The road curved toward Blackwater's centre. The pedestrian walk sometimes extended into a bicycle track that split into a section of the road and came back a couple of meters later. Traffic was low. That applied as much to cars as it did to cyclists and pedestrians. Left of and right of the streets rose multi-story apartment buildings. The ground floor sometimes rented out to a cafe, a barber shop or a bakery, it became apparent quickly that this wasn't a wealthy area of the town. The small streets between the houses lead down into parking garages located underneath the buildings or were side streets leading to more houses.

Giselle had all but forgotten about her breakdown earlier. She was holding a woman's hand and walked slowly next to her down the road. The conversation had changed from Annie's work life, that mostly consisted of regular company problems detailing friction between various people in middle management and herself, to that TV show, that Giselle had started when Ian was away. Annie was about a season further into the show and they chatted about potentials and their interest, or rather disinterest, in the main character.

"I mean how could he just look so neutral when his son rode out into the night to hunt down a pack of coyotes?", Annie said and shook her head in disbelief. "Maybe the actor didn't get it?", Giselle said and looked thoughtful. Her friend glanced over and raised an eyebrow, "The actor didn't get it? He gets paid a fortune! To play a role in a romantic story!". The brunette was already certain that her emotional involvement in the show was not nearly as deep or complex as that of her neighbour. And so she shrugged and agreed. This lead to Annie rant more about it. After that she ranted some more. Finally she was done and looked a bit uncertain of what had just happened. "I got a bit too invested, didn't I?", the woman smiled shyly and let go of Giselle's hand to scratch her head. Giselle just laughed and grinned back at her friend, "It's fine. Don't worry about it!". Her hand reached for Annie's, who clutched it and intertwined her fingers again. They kept walking in silence for a while, throwing glances at the buildings around them. The crossing up ahead would lead them into the centre. No cars were allowed there.

Out of the blue, Annie's face took a very serious expression and she said firmly, "I really didn't want to disrupt and end your marriage. You have to believe me". Giselle took a deep breath and sighed. Looking up at the sky seemed to help with tough conversations. The cloud cover had thinned out, exposing the cerulean sky behind them. Both, the wind moving the clouds and the breeze in Blackwater had lessened and instead the sun sent its warm summer rays down into the streets. "Does it matter now? It's ending and I couldn't save it", she whispered and her tone went melancholic, "Maybe I didn't want it enough". The last bit was a mere breath, too low for her friend to hear.

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"Guess it doesn't matter too much now. Maybe it does. My intentions change something, don't they?", Annie mused quietly. The brunette's lips curled in a smile and then said, "You're holding my hand. What are your intentions now?". The blonde was just trying to calm her conscience, Giselle knew as much. She wanted approval or affirmation, maybe even forgiveness. To her, it was over and done. She had left that in the cemetery, that chain of events that left her hurt and even a little betrayed. In a way, she stopped having a plan now. For once it'd be nice to let the current of events pull her along and she'd see where it'd lead her.

The blonde didn't say anything. Giselle shook her head and thought of the bold Annie that kissed her that day, out of the blue. When it came to words, her friend was shy and reserved. Maybe even incapable of finding the right words to get her thoughts across. She bumped her hip over and nudged the blonde slightly to snap out of her thoughts. Startled, her neighbour glanced over, "What! I'm thinking!". "I don't believe you. You already know what you want to say".

An older woman pulling her shopping bag behind her looked at the two women suspiciously. The shopping bag was similar to a suitcase and had two wheels that made about the same noise as a skateboard. Giselle lead her friend around the pedestrian and offered a weak smile, but the woman just mumbled, "Women nowadays. What's the world come to, holding hands in public!". Annie wanted to turn and yell something, but the brunette held her back and squeezed the hand tightly. "Let it go. It's not worth it".

Annie's expression changed into one of frustration. She grunted, "Homophobic asshole", but seemed to regret speaking her thoughts immediately. "You realise that woman was at least eighty, right?", Giselle laughed, but Annie's ice-cold stare made her fall silent. "I don't care! You see, this is what I have dealt with since I was a teen. Imagine us becoming a couple. Everyone above sixty mutters something, stares at us holding hands, stares at us kissing. Every guy stares at us, thinking we'd do a threesome with him and how sweet that would be. Most parents despise me, because they blame me for their daughter's homosexual tendencies. This is my life! That woman just showed you how I am treated every single day! And if you are with me, and mind you we're not even official, this is how you'll be treated every single day for as long as we're together! Can you really just take that with a laugh?".