15. Fate Hangs In Balance

[Rachel's POV]

Gabriel and I had been calling and texting each other throughout the day. He had asked if I could hang out with him later in the evening, and I accepted wholeheartedly. It felt like we were already dating, even though he hadn't officially proposed yet. The past two days had been filled with excitement and anticipation.

As the hours passed at work, I lost track of time. It wasn't until I glanced at the clock and saw that it was already 4 PM that I realized how late it had gotten. I hurriedly finished my tasks and headed home, eager to spend some time with my family before meeting Gabriel.

In the back of my mind, I hoped that the full moon wouldn't make an appearance that evening. Thankfully, it seemed like my prayers had been answered as the moon was nowhere to be seen in the sky.

I arrived at the location where Gabriel had invited me, and finding him was no difficult task. His presence always seemed to light up the surroundings. He took me to the virtual reality game ce