Chapter Forty Five

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A week went by before I saw her again. New Year's Eve, 2013. I was running around town getting a few things for my mother when I saw her leave the flower shop, a small bouquet in her hands. And then I watched as she walked toward the church; toward the cemetery.

I don't know why I did it; but then again, I don't know why I did much of anything these days, but I followed her. I watched as she made her way to her father's grave and began cleaning it up. Only this time, something in me told me to go over to her. So I did.

Without saying a word, I walked up to her and began helping. She stopped when she saw my hand picking up some fallen leaves from the top of his headstone. We looked at each other for a moment, neither saying a word, before she went back to pulling out weeds. We remained quiet the entire time. I took the old, dead bouquet of flowers and tossed them aside as she placed the new ones down. We then both sat down on our knees, side by side, in silence.

After sitting there for maybe ten minutes, she softly placed her hand on top of mine. I hadn't been paying too much attention so her touch jolted me a little. Without looking at me she said, "Thank you. For helping. For everything you've done. Don't think I don't know it was all you."

I rubbed my thumb along her hand as she squeezed it a little tighter. "I wish I could do more," I whispered. She nodded. Five more minutes went by. "Siobhan, I'm so sorry about everything. I should've been here more. I've should've helped you more. I should've been a better boyfriend-"

"Niall, stop," she calmly said, "You can't change any of it. So please don't say how you could have."

"It still needs to be said. I have so much that I need to tell you."

She shook her head, "Now is not the time. We are not in the place we need to be for that." With that, she turned to face me, leaned in and pecked me softly on the cheek. When she pulled away, she gave me a small smile, let go of my hand, and left.


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