The next evening, Lucianne and Gabriel were caught in a downpour as they returned from the town. They were there to pick up the developed photos of Gabriel. He held his trench coat over their heads amid their laughter, her hair and arms slightly wet from the rain. The Kraft folder with the photos was safely inside her coat and her hands pulled it closer to her body to protect it. They ran and ran in the direction of her tower when suddenly, he pointed in another direction and led her down that way. The path opened up to a small mansion that stood on its own by the side of the campus.
"What place is this?" Lucianne asked him.
"It's where I stay," Gabriel said. "Let me show it to you."
She nodded and followed him into the mansion. The moment she stepped foot in it, her jaw dropped at the splendour of the decorations. There was mahogany everywhere and the walls were covered in portraits of people who she believed were Gabriel's ancestors. The chandelier hung low in the middle of the room, lighting up a staircase that split to either side.
Walking up to the staircase, she traced her finger on the railings. This was a home she only dreamt of, and it felt like her dreams had come true. Gabriel came up behind her and placed his hands on her coat, tugging it from her. She let him take it and he threw it to the side of the stairs.
Going up on the stairs before her, he extended a warm hard towards her with an affectionate smile. She put her hand in his and they ascended the stairs together. He led her down the staircase on the left, and when they reached the top, he brought her down the hallways to one of the rooms.
His room was bigger than she imagined. The walls were forest green, much like the woods that bordered Ravenspire. The floor was covered in red carpet the colour of oxblood and the bed was tucked in royal blue sheets. She walked to the middle of the room, spinning around as she took the room in.
It was beautiful.
Gabriel walked to the dresser beside her and opened a turntable. Fetching a vinyl record from the shelf below, he put it into the turntable and laid the pin down. Music flowed from it, a romantic song.
He came back to her, hand extended at her again. She smiled, placing her hand into his. They danced to the song, and Lucianne rested her head on his shoulder, peace enveloping her.
"Great song," she said.
He smiled.
"Who composed it?"
"I did."
"You compose music too?"
"Yes," he said.
"So do I. Can I see?"
"The music scores are in the third drawer," he told her. "But right now, I would rather dance with you."
Slowly, he spun her around, until her back was resting against his chest.
She felt him sniffing her hair in. "Lucianne," he said. "Your hair is so long."
"I need to cut it soon."
He pushed her hair aside, and touched his cheek to her jaw. "Shall I cut it for you?"
"You know how to?"
"I used to cut it for my sister all the time."
"Sure, cut it for me."
Gabriel parted from her to one corner of his room. He took a chair out and placed it in front of the vanity, gesturing her to it. She took the seat and he fumbled around in one drawer, pulling some tools out. He set it on the vanity and took a pair of scissors along with a comb with him. Standing behind her, he combed her hair lightly, brushing the knots out.
"You have the hair of a doll," he told her.
She smiled. "Thank you for cutting it."
"Mmm," he said, comb in his mouth. Tucking her hair behind her ear, he took the comb and began to snip her hair away. "I won't make it too short, don't worry."
"Yeah," she said and he started talking about his sister, and how he used to cut her hair. The conversation wandered off to what life with her was like, but Lucianne found her concentration loosening.
Her attention was captured by something else, and it belonged to one of the tools on the vanity table before her.
It was a peculiar pair of scissors. One that was made of silver, but had a mysterious golden flourish etched into the handles. It looked enchanting, and she wondered what it would feel like to hold it in her hands.
"Lucianne?" Gabriel said.
She blinked fast, her mind crashing back into the present moment. "Yeah?"
"What were you thinking about?"
"Nothing," she said. "I was just daydreaming."
"I'm done."
"Oh," she said, then stared into the mirror. She pulled her hair in front of her. It was shorter, but not too short. Her hair was still considerably long, and the new length gave her a certain youth to her appearance. "It's beautiful, Gabriel."
"That's because you're beautiful."
She laughed. "Thank you."
"It's only the truth."
"I wish everyday were like this."
"Well," he said. "Such a pity then that it will be cut short, right?"