Rain

by Cote, Christie

  “I suggest you leave. Now,” Kyle warned, getting right in Austin’s face. There were only centimeters separating them now.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Austin bit out as he began to push Kyle out of his way.

  The next events happened way too fast. I stood in horror as Kyle grabbed Austin’s arm with impressive speed and force and twisted it back toward Austin before he planted his fist in Austin’s face. I heard the crack and then Austin was on the ground.

  “Oh my god!” I squeaked out.

  Kyle was already advancing on Austin again before I had time to react. Austin pushed himself up and swung toward Kyle, but he dodged it and launched himself on top of Austin. Kyle was now on top of Austin, on the ground, hitting him repeatedly.

  “STOP!” I shrieked. I ran to them, although it felt like I was crawling. I reached Kyle and tried to pull him away, but he didn’t budge. I was weak and he was very strong, way stronger than I’d expected him to be. “Kyle, please stop,” I pleaded, still trying to pull at him.

  He finally heard me and released his death grip on Austin, letting me tug him back. Tears were sliding down my face, and through blurred vision I could see an impressive amount of blood on Austin’s face and clothes. I heard him moan as he rolled onto his knees and hands. I let go of Kyle, and he turned to look at me. I didn’t meet his eyes; I didn’t want to look at him. I felt sick.

  “Go home,” I ordered Kyle without meeting his eyes.

  “Taylor,” he pleaded softly.

  “Go,” I cried.

  He stepped toward me. Hesitantly, he reached his hand out and gently and slowly wiped a tear off my face.

  I scrunched my eyes closed. “Please,” I whispered.

  He dropped his hand, and I could feel him turn away. Austin had deserved to be punched—hell, I wanted to punch him—but what terrified me was that Kyle hadn’t been stopping. He could have killed him if I hadn’t intervened.

  I opened my eyes and watched as Kyle entered his house and slammed the door behind him. I flinched at the loud bang that resulted.

  I turned toward Austin, who was now standing, cradling his stomach. He was in rough shape, but he would live. Without a word, I turned and went into my house to wet a cloth before bringing it back out. I gently cleaned his face off with it. He would look even worse tomorrow.

  I wonder what he will tell his friends. I held my smile back. Now that I could see he wasn’t as damaged as he had looked when Kyle was attacking him, I wasn’t feeling as bad. He had hurt me, and I’d wanted him to hurt back. I wasn’t sure what kind of person that made me, but I was too exhausted to care. Most of the blood looked like it had come from his nose.

  “Your nose might be broken,” I told him.

  “Peachy,” he said sarcastically as he grabbed my arm and pulled it away from his face. “I meant what I said, Taylor. I want you,” he declared.

  I rolled my eyes at him, yanking my arm from his grasp. “I don’t want you. So you are out of luck, Austin. I’m still sick, and if things get bad again, you will just leave again.” I pulled off my wig to prove my point. Wisps of hair were beginning to grow back, but the healthy person he thought he saw was fake. “You will live. You can leave now,” I ordered, standing my ground.

  “I won’t leave you again,” he assured me, but I wasn’t buying it.

  “Not going to happen. I have nothing left to say, so leave,” I demanded.

  “Because of your new boyfriend?” he asked angrily.

  “He isn’t my boyfriend,” I growled. “I don’t love you anymore, Austin. Maybe I never did.”

  That shut him up for a minute.

  “You can’t mean that,” he said sadly.

  “I don’t know, Austin. I do know if you loved me as much as you claimed you would have stood by me. A person I barely knew stood by me, but the guy who claimed to love me, and had been dating me for almost a year couldn’t. That is what I know. With that knowledge, I don’t want anything to do with you. I’m not insane. I’m not going to make the same mistake, and expect a different result,” I said coldly.

  His face had paled and his body was limp, looking helpless. He swallowed hard and nodded before he limped away.

  I looked up and saw Kyle watching me through his window. I gave him a sad smile before turning my back to him and going back inside my house. So much for hanging out with him today… I had been looking forward to it, but after everything that had just happened, I was too emotionally drained. I wasn’t even sure how to approach him after sending him away, so I decided to take a nap and figure everything else out later.

  When I tossed the bloody cloth in the trash, I noticed that some blood had adhered to my shirt. After I changed into gym shorts, I saw Kyle’s shirt in my drawer and slipped it on after I’d threw the shirt I had been wearing in the laundry. I didn’t think I would be seeing him today, so I thought his shirt could bring me comfort.

  I fell asleep thinking about what Kyle defending me the way he had meant. I had never seen him that angry before. It probably should have made me afraid, but it did the opposite.

  ***

  I awoke to a knock on my door.

  “Yeah?” I half-grumbled groggily.

  The door opened and Kyle walked in looking unsure of being here. Sleepiness immediately ceased, and I got off the bed.

  “Your mom let me in,” he explained, looking down. He was afraid that I was going to kick him out, but I wasn’t. I was glad to see him.

  He peeked up at me through his eyelashes, probably waiting for me to be pissed at him. His eyes opened wide and swept over my body. Surprise crossed his face before a huge smile appeared. I looked down, confused at his reaction, and saw that I was wearing his shirt. I had totally forgotten. Not only that, but it looked like I had nothing else on because it was so long on me that it covered my shorts. Holy crap. My cheeks flushed, and I wanted to hide.

  “I…I didn’t think you were going to come over anymore,” I said nervously. I met his gaze, which was filled with heat.

  I almost didn’t. I didn’t think you wanted me to,” he admitted.

  I stepped toward him, acutely aware of him watching me closely. “I’m not mad at you. I was a little freaked out earlier, but I’m not anymore,” I said honestly.

  His gaze was still sweeping me steadily, making my skin tingle and my stomach flutter. “I didn’t mean to upset you. What he did just made me incredibly angry. I’m sorry,” he apologized, meeting my eyes again.

  “I’m not accepting your apology,” I declared, and worry swept across his face, making me smile. “But I will thank you,” I continued, confusing him even more. “For caring enough about me to want to protect me and defend me. That means a lot.” I walked up to him and hugged him.

  He hesitated before he returned the hug and then pulled me closer to him. “So… You should probably put some pants on…” His voice came out huskily in my ear.

  I let go of him and pulled the shirt up, flashing my bright blue shorts, smirking at him.

  “It really looked like you only had my shirt on… Not that I’m complaining.” His voice came out smoothly again.

  I arched my eyebrow at him, compelled by his statement. Then again, I could tell he didn’t mind with the look he’d had when he first saw me.

  I didn’t really know how to respond to what he’d said, so I chose to ignore it. “Want to watch something?” I asked, changing the subject.

  “Sure,” he said, sitting on my bed.

  I turned on the TV and started up Netflix. There was always something on Netflix. I sat down next to Kyle and scrolled through the movies. My parents had been better about letting me have guys in my room—well, one guy. There weren’t any others visiting me. It was more comfortable for me to lie on my bed. Plus, the door stayed open.

  “Want to watch Hachi?” I asked, seeing it as one of the options.

  He looked at me pointedly. “You want to watch a movie where the dog dies at the end?”

  “The dog dies in t
he end?” I exclaimed, mortified that the dog died and that he’d just given it away.

  “In what dog movie doesn’t the dog die in the end? I think the dog even dies in Air Bud.”

  I laughed at his argument. “Well aren’t you a ray of sunshine. No dog movies for you.” I couldn’t help but smile at him. “And for your information, the dog does not die in Air Bud!”

  “Well, every other dog movie then.” He smirked, and I pushed him playfully. He laughed his deep, infectious laugh.

  I never wanted to miss that laugh or the smiles he gave to me freely. It drew me in and tugged laughter and genuine smiles from me. It wasn’t like that with my parents or other people. I didn’t laugh as much or smile as much, although Liz definitely knew how to make me laugh too with her ridiculous antics. I had a feeling it was the same for Kyle.

  I had met his dad a few times, and Kyle’s demeanor always changed and was more serious. On occasion, I would see him through a window outside, and he never looked as animated or happy like he was when he spent time with me. Who knows. Maybe that was just what I wanted to think.

  “What?” he asked, apparently noticing that I was thinking about something.

  “Nothing," I deflected, and he gave me a look that said I don’t believe you. “It’s nothing,” I repeated.

  “Mm hmm,” he mused.

  “You are a pain, that is what,” I said teasingly, avoiding telling him what I was really thinking.

  He rolled his eyes at me and smiled.

  “What about that motorcycle ride?” I blurted out, making a split decision that I was ready to do it.

  Surprise took over his expression, showing that I had completely caught him off guard. “Now?” he asked, apprehensive.

  “Sure.” I began to get up.

  He caught my arm, stopping me, and warmth crept up my arm. “You really want to go on my motorcycle?”

  “Yeah,” I said, smiling brightly, excited.

  He chuckled. “Damn. You are something else…”

  “I’ll choose to take that as a compliment,” I said, narrowing my eyes at him.

  “Oh, it is,” he said. “Can I take you for a ride on Saturday? I would like to bring you somewhere also.” Saturday was only three days away, but I didn’t want to wait.

  “Where?” I asked, curious since he hadn’t mentioned bringing me anywhere before.

  “It’s a surprise. Don’t worry. You will like it,” he assured me.

  “Fine. I guess I’ll wait…” I sighed and relaxed against the bed again.

  “Good.” His eyes danced, and he ran his hand down my arm and let it rest against my hand, making my whole arm tingle and butterflies explode through me.

  The effect he had on me was strong and intense, and it drove me insane. A lot. I wondered what he was thinking and wished I knew.

  “Ooo Anastasia,” I said excitedly, seeing one my childhood favorites.

  “That’s a kids’ movie,” he teased.

  “So…”

  He shook his head, grabbed the remote from me, and hit play. I grinned and pulled the blanket on me, getting comfortable. A good kids’ movie was nice once in a while, especially the ones with happy endings. Even if they weren’t necessarily realistic to life, I enjoyed them. I was acutely aware that Kyle hadn’t moved his hand away from mine and that he was watching me instead of the movie.

  I focused on the movie, enjoying the adventure Anastasia was on. Eventually, I risked a look at Kyle and found him sleeping, eyes closed, breathing slowly and steadily. His face was angled in my direction, and he looked peaceful and relaxed. A guy was sleeping in my bed. This was a first. I smiled and pulled the blanket over him, letting him stay like that. Hopefully my parents didn’t come looking anytime soon. I wasn’t sure what they would think about this.

  ***

  I felt warm air blow against my face, and my eyes fluttered open. My breath caught as I saw that Kyle’s face was only a few inches away from mine. I must have drifted off; the last thing I remembered was Anastasia getting pissed at Dimitri. Now the movie was over. Apparently I had turned toward Kyle when I was sleeping.

  His eyes opened and I was caught staring at him—very, very close to him. We both stared at each other, breathing the same air. He rubbed his thumb over my hand, which was still touching his.

  “Hi,” I breathed, trying to break some of the majorly intense feelings I was having.

  “Hi,” he mimicked back, eyes locked on mine, not helping to ease the tension. I wanted to close the space between us, to give in to what I have been feeling for months, but I didn’t move.

  I felt the need to say, “We fell asleep.”

  “Mm hmm. I see you tucked me in.” The corner of his mouth turned up into a smile.

  Heat rushed to my cheeks. I should stop talking, but words seemed to keep coming. “You looked cold.”

  “Thanks for keeping me warm.” He winked, making my cheeks even hotter, and then the heat spread through my body.

  Before long, I was ready to fling the blanket off, but I didn’t want to make any sudden movements.

  He cleared his throat before he said, “I should go.”

  “Okay.” The word sounded raw coming out of my mouth. Oh boy, this was a problem.

  He squeezed my hand before he let go and extracted himself from the blanket and my bed. The moment he got up and I wasn’t breathing in his air anymore, it felt like my air to breathe had been taken away. I immediately missed the feeling of his breath on my face and his closeness. I wanted to reach out and pull him back into the bed. I needed to get a grip. We were just friends, and that was what we would remain to be.

  “See you Saturday,” he said with a soft smile.

  “See you,” I said quietly, not bothering to move. I was pretty sure standing wasn’t an option at the moment.

  He left without another word, leaving me short of breath and my mind reeling.

  Saturday wasn’t going to come soon enough.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  What the hell do I wear to go on a motorcycle? Saturday was finally here, and I was supposed to meet Kyle in an hour. The past two days had dragged, and you would think I’d had ample time to pick out an outfit. Nope. I didn’t know why I was more worked up than normal. I had spent plenty of time with Kyle, and he had seen me in the hospital for crying out loud, but now I was obsessing a bit. The dark blue or the light blue top? Or there was a cute pink one I had gotten with Liz too.

  Not being able to make choices at the moment, I did eeny meeny miny mo. Yup, it came down to that. I ended up on the light blue choice and decided that the selection was right since it matched my eyes and was a good color on me. I put it on and pulled on a pair of jeans that were comfortable. Now for shoes—boots or flats? Boots would be harder to fall off, so I decided on my black leather knee-high boots.

  Now that my outfit was complete, I put on makeup. Some eyeliner, a little light blue eye shadow to match my shirt, mascara, and a bit of blush. With some lip gloss, I was done. It felt good to dress up and take the time to do my makeup. I combed my wig once again and made sure it was parted how I liked it. I was ready with ten minutes to spare. I couldn’t wait any longer; the anticipation was driving me crazy.

  Exiting my room, I yelled to my parents, “I’m going to hang out with Kyle!”

  “Okay!” they yelled back, not fazed. They had really come to like him.

  I smiled to myself and walked out the door and across the street to where Kyle’s bike sat in the driveway. Kyle wasn’t outside yet, so I went over to the bike and examined it. It was a nice, sleek black, and what wasn’t black was shiny silver. I didn’t know anything about motorcycles, but it looked expensive. Near the front it said DUCATI in white letters, and underneath it in red it said MONSTER. I ran my fingers over the smooth, cool surface of it and then put my leg over it and sat on it. Waiting for Kyle didn’t even cross my mind until I heard him.

  “Not wasting any time, are you?”

  I turned my head toward him
, and his posture looked as if he had been there watching me before he had announced himself.

  “Sorry.” I moved to get off.

  “Wait.” He halted my departure from the bike and held up his iPhone. “Picture.”

  “Uh okay…” I said apprehensively.

  He positioned his phone, getting ready to take the picture, so I put my hands on the handle bars, looked at the phone, and smiled. He snapped the picture and smiled before he put the phone back in his pocket.

  “I don’t get to see?”

  “Nope,” he said, denying me permission to see it.

  What the hell?

  “Do your parents know about this?” he asked curiously.

  “They know I’m with you. I left the part about the motorcycle out,” I told him, smiling innocently.

  “I’m going to regret this later, aren’t I?” he asked, but he didn’t look too worried.

  I shrugged in response.

  “Here. Wear my jacket.” He handed me the leather jacket I had wanted to wear since I had seen him in it.

  “What about you?” I asked.

  “I have an old one.” He showed me the other one that hung over his arm.

  I got off the bike and slipped it on. It was big of course, but if felt warm, and it had been nicely broken in by Kyle. It also smelled like him, so I loved it even more. Yeah, he was going to have a hard time getting this back from me.

  He went back to his porch, picked up a black helmet, and brought it to me.

  “This is for you,” he told me before putting it on my head and adjusting the strap so it was snug.

  “It fits perfectly,” I said, the surprise clear in my voice. I had expected it to be big, but it wasn’t.

  “Good. I got it for you,” he said and put his own helmet on.

  He’d gotten me my own helmet? I might not even go on his bike again, and now I had my own helmet. Wow.

  “You didn’t have to do that!” I exclaimed.

  “I didn’t have an extra and I wouldn’t take you without one, so don’t worry about it.”