My fingers pulled the kerchief from my back pocket wiping sweat from my forehead, face, and throat. My hand touched the silver band at my throat. No one at the hospital could tell me where it came from. Though they said it was there when I came in from the accident. That is something I barely remember and was only told about what happened. The accident, on my wedding night, that took the lives of every person in my life.
It feels like it happened yesterday and not 10 months ago. I was the only one to survive with several scars upon my flesh. I had been thrown away from the wreck when the tanker and my limo with my Jonathan in it exploded. I had been impaled to a sign post on the side of the highway. That is one of the scars on my chest and back. The doctor's repaired most of the damage but my right arm still has limited function. The company whose driver had fallen asleep behind the wheel paid me for just about everything. Most of the money went to burying my family and the lawyers. I sold the houses and properties off and bought a ticket to leave the country. I flew to Europe. I could never go home. There wasn't anything left back in that country. I was alone in the world.
My left hand pulled my bag up my shoulder as my sneakers kicked up stones on this foreign road. My head turned slightly. He was still wondering behind me a ways. It seems that I wasn't the only one wondering this road. I had noticed him three cities back walking. He held a bag of brown leather on his shoulder and wondering through the countryside like I was. When I stop and rest on the side of the road he seems to stop and rest but keeps his distance away from me. When I get on the road again he gets on the road as well. It was a bit annoying for I just wish that he would pass me already and continue on instead of following me at most times. Even when I take myself off the road and into the woods and through to another part of the country when I think I am alone and come back out on a road I would find that he was there as well. Though when I was in the woods I made sure to stop more often and rest up before I hit another road and turn back some to find him there again. My eyes lifted to the sky. The sun was high and the heat of the summer was making me sweat something terrible. I stopped and pulled out my canteen and opened the lid. I tipped it up as the last of my water slipped into my mouth and down my throat. A groan came from my throat. I should have stocked up my canteen three miles back at the creek. I twisted the cap on and continued to walk.
My lips pressed some. They were a bit dry and I was thirsty. My eyes went behind me some. The guy was still walking up the road behind me. He was a bit closer than before as my thoughts went to how much water was he carrying. I stopped on the road as I saw him stop. I turned and looked to him straight forward now. His body stopped as he watched me a moment. He looked like he was debating on wither to walk on or wait till I continued to move. I began to walk back towards him. This seemed to confuse him for he stepped back once and then stopped watching me. I came to about 15 feet from him as my eyes stared at this gorgeous man that was before me. He had long white colored hair and the deepest blue eyes I had ever seen. His shirt was sweaty as his tan skin glistened with sweat.
"I have seen you following me three cities back. Since we seem to be going in the same direction would you mind me walking with you?" I asked as his lips pressed some before he smiled. My chest grew tight at the smile.
"I am just traveling around. I didn't mean to make you think I was following you. I'm headed towards the Vatican in Rome. Are you heading in that direction?" He asked as I smirked some.
"I don't really know which way Rome is. I am just traveling to travel." I said as he chuckled some.
"You are heading in the right direction. I don't mind walking with you." He said as I nodded. "My name is Gabe. It's short for Gabriel." He said holding out his large hand to me.
"Tee short for Tessa." I said shaking his hand. His hand went to bring my hand to his lips but I pulled my fingers from his grasp. His eyes came to mine. "Please don't do that." I said gently. His lips pressed some as he nodded. We began to walk as a bit of silence went between us. "Gabe, huh? I like Gabriel better." I said looking to him as he smiled and chuckled some.
"I like Tessa better." He said as I smirked some.
"Gabriel sounds like one of God's angels." I said as his eyes looked to me. "Are you one such angel?" I asked as his eyes went wide some. I laughed and shook my head. "I'm only playing. An angel wouldn't give a damn about me. They turned their backs on me a long time ago." I said softly looking to the road ahead.
"Why do you say that?" Gabriel asked as my eyes went to him.
"I don't want to talk about that." I said gently. "It's too painful." I said as he nodded. His lips pressed some. "Why are you going to the Vatican? Is the Pope supposed to be out in his little bubble car or something?" I asked.
"I'm going to talk with him. Ask him for some help to keep someone alive." He said as my eyes went to him.
"Someone you care for?" I asked as he slowly nodded. I looked away. "Sounds like a wishful thinking, Gabriel. We are all meant to die. When our time comes there will be no turning back and trying to stop it. When I die there will only be darkness." I said as he gasped softly. My eyes looked to his wide eyes.
"You don't believe you will go to heaven?" He asked.
"If they wanted me there I would already be there." I said as he stopped walking. I turned away and continued to walk. My lips pressed some. "I don't believe in any of them or any religion anymore. Things happened and knocked faith out of my heart. This isn't earth to me anymore. This is just plain hell." I said. I felt his hand wrap around my elbow stopping me as my head turned and my eyes went to him.
"I wish there was a way to help you and change your mind about those words you just said." He said as I stared at him.
"You are a believer. I am just someone lost." I said as his lips pressed some. He slowly released my elbow as I turned and continued to walk. He walked up beside me and was quiet. My stomach growled and my lips were dry. I stopped and stared up ahead a little ways since we were on a hill some. I could see a town off in the distance. He turned to me as his body stopped.
"Are you coming? We should make that town by nightfall." He said pointing out to it.
"I don't have any money to stay in a town. It's part of why I have been traveling through them and continuing out of them. I am hungry and will cook of what I have left. If you want to continue on that's up to you. But I'm setting up camp here for the night. If I play my cards right I will find a stream to fill up my water container." I said as his lips pressed hard as his head turned and looked at the town.
"I will stay with you. But I have money. I could get us a room for the night." He said as I shook my head.
"We know nothing about the other and I don't know if I should trust you just yet. You were after all following me for the past 4 days." I said as his fingers ran through his hair as he looked down to the dirt before looking back to me.
"I will not touch you. I will not hurt you. I am not that way towards any woman. I swear that I would never do something you don't want me to." He said as my eyes watched him. I moved off the road a ways as I saw him follow me. I pulled my pack off my right shoulder and set it down. I began to pull out my tent. I tried to use my right arm but the functions of it were limited. I turned to see him making a fire circle. His bag was leaning against a tree for we were sitting quite close to the woods. He walked into the woods as I saw him bend to pick up some fire wood. I turned back to my tent and managed to get it up and holding. I pulled out my very large and warm sleeping bag and unrolled it in my tent. I put my pillow at the head of the sleeping bag and pulled out a can of baked beans and both my bowls and spoons that were clean. I pulled out my small pot and set the baked beans in it. My head lifted to him coming out with both his arms full of wood. He set the wood down and began to build the fire. When the flames were glowing I put the baked beans in the pot and began to cook them. He sat down across from me poking at the wood with a stick. I stirred the baked beans as he pulled something from his bag. My eyes lifted to see that he had a loaf of bread and some jerky.
"You are sharing with me and I will share with you. If you want me to I can go fill up your water container. I found a creek not far from here." He said as I nodded and held out my container to him. He took it from my fingers and got up from the fire side. I watched him walk into the woods. My eyes went back to the beans. I stirred them and made sure they weren't sticking to the pot. I lifted the pot out of the fire. I yelped out in pain as my wrist was burned by the fire. I set the pot down and pulled away putting my free hand to my wrist as the pain stung through it.
"Son of a bitch." I hissed as the tears were there. It was the arm that wasn't that functional. I did not move quick enough. My lips pressed hard as I turned and went to my tent.
"What happened? Are you okay?" I heard Gabriel ask.
"I'll be fine." I said going into my tent. I sat down on the sleeping bag opening my bag. I cringed some as I pulled out a salve. I opened the lid and began applying the cooling cream. My head lifted to Gabriel coming into the tent. His lips press some as he was down on his hands and knees before me.
"You got burned." He breathed as he came before me and sat down next to me. His fingers gingerly took my wrist and brought it to him. He took the salve and slowly spread it across the burn. I looked away as he pulled out some bandages and began to wrap the burn. "There it should heal better." He said as my eyes looked to his. His head was so close and his lips were right there. He turned back to my burned wrist and kissed it gently. My chest grew tight. "Let me put the food in the bowls. We can eat and get some rest. The sun has sunk below the horizon now and sleep will be best." He said going out of my tent towards the fire. I watched his shadow. My left hand moved gently over the burn. My lips pressed some before I moved out of the tent. I sat down near the fire as he sat down near me and held out a bowl. Pieces of jerky and bread were with the bowl. He held out a cup of water to me as well. I took the water and sipped it as we ate in silence. When we were finished he took the bowls and spoons. He walked back into the woods as I sipped the water watching the flames. Moments later he came back and the dishes were clean. I took them and put them to the side. I watched him lean up against a tree and cross his arms. He lowered his head some.
"Don't you have a tent?" I asked as his head lifted and his eyes came to me.
