Drystan found out two things about Galene after that day. One, was that she lived alone and couldn't tell him where when he wanted to drop her off to which he respected, they had time and he would know sooner or later but for now he respected her space and decisions. Two, she really wasn't much of a liar but she could hide things well, especially the bruises and scars.
He stared at Galene who was laughing with the group. His eyes never strayed from her. Earlier when she had arrived, the first thing that Drystan noticed was the dark mark on the base of her neck. His suspicion were confirmed when he went near Galene and saw that it was a bruise, a fresh bruise on that note.
He wanted to ask her but Galene told him off before he could even, saying how she didn't want to talk about it. Drystan kept his mouth shut and up until now, he hadn't brought the topic up. But it was worrying him, because he found similar marks on her legs, to why he was staring at her legs, he didn't want to be questioned.
"Zael?"
Drystan looked up to see Galene staring at her worriedly, the others were still talking up nonsense but Galene's attention was all on him.
"You okay?"
Drystan wanted to snort at her question. She shouldn't be the one asking that, but he nodded nonetheless. He figured that if Galene didn't want to talk about it then there was nothing he could do. She had always been stubborn and that fact hadn't changed. So instead, he smiled at her and held a couple strands of her hair to play with.
No matter how he looked at it Galene was hiding something from them and it greatly affects her mood even if she wasn't honest about it. Worrying would get him nowhere, he wanted to do something for her. That's when a thought crossed his mind.
"I just had a thought"
Galene eyed Drystan and his gaze never wavered from her. He brought the tips of her hair to his lips before silently asking her.
"Do you think you can go on the second date with me today?"
🎙🎶🎙
"Was it so out of the blue?"
Drystan asked as they were walking to their second-date destination. After classes, they immediately parted ways with the rest of the group and walked ahead. Galene looked at him and thought about it for a while before answering.
"A little? Even Quincey was surprised"
Drystan chuckled before taking Galene's backpack off her back. Galene protested but she was too late as Drystan was already carrying it.
"I can carry it you know"
"I know, but I still want to do it for you"
Drystan felt proud of himself the moment Galene's cheeks turned the color of roses. He had welcomed this new profound pride every time Galene would exhibit an out-of-the-norm expression. Because for him it meant he was making an effect on her.
"Where are we going anyway?"
Drystan smiled widely before offering his hand towards Galene to which the lass gladly obliged. She didn't have any reason to avoid him now especially not when she herself craves some soft touch. That was a fact that she had learned since that day in the clinic.
The two of them walked a decent distance before they finally reached the building where Drystan had his idea of a date. He quickly stared at Galene who stood awestruck.
"This… how did you even think about this?"
Drystan chuckled at Galene's expression which changed from a surprised to a happy one. He was glad that it looked like he made the right choice.
"You like books"
That was all he could say and all Galene could do was stare at the man in front of her. Her inside flutters as she smiles widely at him.
Drystan had brought her to a library that caters to a study room and a cafe. Earlier, he remembered how Galene always had a book with her wherever she went and immediately thought of this place.
"But how did you even know of this? I didn't even know this existed until today"
Drystan smiled sheepishly before scratching the back of his neck.
"We used to use the study rooms here as bedrooms"
Galene's eyebrow instantly rose up at his sudden confession.
"This happened when?"
"Middle school"
Galene let out a chuckle and realized that other than music, the guys didn't have any ounce of patience when it came to studying.
"Well, now you're using it as a date destination"
Drystan grinned before pulling Galene along towards the entrance.
"At the very least I can see that it made you happy"
Galene felt her cheeks burn, it did make her happy. None of her dates before had ever taken place at a library even though it was one of the places that could make her happy. And the fact that Drystan had remembered what she liked made her appreciate him more.
Galene had let Drystan talk with the front desk assistant while her eyes roamed the entirety of the place. The countless tall shelves of books greeted her first and she couldn't help but smile and admire it. Drystan smiled as he stared at Galene, he lightly tapped her shoulder before beckoning her to their spot.
"Let's go, I got our cards"
Drystan held up a blank library card to her and Galene took it without any hesitation that it made him laugh.
"Are you that excited?"
"Is it too obvious?"
Galene playfully asks but Drystan just chuckled before shaking his head.
"It doesn't matter, come on we got some good spots"
He shortly said before walking, Galene followed shortly, and beyond the shelves, cubicles and study tables welcomed them. The cubicles have about eight feet of walls surrounding it and a door. Drystan walked towards one of the cubicles and opened it with the key that he got from the front desk assistant.
Galene walked inside and saw that the top of the cubicle hadn't been covered but it was for the better. She stood awestruck as she stared at the stained glass panels right above.
"Those are pretty"
She muttered to herself. Drystan knew what she was talking about because he used to stare at them too much before but his gaze was stuck on Galene. Inside he was glad he had this idea.
He was getting more worried as the days passed by and the number of bruises and scratches on Galene's body accumulated. He didn't want to press on it if Galene wasn't willing to tell anything but it didn't mean he didn't get worried about it. It was also evident that Galene had something bothering her mind as he would catch her multiple times a day, distracted and just staring at nothingness.
That's why seeing her like this now, happy and full of life, made him happy.
"Go, you can pick any books you want to read and just come back to meet me here"
"What about you?"
Galene asked him to which Drystan answered by pointing up.
"There's a cafe on the second floor, I'll get us some coffee and bread"
"What about a book?"
"I don't know much about books but how about you recommend one for me?"
Galene chuckled before agreeing to Drystan's recommendation. It was evident that Drystan wasn't a bookworm but she appreciated his willingness to read whatever she was going to get for him.
"Okay then let's meet back here"
"Yeah, I'll see you in a bit"
Galene stared at Drystan's back which was getting farther and farther away from her. She gazed back at the stained glass panels above and let out a sigh.
No matter how pretty the stained glass above looked in her eyes, she couldn't ignore what it had depicted. The glass shows a young girl coming out of a house seemingly welcoming a man and below it the words Judges 11:30-40 were written.
Galene knew what it was, what it meant and she couldn't help but smile bitterly.
"Life be really throwing me some shit huh"
She chuckled disappointedly before leaving to pick some books on the shelves, forcing the uncomfortable feeling in her gut down.