I had been waiting for her for an hour already. I got up, and looked around a bit, regretting never setting a specific time, much less a place.
I then heard the gate creak open, then shut. I got up from my seat against one of the mausoleums and walked down the path to greet her. As I was walking, I thought about my past. What had happened... no. I didn't want to think about anything. Not right now. I stiffened my jaw and continued walking.
When she saw me, she picked up her pace. Her walk was fast, but she still had her head tilted toward the ground.
When we finally reached eachother, I didn't exactly know what to do. I said hello, wondering if I should hug her or shake her hand or something, but I ended up just standing there.
Without saying anything, we started to walk side by side to the oak tree at the end of the graveyard.
We arrived there, still silent, and as she sat down on the ground, I walked over to the tree, and climbed to a branch about 5 feet off the ground.
As I settled in, she just watched me. I made an inviting gesture with my hands, welcoming her to join me. She got up, still silent and started to climb on the lower branches, then finally reached my level.
I reached out my hand to help her up. she took it. This was the first time I had touched her.
Her skin was cold, due to the weather outside. I pulled her up onto the branch, and took her chilled hands in mine.
I couldn't see her face, it was too dark by now. Due to the angle of the branch, she was leaning into my side. She turned her head away from me, and down to the ground. Without thinking, I reached my hand out and lightly turned her face back towards me. I looked down and pulled my hand away.
"So you never told me your story." she said, in a desperate attempt to distract from what had just happened.
"Its not all that interesting" I lied.
"I don't believe that." She was looking at me, probably looking for my eyes. I pulled my bangs lower over my face.
"Well, when I was a kid, I was actually pretty normal. I had dusty brown hair, and a face full of freckles and I was just... a kid. Then my dad started drinking. When he drank he got... mean. I had a hard enough time just trying to protect my brother and I, so I never really had time for a relationship... I mean don't get me wrong, I had been with a few girls, but they were all just a bunch of bitches to distract me from what was going on..." I trailed off. Her eyes egged me to go on. "One night , I came home... I had been going to the graveyard ever since he started drinking, but anyway, I was coming home, I got to the front door, and I heard a big commotion from inside. I went in, and my dad was hitting my brother... he was drunk again. I ran up to him and and tried to stop him. By then I had fully transitioned into the look I have now." I gestured to my hair and my outfit. "I'll never forget it, he said 'get away you little freak' and threw me into the table, I hit my head pretty hard, so the rest of that night was a little hazy. But I do remember when my mom came downstairs. She was screaming... my poor little brother... was only 9 years old..."
I felt some tears start to leak out of my eyes. I wiped them away.
"Well... my mother came downstairs and she screamed and screamed." My voice was distorted because of my crying "She ran up to my dad, and yanked my brother away from him. But my dad... he didn't like that... he went up to her and hit her hard in the face. I didn't see the rest, because by then my brother and I both had passed out..."
I had to stop there, I was crying too hard. I tried so hard to hide it, but I knew that I had failed.
"I woke up in the hospital. I learned from a nurse that my dad was going to prison for manslaughter. I instantly thought of my brother. All I said was his name, 'Trey?' and the nurse only shook her head. She explained to me that my mother had died from Cerebral Contusion... like bruising in her brain. And if she hadn't saved my little brother, she wouldve been alive."
I looked over at her face, and I saw that she was crying softly, looking down once again. I put my hand on her chin, and turned her face toward mine, this time without lowering my gaze. She hesitantly brushed my hair out of my face. For the first time, seeing my eyes.
For the moment, I stopped thinking. I only felt. And what I felt was pure affection for the girl I had met, only a few days ago. I leaned in slowly, pausing with only a centimeter between our lips. Slowly... ever so slowly... she closed the distance that remained between us.
