flashing lights | jordan poole (on hold)

thirty-five

four months later | march 10, 2024
omniscient

it was 9:30 in the morning and gabrielle was sitting on one of the barstools in her and jordan's kitchen, responding to the many emails that had flooded her computer.

"what is it shadow?" she asked, feeling the fur of her three month old labrador retriever up against her leg.

the dog began whimpering, making her brows furrow down in confusion. "you can't be hungry. you just ate." she looked down at him.

she stood up from her seat and went to check his bowls; they were full.

"do you need to go outside?" she asked, knowing he wouldn't give her a response.

he just continued whimpering and following her around the apartment, living up to his name.

"what's wrong buddy?" she bent down and picked him up to examine his face. just as she was about to call jordan and ask him what he thought, her phone began ringing.

she grabbed the phone and looked at the caller id, seeing her mom calling.

"hello?" she answered with shadow under her arm as his whimpers came to a halt.

"gabrielle." isabelle spoke in a weary tone.

"why does it sound like you've been crying mom?" gabrielle asked, hearing her mom sniffle.

"grandma passed away this morning."

it was as if time had stopped. gabrielle couldn't even form a proper sentence at the moment.

she had just talked to her grandmother the night before; the two of them planning their next lunch date.

"mom please tell me you're joking." tears began forming in her eyes, threatening to fall.

"i wish i was honey." her mom sighed and quickly wiped her own tears.

"but i was just talking to her last night! w-what happened?" she placed shadow on the floor as she felt the tears coming.

"they're just saying the passed in her sleep. they haven't figured out the cause yet."

"where are you right now?" gabrielle could hear the outside noise in the background.

"i'm on the way to the house." she explained as she tried her best to focus on the road.

"can you update me on everything please?" she asked, feeling herself starting to hyperventilate.

"of course. i love you." isabelle spoke as she arrived at the house.

"i love you too." she sniffled and hung up the phone, placing it on the counter.

she closed the laptop as well and went to sit on the couch, letting the tears fall.

"is that why you were whimpering? you were trying to warn me huh?" she asked, looking down at the dog who followed her and laid in her lap.

shadow laid his head in her lap as she pet him gently. gabrielle tried her best to stop crying, but she couldn't.

she heard the sound of the door being unlocked and it being opened; jordan.