Chapter 6

Twenty minutes passed before Abby realized she still hadn't sent her address to Trystan. She quickly got out of the tub and rushed to her phone, pulling up Trystan's number with a heart emoji next to it. She typed out a message, "Hey, Trystan! I am so sorry, here is my address. 103 Hickory River." Abby read the message a few times, ensuring she was satisfied before hitting send.

Setting her phone down, Abby walked over to the sink to brush her hair. Mid-stroke, she heard the door to her room open and rushed to find her grandmother standing there with a thoughtful expression. Her grandmother held out an outfit, saying, "I thought you might like this for your study date." The outfit consisted of an off-the-shoulder white shirt with puffy sleeves, black leather pants, and knee-high-heeled boots. Abby's eyes widened as she took in the stylish ensemble.

Abby's eyes widened in astonishment as she gazed at the outfit her grandmother had chosen for her. Her grandmother smiled, "Here you go. You should look cute in this outfit. Let me do your makeup since you don't look into mirrors." Abby nodded, and her grandmother guided her to sit down. "Thank you, grandma, but please keep it natural," Abby requested.

Within an hour, her grandmother had finished her makeup. "Oh, Abby, you look so beautiful," she exclaimed, tears of joy welling up in her eyes. Abby smiled, feeling grateful for her grandmother's kind words. "Thank you, grandma, but I'm just in a robe. Now please get out so I can get changed," she said, gently pushing her grandmother towards the door.

As her grandmother turned to leave, she added, "Honey, you will look beautiful, even covered in mud." Abby's heart swelled with love for her grandmother's unwavering support and encouragement.

Abby guided her grandmother to the bed, saying, "Stay here while I go change in the bathroom. I want your opinion on how I look." She quickly grabbed the outfit her grandmother had brought her and headed to the bathroom to change. As she dressed, her phone buzzed with an incoming text from Trystan. "It's okay. I'll be there about 4 o'clock." Abby glanced at the time, realizing it was already 3:30 p.m. She felt a flutter in her chest as she rushed to finish getting ready.

With her outfit on, Abby hurried out of the bathroom to seek her grandmother's opinion. She stood before her grandmother, who looked her up and down with a warm smile. Abby asked eagerly, "How do I look?"

Abby's grandmother smiled softly and said, "Darling, you already know my answer." She got up and walked to the door, turning around to smile at Abby once more. Abby felt shy from the attention and returned an awkward smile. Her grandmother left the room, leaving Abby to collect her school work and supplies. With ten minutes to spare, Abby decided to grab a quick meal in the kitchen. She made a sandwich with mustard, mayonnaise, turkey, tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, and cheese, and ate it quickly.

As she finished eating, Abby saw a Mustang GT pull into the carport. She instantly recognized the car and knew who it belonged to - Trystan. Abby's heart skipped a beat as she quickly washed the dishes she used for her sandwich. She put the plate and knives away just as the doorbell rang.

Abby had a servant answer the door, too nervous to face Trystan herself. Instead, she went upstairs to tell Derek she was leaving for a bit. She kissed his head and said, "Now you be good to Annie and Grandma, okay?" Abby had never left her siblings before, and she knew they'd miss her.

Derek asked for a bedtime story, and Abby agreed, reading "Peter Rabbit" together. As she finished the book, she saw Trystan standing in the doorway with a big smile. Abby kissed Derek again, hugged him tightly, and said, "I love you, Derek. Don't forget that." Tears pricked at her eyes as she let him go.

Abby turned to Trystan and smiled, "How long have you been standing here for?"

Abby grabbed her packed bag and walked downstairs with Trystan. They met her grandmother, and Abby introduced them, "Grandma, this is Trystan." Her grandmother extended her hand, saying, "Hello, Trystan." Trystan shook her hand, asking, "Hello, Mrs...?" He trailed off, unsure of her title.

Her grandmother smiled, "Please call me Stacy. I hate all the formalities." Trystan laughed and replied, "It's very nice to meet you." Before leaving, Abby sought out Annie, instructing her, "Make sure the kids are in bed tonight by 9 or 10 o'clock. That's their bedtime." Annie nodded, "Yes, Mrs. Abby."

Abby and Trystan exchanged apologetic smiles before heading out to his car. He opened the passenger door for her, and once she was inside, he closed it and walked around to the driver's side. As they drove, they asked simple questions to start building their friendship.

After 40 minutes of driving, Abby suddenly realized she needed to use the bathroom urgently. "I'm sorry, I know we're almost to your house, but I need to go to the bathroom. I can't hold it anymore." Trystan spotted a gas station 10 minutes away from his house and pulled in to let Abby use the restroom.

As Abby walked out of the bathroom, she was surprised to find Trystan waiting for her with drinks and snacks in hand.