing her phone, Giselle opened one of the social media apps that bombarded her brain with countless stimuli and got immersed in scrolling aimlessly.
The knock on her door startled her.
"Yeah?" she called, putting her phone aside.
The door opened and Chris entered, his white button-down stretched on his broad chest, coat resting on his arm.
"Hey, Pigtails," he croaked, giving her a small smile.
She could tell he was exhausted. His hair was ruffled, and she wondered if Abby had run her hands through it.
She didn't smile back. "Where were you?" Hating how small her voice sounded, she cleared her throat.
"I told you, didn't I? I was with Abby. Took her out for dinner." He sat on the sofa opposite the bed and threw his coat on the armrest.
She suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. Why was she so angry?
Chris's brows merged. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Just wanted you here," she mumbled.
He smiled his most genuine smile, and her heart softened. She gulped.
"I missed you, too," he said.
