-Evangeline-
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"Your dad?" Mr. Winters questions.
"Yeah. As I told you, my Dad died when I was 19. It took a lot out of me to say goodbye to him and to finally accept he's gone. This year marks five years since he's been dead. I've finally got to the point where I can say his name or think about him without tearing. Every morning, I used to visit his grave to talk to him like he was my therapist. What's funny is that sometimes, I would imagine his voice talking back to me. The last time I've been here was over six months ago," I look at Mr. Winters, who has wide eyes. I chuckle.
"It's okay. I know it's a lot to take in meeting my parents, but I wanted you to meet them because that's what boyfriends and girlfriends do, even if they're dead," I laugh and look at Mr. Winters, seeing him having a serious face. I clear my throat.
"Anyways, my mom's buried behind him. We tried to get as close as possible to her, and we didn't have the money at the time to save a plot, so this is the closest we can get to her," I sigh.
"All right then, let's carry on to the next spot," I start walking down the line of graves.
"You go ahead. I'll meet you at the car in a moment," I turn back and smile at Mr. Winters as he stares at the grave of my father.
I walk to the car and sit on the driver's side. I look at the graveyard and see Mr. Winters kneeling, looking at my father's grave. He stands and walks towards the dirt path and starts walking down it towards the car.
"What were you doing?" I ask as he gets in the car.
"I was talking to your father," I smile.
"Awe, you already forming a bond and going to watch football together?" Mr. Winters looks at me seriously. I clear my throat.
"Sorry, that was dark humor."
"Where to next?" Mr. Winters says, chuckling. I smile.
"I have a spot I want to show you," I pull out of the dirt parking lot and start driving on the road.
After a long haul of driving for an hour and stopping for food, pull into a private road, parking next to a secluded woods. I smile at Mr. Winters as he looks at me confused while I grab the food, get out of the car, and start walking towards the woods.
"Is this where it turns out you're a psycho killer and chain me to a tree?" I hear Mr. Winters say. I laugh and turn around.
"If you want me to chain you to a tree, all you have to do is ask. Besides, I should be worried about bringing you here. After all, only one other person knows where we are and where this spot is," I say while I walk backward. I turn back towards the woods and walk into them.
"Keep up with me. It's easy to get lost in these words. Trust me, I know," I walk to a tree with a small carved X's on it.
"Walk into the woods to find your X. Go beyond, and you'll get a Hexs. Turn left to find a star," I look left of the X-marked tree and see a tree marked with a star a couple of trees to the left, "You're not far. Jump over the edge. Be careful, or you'll be dead," I look at the deep crack in the ground.
"Can you roll that large log over that edge?" I say to Mr. Winters as I point at a log.
"That's a dark nursery rhyme you're singing," He says as he walks over to the large log.
"My brother and I created it back in our punk rock days," I say.
"No kidding," Mr. Winters replies.
I watch as he squats, looking at his perfectly shaped ass, and picks up the heavy-looking log. Good, Lord, I'm no better than a man.
"You can stop drooling at my ass now. Now, where do you want the log?" I shake my head, removing my eyes from looking at his lower body as I stare at the large log over his shoulder.
"I thought you were going to scoot it over, not carry the whole fucking thing! You better put it over the edge before you hurt yourself!" He laughs as he walks towards me, lifting his mask with his other hand and placing a kiss on my lips.
"I'm not going to hurt myself. I've lifted men heavier than this," I roll my eyes, and he laughs.
I watch him carry the bulky log to the edge. It hits the ground hard, making a thumping sound as he drops it. I step on the sturdy log and steady myself as I walk across it to the other side.
"Come on," I say, turning to Mr. Winters on the other side.
I watch Mr. Winters walk across the log. I turn around and continue walking forward.
"Where are we going?" Mr. Winters asks behind me as I keep walking.
"Where almost there. Be patient," I lead us out of the woods and walk onto a small hill with a tall hanging tree.
"Here we are!" I walk to the edge and sit down, letting my feet hang over the edge while looking at the view of the whole city. Mr. Winters sits next to me.
"This place is where me and my brother used to come. I haven't been here in seven years. No living soul other than him and I knows about this place. I thought I'd share it with you because you're important to me, and I trust you. It's also the perfect place where no paparazzi or the rest of the world can see us. Just you and me," I set the food down between us. I grab my container, pull out my burrito, and take a big bite while looking at the view.
"Wow. This view is... speechless," I look at Mr. Winters looking at me. I turn his face towards the view, and he chuckles.
"Quit looking at me and look at the view," I say with a mouthful of burrito. I swallow my bite.
"You're always looking at me at the most weirdest times."
"How so?" Mr. Winters replies.
"Like every time I first take a bite of food, or when I'm staring out the window," He laughs as he takes off his mask, revealing his captivating smile.
"Maybe I like looking at you. Maybe I like seeing your reaction to every small detail," I roll my eyes.
"Yeah, because that's fun to watch rather than the sunset over the hill valley," I reply, "What's your favorite color?" I ask.
"It's my turn to ask a question. If I remember, you asked several questions during the movie," I roll my eyes at his words as I take another bite.
"That doesn't count. I was simply... rather confused," I say while looking away.
"Sure you were. You knew what was occurring in the movie the entire time, yet you were confused," I roll my eyes.
"If you already know everything about me, then why do you need to ask any more questions? Seems quite unfair, doesn't it?" I say.
"That doesn't mean I can't ask you how your day was. Or how the nail salon trip was?" I roll my eyes at his response.
"Please! That trip was horrible. The lady kept gripping my hands and filing it roughly."
"It seems like you didn't like it. Donny told me all about how uncomfortable you looked. What salon was it?" He says as he takes his phone out.
"NO! Don't you dare do anything!" I put my burrito back in its container and lick the sauce off my thumb as I grab his phone from his hand with my other hand. He laughs.
"I'm not going to do anything. I'm just going to send a friendly gesture to the owner," I roll my eyes.
"The owner's a woman," I reply.
"I have woman assistants who can help me take care of them," I roll my eyes.
"Don't you dare! I don't need everyone scared of me when they see me because I'm dating you!" Mr. Winters chuckles.
"Why not? I'll make sure you never get treated inadequately again," I roll my eyes.
"Did Donny also tell you how I was unease with the whole process because I kept looking at my phone, waiting for a text from you to see if you've landed, or got on the fucking plane? Did he tell you how I spent many of the nights, worrying, thinking you were dead because of your work, crying myself to sleep because I didn't get a single text or call from you all day?! Worrying if you left me alone in our home, or if you left me alone in a house. Did he tell you how much I kept thinking about you, or how he asked me if I loved you?" I lick my lips, reflecting on those days.
"Evangeline, I-"
"Just don't," I interrupt him, "Don't say anything. I know things didn't play out the way we wanted, but I know the truth. I believe and trust you with my soul. I know you left for the trip, but you came back for us, and that's all that matters," I lay my head on his shoulder.
"Yes...," I lift my head and look into his eyes.
"Yes, what?"
"I knew all about it. I have cameras installed in every room of the house except my office, so I know what you did when I was gone," I look at him with wide eyes as one thing comes to mind.
"Wait! So, you're telling me, there are cameras in EVERY room?" He nods his head, and my eyes widen wider.
"So, you're telling me if you replay the footage, you're going to find our sex tape?" Mr. Winters grins big.
"That's my favorite part," A bit of fear strikes my heart. The way this man has my whole life in the palm of his hands with one move. I bite my lip nervously.
"Are you-?"
"No, I'm not going to do anything with it, if you're going to ask. It's for me and only me. No one else has seen it, but me," Mr. Winters interrupts. A wave of relief washes over me as I hear those words.
I lay his phone on my thigh and switch to the camera. I aim his phone high, capturing the both of us.
"Smile!" I say to Mr. Winters and smile big as I take the picture. I look at the picture and see him staring at me adoringly. I smile while pulling out my phone.
"My turn," I aim the camera high on his side, capturing mostly his face. I smile again as I take the picture.
I go to my settings and set the photo I took on my phone as my wallpaper. I put Mr. Winters's phone on my lap and go to his settings.
"Why do you have the ugly picture of me wearing a face mask I took on the plane as your home screen wallpaper?"
"Because you're my home. Plus, it's my favorite picture of you," Mr. Winters replies. I roll my eyes and change his home and lock wallpaper to the picture I just took. His phone buzzes, and I see a text from Stephanie.
"Have you told her yet?" I clear my throat after reading the text, pretending I didn't see it.
"There. Now, we have matching wallpapers on our phones," I hand Mr. Winters his phone back, trying to not let my hand shake, "Don't you dare think about changing it either!" I say trying to get my mind off of the topic. He chuckles.
"I wouldn't dream of it." I grab my burrito and take a bite.
"Good," I say with a portion of the burrito in my mouth, "Why aren't you eating?" I ask.
"It's turn to ask a question. Plus, I'm not hungry. I have food later on to eat," He says, staring at me tastefully.
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-End Of Chapter 56-
Thank you sooo much for reading Chapter 56 Of CRASHING DOWN INTO GLORY!
Have a sterling day/night! <3