Chasing Sapphire

16. DINNER

SAPPHIRE

For some people, graveyard is a place of horror but when someone you love had been buried in those graveyards, when a part of you lies here, you can't help but feel a strange peace here.

The headstones of Dad, Mom and Anastasia were lined side to side; I fought the urge to cry as I read the words written on them.

Jason Peter Dawson. Loving husband and father. (1970-2001)

Isobel Catherine Denver. Mother, wife and a friend. (1972-2001)

Anastasia Jasmine Denver. Loving daughter. (1992-2001)

The three people who died on the same day, protecting me from those evil people trying to catch me. Anastasia and I were almost 10 then. I can't imagine how it would have felt to face death at that age. Did she cry? Did she begged them to leave her? How did they kill her?

I didn't remember when tears started to stream down my cheeks as I imagined the worst scenarios. Sometimes I wished I would have died with them. Life alone was not easy. Life without a family was a torture, especially when I was a kid. My foster parents never cared about me; all they cared about the cheques they got from Samantha.

But I couldn't hate her anymore, not after knowing how she tried to protect me till her last breath. Her death was weird, as the Sheriff had told me and now I knew why.

I cast a glance to Aunt Samantha's grave and wiped the tears off my cheeks. Saying my goodbyes to my family, I walked away from the graves to the exit.

But someone caught me attention and I squinted my eyes to look clearly. It was Connor Hunt, kneeled beside a grave. The headstone read 'Tara Jean Hunt'. I remembered when he told me his wife was dead. Not wanting to invade, I walked away silently but then I heard him calling my name.

I made my way to him and silently observed as he replaced the old flowers with new, fresh orchids. He stood up and then brushed the dust off his jeans and I couldn't help but notice the muscles of his arm.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi," I replied

"What were you doing here?" he asked with his signature smile on his face.

"I was looking for a spa here," I replied sarcastically and crossed my arms in front of my chest.

His eyebrows furrowed at first but then he realised I was being sarcastic. "I thought you were serious for a minute," he chuckled.

"That's what you get for asking the obvious," I replied.

We walked together to the exit of the graveyard. It wasn't easy leaving because it felt like I was leaving a part of me here, which was true in a way.

"So where does your family live?" I asked as we both walked towards our car which were parked at a distance.

"Tara was my only family. I was an orphan." he said and I stopped in my track when we reached my car.

"I'm sorry to hear that," I said in a friendly voice.

"Don't worry. I never had any family so I don't know what it feels to not have one." he said and rested his hand on the hood of my car.

"Maybe i's easier this way than losing your family when you were 10." I said and then felt bad for sounding insensitive. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I bet it is," he said.

His hair shone under the sunlight and a strange urge to run my fingers through them bloomed in my heart. I was in a relationship with Roman as long as I can remember and the passion died somewhere in the way. Now after a long time, I was finding myself admiring an attractive person and this thought made me blush.