Hearts We Mend To Break (Book I)

.20.

💫GISELLE💫

I thought I was on my path alone. I thought I was walking down this road of loneliness and betrayal with just myself and my hidden tears, but I wasn't. The moment I got to my dorm door, I rushed through, slamming the door that never closed behind me. All the tears I held back came tumbling down my cheek before I could stop them. That's when I saw him.

"Oh shit, Giselle. Don't cry." Angel scooped me in his arms and squeezed me tightly.

I wanted to ask him why he followed me? Why was he there? But I couldn't speak. My heart was breaking into more pieces than it could handle. How could he stand me up? How could he call me, getting my hopes up, just to tear them all down? I didn't deserve this.

"Hey. Hey. What's going on? You can't be doing this over Loki, right? Over me?" Angel led me towards my desk chair. As he guided me to have a seat, he bent down on his knees to level himself with me. "Giselle?"

I looked into his eyes. The concern. The compassion there, that I'd never known existed. It drew me in carelessly. There wasn't one single fiber in my being afraid of Angel at that moment. But why couldn't I stop crying? Why did this hurt so bad?

"Can you tell me what's wrong? Why are you crying?" His deep, grungy tone was soft and soothing.

"My dad stood me up. He was supposed to be here, and he stood me up."

"Ok." He nodded repeatedly, probably trying to understand.

"I haven't seen my dad in about four or five months. Let me be honest, I hardly ever see my dad or my mom." Using my hands to dry my face, I held back more tears than any person could ever count. That only made the pain worsen. "My parents are the number one people on Earth that God should have never given a kid to—" Before I could finish, I was wailing.

Angel was patient. He sat there and allowed me to vent and get out whatever it was I needed to get off my chest. Truth is, I'd never been truthful about how much pain the absence of my parents caused me. I had never told anyone how I really felt about my upbringing.

"I yearned for love, attention, affection, acceptance so much because all my life I had to fight to feel worthy of receiving it. And never once had I ever felt I had earned the right to have those things. So I threw on a smile, kept my blond highlights bright, and lived as the star of the fakest reality show that ever aired. Star." I wanted to stop myself dead in my tracks. But like a runaway train on a never-ending route to harsh and painful death, I rambled. I spilled truths no one had ever heard. Freely, I felt someone finally wanted to hear me.

"Come on, Giselle. You're brilliant. You're beautiful. You're fun and crazy. You're free! Of course, you deserve those things. There are worse people on this earth that deserve far less than what you feel you do. You have to know that." My dark and uncaring boy was actually gentle—sweet, assuring me as best he could. And I could tell he believed it.

"I'm sorry." I laughed.

"Why?"

"For crying all over you and ruining the day."

"The day has just begun, Sunshine—Giselle."

"Thank you. I feel kind of embarrassed for spilling my worst. I usually don't do that."

"I'll make a deal with you." Angel exhaled. "God, I'm going to regret this." I watched as he palmed his face with his rough hands, smoothly running them up to his thick hair afterwards.