Traces Of Magic

~Chapter 26~

The sky is clear and blue. The only thing lingering above is the shining sun. Its light kisses my cheeks as Grayson and I enter the park. The park is rather quiet for a Sunday afternoon. "So where do you want to sit?" I look around. "Not here." "Okay. Just tell me when you want to stop." I nod my head as I start walking off down the brick pathway. Grayson jogs to catch up with me. He blushes as he takes my hand in his. I look over at him as he looks in the distance. My eyes drift from in front of him to behind him. There's someone sitting on a park bench.

Could it be?

Jarron?

"Are you okay Mandy?" I look back at Grayson. "Oh. Um, yeah. I'm fine. Let's keep going." I look back but the bench is empty. I shake what I saw out of my head and focus on finding a good spot. I watch the fish swim under the bridge as we cross it. From the bridge, I see the perfect spot. I pull Grayson back as he keeps walking. "Grayson look!" He looks at where I'm pointing. "That's where I want to sit!" I let go of his hand and run over to the open area of grass near the edge of the woods.

I dance around as he walks over to me. He laughs at my dancing. He grabs my arm and pulls me up as I try to sit down. "Hold on there just a moment Mandy! I have to put down the blanket first!" I pout as he lets go of me and sets the picnic basket down. "But why can't I? I want to sit in the grass!" He shakes his head as he puts down the blanket and straightens it. "You can't sit in the grass. I don't want you to get your dress dirty. That's one of the ones I bought you, isn't it?" I nod my head and blush, surprised that he actually remembers buying me this dress.

He dusts off his hands. "Besides, the blanket also shows that we have this spot, and no one can take it from us." I kiss him on the cheek before sitting down on the blanket. His cheeks turn a soft pink as he sits down across from me and places the basket between us. He pulls out two plates with two wine glasses and sets them down in front of the basket. Then he pulls out two sandwiches and sets one down on each plate. Next he pulls out a plate of watermelon and places it in front of the sandwiches. Last he pulls out a bottle before closing the basket.

He notices me staring at the food. "I know there isn't much here, but the reason is I want you to save room for dessert." He winks at me as he pulls the cork out of the bottle and pours us each a glass of sparkling juice. I watch the bubbles surface as they fizz upwards. We each take a glass in our hands and clink them together. "Cheers." We smile at each other before taking a sip.

The drink makes my mouth tingle with delight. I set my glass down and giggle, almost choking myself. Grayson sets his down too before unwrapping the watermelon and taking a slice. I grab a slice too. The first bite it juicy, just as you would expect watermelon to be. I finish my piece quickly and grab another one. He laughs at me as I wolf down piece after piece of the watermelon. "Don't forget that you still have a sandwich." I stop mid piece and stare at him. "Oh. Right." I finish my watermelon before taking a napkin and wiping off my face.

I grab my sandwich and sink my teeth into it. This time I eat slowly. Grayson finishes before me and stands up. "Wait right here. I'm going to go get the dessert." He smiles and winks before heading off. I finish my sandwich as I watch him disappear. I lean back. The grass tickles my hand. Suddenly, I smell something sweet. I take a sniff of the air and instantly identify the scent.

Roses.

I look around and try to find its source. My eyes pass over the woods quickly but go back to the trees. Leaning against a tree is Jarron. I close my eyes tightly, thinking that I'm just hallucinating him, that I'm still not over his death yet. When I open them, he is still standing there. He winks and waves at me. I stand up and walk a bit closer to him. He looks over his shoulder before looking back at me. I stand there, mesmerized by the sight of him. He blows me a kiss before disappearing into the woods.

Suddenly, I feel a hand in my shoulder. Grayson laughs as I jump. "What are you staring at Mandy?" My face turns bright red. "Oh. Um...I was watching some deer." Grayson looks where I'm looking before grabbing my hand and pulling me back to the blanket. "Come on." I force myself to look away from where I saw Jarron and go with Grayson. We sit back down. He opens the basket and pulls out two big pieces of cheesecake. I smile widely as he places one down by me and the other one by him. "Dessert is served. Enjoy." I giggle before we start to eat dessert.

I finish before him. As I set my plate down, I catch the scent of roses again. Only this time, it's coming from somewhere else. I get up and start to trace the scent. "Hey Mandy! Where are you going?" I ignore his voice and continue following the rose scent. He sets down his plate and starts after me. At this point, I start running after the scent. It leads me to the other side of the park. I stop at the edge of the giant sunflower field. The scent seems to drift deeper into the field. I glance behind me and don't see Grayson anywhere. I take a deep breath before heading into the sunflowers after the smell of roses.