Stepping out onto the balcony the gentle breeze gave languid kisses along the exposed parts her dress would allow. Leaning against the wall for support she tried to keep telling herself to relax and keep it together. Her heart constricted painfully in her chest at the bandage that had been ripped off her and she felt vulnerable wrapping her arms around herself.
As a result to not break the promise to herself to not shed another tear she chose to focus on the line of trees that were a preamble to the dense forest ahead that once sparked her curiosity. She had never gone into them, never dared to lest she wanted to face her mother's rage. Seeing the trees rustle, the initial reason for paying attention to them subsided at the sound as they continued to dance in what she assumed was due to the rhythm set by the breeze. May be it's the mystical creatures, was the thought to appear in her mind but she shook her head feeling silly at the thought fueled by her parents' lies..
"It's really good to see you," a soft voice spoke, stiffening at having identified the person she frowned as she swiftly turned on her heels to face Kate. The other woman had chosen to remain by the door keeping a safe distance from Raquel out of fear she'd get hit. But considering the circumstances Kate knew she deserved it. And it was the guilt eating at her that had made her want to come to the party, she had seen it in her parent's eyes that they thought it wasn't best but she needed to see her cousin and try salvage their relationship. "T-The weather has been crazy these da –"
"Seriously, you screw me over and you want to talk about the weather. Unbelievable," she scoffed crossing her arms allowing her frown to deepen at the audacity. Kate looked away finding the floor more comforting to look at tucking a few loose strands of hair out of her face, "I deserve every ounce of hate you have for me. But you avoiding me isn't going to make the situation better, we're still family at the end of the day."
"Us being family didn't stop you from fucking him at the end of the day," was the remark that slipped out of Raquel's mouth and though she never considered herself bitchy in nature, the amount of pain inflicted upon her from them was pain she would never wish upon her enemies. Still she had come a long way. With each passing day she was able to find the strength to smile and that was something to be proud of and she had decided to block out those who only brought her nothing but pain such that she proceeded past the tears begging to fall to say, "I don't want to hear anything more you need to say. You can apologize all you want to but I'm done entertaining shit that's toxic."
"I didn't mean to hurt you!" Kate replied taking a step forward that caused Raquel to take a step back to maintain a distance between them. "And yet you did anyway. You knew what I was going through. HELL I TRUSTED YOU!" she barked unable to control her temper that flared at the topic she had been doing her best to ignore. "I didn't want to hurt you… i-it just happened. You have to believe me," her cousin pleaded but Raquel was too livid to bother hearing anymore of the excuses that meant nothing to her.
"I've grown to question a lot about my worth after what you both did. I'll forgive only because I'm trying to give myself the love I deserve and give myself the kind of respect that neither of you were willing to give to me. And if you still want to see your child I strongly suggest you stay the hell away from me… enjoy the rest of the party, Katherine," she concluded brushing past her ignoring her cousin's calls, ultimately leaving her cousin and the golden pair of eyes watching in the cloak of secrecy provided by the trees outside.
***
Despite the night ending on a bit of a sour note the second she opened her eyes after facing another restless night and took in the sunlight peeking through the curtains of her old childhood bedroom she chose to make the most of it. Even if her body was operating on very little sleep she pulled it out of the bed and decided to take a walk and reacquaint herself with the small town once more. Throwing on a pair of jogging pants that fit snuggly around her lower half believing the weather would only get warmer as the day progressed she wore a simple tank top and comfortable shoes.
It wasn't long before she was out and about taking in a much needed breath of fresh air that was often missing in the cities clogged with smoke and fumes. Another thing she appreciated was the little noise in the air, with birds chirping about and the occasional twig breaking under the weight of her shoes Raquel for once felt like she was the only thing that existed in that world. Keeping her focus on a hiking trail it wasn't long before she was enveloped by the dense trees that were greedily soaking in the sunlight as well. Although she had been apprehensive to go into the woods she chose to take a chance that day. There was something suddenly intriguing of throwing all caution aside and explore the forest her parents once warned her against. But it was truly due to the sun residing in the sky that gave her the much needed courage to enter the forest that didn't look so menacing and she had grown increasingly comfortable surrounded by Mother Nature's beauty.
Moving along the sight of a stream soon caught her attention; the waters glittered looking like diamonds as they cascaded over the rocks that obstructed their path that Raquel's pace decreased in speed as she observed it. With her mind not focusing on one tangible thing, she kept her thoughts clear from venturing from anything dark and took a seat a few meters by the edge of it. If she wanted to she could have easily kicked off her shoes and dipped her feet into the waters but decided against it and opted to watch the water body from a distance.
And for a moment she was transported to a time when she was much younger, where life was a lot simpler. She seemed to have a better grasp on her emotions back then. It was a time she had been warned to be careful of the dangers lurking in the world but nothing had ever fully prepared her for getting hurt by the one she had trusted. Heart increasing in speed, eyes blinking fast to withstand the tears at the pain begging to spill forth she closed her eyes trying to block out the lack of remorse in his eyes. She tried to block out the fact she had yet to throw away her wedding band and despite a barrier being placed, her tears slipped past moving slowly down her cheeks.
"They're not worth your tears," a gruff voice said, the sound that broke through her bubble caused her eyes to snap open in alarm only to find colors the shade of hazel taking her in from across the river. Frozen, immobile on the grass the orbs framed by deep set eyes compelled her to take in the rest of the stranger's features. In a sea of olive skin a Roman nose sat proudly in the midst of it giving him an aristocratic look, dropping her gaze lower as her heart hammered against her chest she took note of the beauty mark just above the left side of his upper lip. And speaking of lips, they were pink and quite plump. The rest of his face was surrounded by dark brown locks that reached his shoulders, his broad muscular shoulders that were covered by a black sleeveless shirt that showcased his brawny arms. It was only when she heard a growl that she quickly snapped out of her daydream remembering the situation at hand and grew flush at being caught looking so vulnerable.
Standing up on her feet she wobbled slightly regaining her balance and profusely wiped her face feeling embarrassed. "Uh… s-sorry, I… uh –"
"What are you apologizing for?" he enquired smiling in amusement at the way she seemed so nervous. "I'm not particularly sure to be honest. It's just, I guess a thing you say," she replied feeling slightly sheepish. Tucking a loose curl behind her ear she shuffled lightly on her feet unsure of what to say. When she left her home that morning she didn't particularly expect to see anyone else around. "
"There are always beasts lurking around these parts. You should be careful," he warned taking a step forward till he reached the edge of the stream itself. But the distance between wasn't much such that she felt acutely aware of his intense gaze. "You sound just like my parents. I can handle myself; despite how I look I have a lot of fire in me."
"I have no doubt about that, woman," he murmured moving his eyes all over her, he didn't bother to hide he was literally gawking at her and though she would have told men who did that to stop she couldn't find herself saying it. In fact a part of her actually enjoyed it.
God, you have no shame, Raquel, a voice murmured inside her head and taking a deep breath she said, "Well I should be heading back. This conversation was… interesting."
When he didn't reply but kept observing her she took that as a signal to leave and opted to head back home. Keeping her eyes focused on the trail ahead fighting the urge to look back at the stranger whom she had decided was the literal embodiment of sin itself. The man kept his eyes focused on her fighting the urge to follow the being who had caught his attention, his eyes flashed a golden hue for a moment as he took a step forward ready to run after her till he clasped his eyes tightly shut trying to reign control over himself.
"Patience…" he huffed lowly taking in a few deep calming breaths as she disappeared not knowing he had cast his scent over her.