Page 35 of Michael's Awakening
Chapter Fourteen
Gabriel
Time supposedly heals all wounds, but I didn’t agree with that. Time, to me, acted only like a drug, making the pain of the wound lessen as the years passed, but never healing it completely.
The hole in my heart from losing my mother would never heal.
Zack picked me up that morning from my apartment and Dad was with him. My manager, Kaylee, had given me the day off from work to spend time with my family and I was incredibly thankful for the favor.
We were all quiet in the car ride over to the graveyard, like we usually were on that day. I sat in the back seat, which gave me a good view of my brother and my dad. Zack stared at the road with a furrowed brow and Dad gazed out of the passenger side window with a solemn expression.
When we arrived, we all got out of Zack’s Chevrolet Blazer and walked toward the gravesite. The day was overcast, which I thought was fitting. When I woke up that morning, it had been sunny, but as the morning progressed, the sky became gloomier. The clouds above were now dark and painted the sky in various shades of gray.
Heaviness weighed in my chest and tears stung the corners of my eyes as I saw my mother’s grave ahead.
Feeling someone grab onto my hand, I looked to see Zack. His concerned, hazel eyes looked down at me. He knew I carried guilt over our mother’s death. Zack was the only person I had ever told that to. Our mother had gotten into the car accident after dropping me off at school, so as irrational as it might be, I felt like it was my fault.
If I wouldn’t have overslept and missed the school bus that morning, she wouldn’t have driven me to school and wouldn’t have gotten into an accident. Guilt had consumed me for years whenever I thought about her, but after talking to Zack, he slowly made me feel better and start to realize t it wasn’t my fault. Just a freak accident.
I nodded my head reassuringly at him to let him know I was okay, and then we both glanced at our dad. He was bent down next to Mom’s grave with his head bowed and I knew he was talking to her.
“Let’s just stay back for a minute and give him some space,” Zack whispered and squeezed my hand as I nodded in agreement.
Flowers on my mom’s grave caught my eye. Where had they come from? It was a beautiful bouquet of lilies that were placed in a black vase. Zack must have seen them at the same time I did because he walked closer and examined them.
Walking back toward me, he shook his head and whispered, “I don’t know who sent them. Kind of weird. Lilies were Mom’s favorite.”
There was no note attached to them, but I had a feeling as to who had done it.
Michael.
The tears that were stuck in the corners of my eyes fell freely at the revelation. Within the few days I had known him, Michael had found a way into my heart. Even though less than a week passed since we’d met, I felt like I had known him forever. We had talked for hours upon hours the past two days and I felt myself falling for him already.
It may have been too soon to feel that way, but I didn’t care. Clearly, he still had issues he needed to work through within himself before he could fully open up to me, but I was going to be patient and wait for him.
As long as it took.
***
Later that day, I curled up on my couch and was watchingSex and the Cityas the rain plummeted against the window. Zack and Dad dropped me off at home after we left the graveyard and had lunch together. It was a great visit with them, but I was emotionally drained and just wanted to be lazy for the rest of the day.
After arriving home, I’d been soaking wet because of the rain so I’d taken a nice, hot shower to warm up. Not bothering to fix my hair, I let it air dry, so it was a chaotic mess as a result. It wasn’t like anyone was going to see me anyway.
My phone vibrated and I looked down and smiled when I saw that it was a text from Michael.
Hey, Princess. How are you holding up?
I adjusted my position so I could text him back.I’m ok, I guess. Today was just hard. How is work?
Work is work. I’m about to leave now. Are you at home?
I smiled.Yes. Why?
If he said he wanted to see me, I’d have to high-tail it to the bathroom, put on some makeup, and quickly fix my hair. A few minutes passed and Michael still didn’t respond to my text. Dejectedly, I tossed my phone on the coffee table and cuddled back into the couch.
A heavy rap on my door caused me to jump and release a small shriek. With my heart racing, I grabbed my blanket and wrapped it around myself as I padded over to the door to see who it was.
I gasped as I opened the door and saw Michael standing there. His rain drenched, dark hair fell sexily into his green eyes. He was dressed in a blue button-up dress shirt with a silky black tie and he looked sexy as fuck.
