Love In the time of covid

Chapter 48

There was a knock on the door at exactly 6 pm. Dion was known to be a punctual person but even more so because he felt like seeing Giselle again was a sign that there might be an opportunity for second chance. He always regretted that he chose his ex over her. He and Giselle had never dated or ever crossed the boundaries of friendship but his love for her surpassed what one would have for a "friend".

"Good evening Gabby." He greeted his other childhood friend. "It smells good in here." His southern accent came through when complimented her and he stepped forward to pull her into a hug.

"Thanks. It's all Giselle, she completely took over once we got home." Gabby explained as she stepped back to allow him in.

Dion stood still letting Gabby lead the way into the kitchen where Giselle was just taking the lasagna out of the oven and placing it on the counter. "Oh hey." Giselle greeted Dion when she finally noticed him.

"Hey beautiful. These are for you." Dion responded as he handed her a bouquet of sunflowers. "I remembered that these are your favorite."

Giselle was silent as she took them from his hands. "Thank you so much. Where did you find these this time of year?" Giselle accepted them politely. To be honest she didn't feel comfortable accepting flowers from another man but she faked a smile nonetheless.

"I have my connections." Dion said as he winked and then prolonged the eye contact between them.

"Let's eat shall we?" Gabby asked, interrupting the moment when she noticed the look of discomfort on Giselle's face. "I'll carry the salad."

"Yes good idea. Dion can you grab the garlic bread?" Giselle agreed as picked up the oven mitts again to begin carrying the casserole dish to the formal dining room.

"Sure." Dion complied as he followed behind them with the porcelain bowl in his hands.

Once the food and wine was set up, Duane joined them and they sat down at the table.

Duane sat at the head of the table and Gabby sat on his left side. Dion sat opposite to her and Giselle sat next to him.

Dinner carried on as it would be expected between old friends but mostly the conversation consisted of Duane and Dion reminiscing about their college days at LSU.

Once there was no more than a bite left of the baked dish, they all took their wine out to the enclosed courtyard in the back.

Duane and Gabby didn't last much longer as they became intensely infatuated with each other and excused themselves for the night.

Giselle sat on the sofa with Dion with one leg folded underneath her, her right arm across the back and her glass one wine in the other. She drifted off in her thoughts thinking about what Chris was doing and wishing he was there with her.

"What's wrong?" Dion asked when he noticed her silence. He turned his body toward her, mirroring her position.

Giselle chewed on the bottom corner of her lip, trying to decide if she should open up to him. "I've been in a relationship for almost a year. He actually proposed a few days ago."

"I would say congratulations but you don't seem like you're...overjoyed." Dion offered his observation. "What happened?" He asked concerned.

Giselle let out a big huff before carrying on. "He lied...no correction, in his words he omitted the truth about a woman from his past."

"Is that all?" Dion prodded, wanting to have all the information before giving his own input.

"I also found out that he slept around a lot before me..." Giselle was vague to avoid giving away what Chris did for a living. "Now I feel like if his options hadn't become limited, he wouldn't have chosen me? I'm not on the same level as the other women he's been with. I'm a single mom, I'm insecure, I have stretch marks and cellulite...Why would someone like him choose me?"

Dion brought his other hand up and cupped her face while his thumb gently caressed her full lips. "I would choose you." He decided now was his chance to plead his case.

Giselle pulled away from his touch and distanced herself by standing up. "What are you doing?" She asked setting her glass down and crossing her hands over her chest.

Dion sat his drink down on the table as well and stood up to join Giselle. He reached out and rubbed his hands up and down her arms in an attempt to calm her down. He remembered she liked soft touches when she was upset. "Giselle..."

Giselle pulled away again and started to walk towards the house.

"Ladybug. Please."

Hearing him use the pet name he had for her caused Giselle to stop in her tracks just before stepping over the threshold. She turned around and faced him, with their history she felt she owed him a chance to speak.

Dion made his way toward her. Once he was toe to toe, he took hold of her hips to pull her closer. "Any man that wouldn't choose you is insane. I was insane for not choosing you when we were young. Every day I regretted it. Every day I wish I had been brave enough to choose you but at the end of the day I know I made the wrong choice."

Giselle looked back at him, instantly drawn in by his blue eyes just like when they were kids. "You can't undo the past Dion. You and I..." she stared but felt herself choking up at trying to finish the sentence.

"We were kids. Neither of us knew how to cross the line that was between us without ruining our friendship so we ignored it." Dion said softly as he cut her off mid sentence and rested his head against hers. He brought a hand up to caress her cheek and wipe the tear away that had escaped from her eyes.  "I loved you then and I love you now. I can't let you leave until we give it one shot to see what could happen." 

Giselle had a million feelings firing inside of her and many of them conflicted with each other. She didn't deny that what she felt for Chris was there. It plagued her to even consider what Dion was confessing but for a split second a part of her thought 'what if?' The same way she questioned if circumstances had been different for Chris, what if they had been different for her?

"Please give me one chance. If you don't feel anything for me after then I can let you go because I'll at least know I tried." Dion stated his case as he stepped back after taking her hands in his and bringing them up to kiss her knuckles.

Giselle closed her eyes for a brief moment to inhale and exhale a deep breath before looking at him once again. "Ok. I'll go out with you."

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A/N: Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a chance to celebrate completing our trip around the sun.

If you liked or even loved what you read, please vote, comment, add to your reading list and/or share with a friend.

"I'll see you all soon! 😘