Rain
DAMN NICOLE FOR COMING OVER here when I told her not to. She never has listened very well, so part of me expected her to show up here. I had an alarm hooked up that would sound whenever something would pass across my driveway up by the road. After a few years, it broke when a tree fell on one of the sensors. I never fixed it because I felt confident in my location and the animals were causing multiple false alarms anyways. Now with Nicole wanting to come over whenever she damn well pleases, it’s annoying it’s not working.
Charlie and I cooked dinner together. She chopped the broccoli and I cut up the chicken. She made the rice and I melted the cheese. There wasn’t much conversation while we sat at the table eating because Charlie had the TV blaring in the other room. The night was easy, which surprised me. Even with Nicole sometimes it can feel like work trying to get along with her. I’ve lived alone for so long now that it’s difficult to be inundated with chatter, which Nicole is a professional of. But Charlie is different and her company is simple.
I’m sure part of the reason I can’t keep my eyes off of Charlie is that it’s been a long time since I’ve been with a woman. Living out here in these woods, you don’t see beautiful women just walking about. Lord knows I don’t go looking for any. And even if I did, I wouldn’t trust any of them enough to ever let them touch me. I’ve been trying to pay attention to this movie on TV, but it’s been difficult with Charlie stretched out on the couch across from me. She finally looks comfortable and at ease. I wish I was. All I can think about is the way her desperate lips felt on mine. I tried to hold myself back, but she was pulling me. I let myself loose for a minute, but I knew if I didn’t stop right then, I wouldn’t be able to. Even now as I sit here I can taste her lips and smell her vanilla scent. My eyes drift back to hers when a contagious laugh reverberates through the room. She looks to me with a scrunched up face.
“You didn’t think that was funny? Are you kidding me?” she says, still laughing and pointing at the TV.
“I didn’t see it. I was on my phone.” The lie, so obvious, is never going to get past her. She’s way too smart for that.
“Rain, your phone isn’t even lit up.”
A side of my mouth rises in amusement as my assumptions prove true. Then she sits up on her elbow, eyeing me as she twists her body in my direction. “Is Rain your real name?”
“You don’t like it?”
“It’s not that. I’ve just never met anyone named Rain before.”
“I’ve never met a girl named Charlie before, so I guess we’re even.”
She smiles. “My name is Charlotte.”
“You don’t like Charlotte?” I ask her.
Her face falls, and I regret losing her smile. “I couldn’t stand hearing my grandmother’s name come out of his mouth.”
I try to reel in the anger that rises in my chest and flows straight to the fists I’d like use on Austen’s face. Every time she references him, my blood pressure rises.
“What do you want me to call you?”
“Either one,” she says quietly.
The next time I look to Charlie, the credits are rolling. With her eyes closed and the steady rise and fall of her chest, I know she’s asleep. Luther is sleeping in between her legs and her hand is resting on his head. I’m beginning to think that his senses are just as keen as ever. He went right to her side from the beginning. He knew before I did that she is no threat and needs help. Ever since our conversation earlier, I’m having a hard time getting the word possession out of my head. She said the officer put her back in Austen’s “possession”. The thought of that makes me want to listen to the crack of each of his fucking bones as I break them. This girl fell out of the woods and right into my life. It’s only been a couple of days and I already have the instinct to protect Charlie. To watch out for her. To kill for her. I’m fucked.
“Not tonight, Nic.”
“You said you would this week. I am so sick of this, Thomas.”
“Really? That’s where we’re going here. You’re going to throw around that name just because I don’t want to go to dinner at some shitty restaurant? You know I hate going out, yet you continuously expect me to.”
“You continuously say that you will and then never follow through. It’s okay though. I’m used it.”
“Nicole. Don’t.”
“At least Dad doesn’t—”
“I think we should end this conversation before we both end up in a place neither of us want. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Fine. Bye,” Nicole sneers just before she hangs up. It’s not my fault that she continues to push this when she knows damn well I don’t want to go. The last bit of coffee out of my fourth cup for the day is cold. It’s a good thing I’m using my metal mug today or it would have broken as it forcefully hit the side of the sink after that discussion.
It’s been almost a week since Charlie showed up. Even though she is obviously more comfortable here, she’s still reserved. Each day has been much of the same. I spend most of the day in the garage and Charlie cleans the house even after I told her she doesn’t have to. Every day she goes for a walk. I was nervous about that at first. The thought of someone wandering on my land and perhaps memorizing where I’m located was hard to get over. But she’s not a prisoner, and so far, she’s given me no reason not to trust her, so I’m trying that out for a change. She also hasn’t been ready yet to learn how to protect herself, and that’s not something that needs to be pushed on her.
Charlie and I sat together for breakfast this morning and I could tell she was thinking. She was quieter than usual and her eyes were full of worry. When she finished half of her food, she stood up, slipped on her shoes, and told me she was going for a walk. Luther went right out the door with her just like he has for the last few days. I waited until she was a little past the garage before I cracked a few of the windows so that I could hear her if she or Luther called. It can be easy to get lost in the woods, not to mention the animals that run through here.
Upstairs, I open the dresser and pull out a pair of jeans and a long-sleeve black shirt. I’m excited to get some more work done on my baby. I bought the car of my dreams right after I built the garage. Hell, I built the damn garage knowing I was going to be buying the Porsche. I’ve restored a few other cars too, but the Porsche will always be my favorite. One that I won’t sell like the others. It’s been a good project and has kept me busy. With the restoration almost finished, I’m more excited to work on it every day. As I pull on my jeans, my foot kicks something on the ground, which turns out to be Charlie’s bag. A dark-brown leather book wrapped with a piece of matching leather falls out. It looks like a journal. My curiosity is more than I can stop. Maybe this will finally persuade me she isn’t working for the enemy.
The soft leather gives easily, revealing pages of handwriting. My nose is inundated with the satisfying musk that only comes from the pages of a book. Black pen in perfect cursive complete with hearts above the i’s adorn the page.
Austen took me to our favorite restaurant tonight before we leave for college tomorrow. I hope one day he proposes to me in this hole-in-the-wall diner. The thought of going to college has been overwhelming, but as soon as I found out that Austen got into Western too, my nerves settled. I feel really bad that Lynn is so upset about me not going to Michigan like we had planned. She’s never had a serious boyfriend so she doesn’t understand what it’s like to want to be with someone all the time. She thinks Austen and I spend too much time together. Austen says that she’s jealous and wants me to be as miserable as she is. He suggested I give her awhile to cool off before I talk to her again because I don’t need the negativity. With school coming and a degree to get, he’s right. It’s surreal that I’ll be the first in my family to graduate from college. I can’t wait to see Mom’s face when I bring home that paper. She’s going to be so happy. Tonight, I’ll be dreaming of that kiss that Austen and I just had outside when he dropped me off.
A twitch hits my eye and my fingers curl around the book. Some filthy jerk putting his mouth on her pale-pink lips. Touching her. Fuck. I don’t want to read this shit. But I flip a few more pages, and then Charlie’s voice echoes from just outside. Slamming the journal closed, I quickly wrap the strap around it, throw it back into her bag, and go downstairs. Instead of putting my zip-up sweatshirt on, I toss it over my right shoulder and head out to the garage. Charlie’s back is to me as she launches a stick far in front of her. Luther goes running after it like the big clumsy dog he is when he isn’t “working” and brings it back to her.
“Good boy, Luther. You’re such a good boy,” she says as she scratches the side of his face. That son of a bitch is soaking up every second of this.
“Your walk was short today,” I say.
Her eyes dart from me, to the ground, then back out to Luther.
“The ground was a little too wet to sit on.”
I take Luther to the pond here and there, but I never stay for long, so I never thought to put someplace to sit. The smell of motor oil seeps into my nostrils as the door opens to the garage. Some may be put-off from the smell of a working mechanic’s garage but not me. I’d bottle this shit if I could.
After taking a few steps into the garage, there is another set of footsteps behind me. Charlie stands in the doorway and closes her eyes as she takes a deep breath. The light filtering from the doorway behind her highlights the red in her hair. A small smile crosses her face.
“It smells just like our garage did when I was a kid. I love this smell.”
Of course she does. Shaking my head and trying to forget that I just acknowledged in my head that she is perfect, I turn back around. Charlie hasn’t ventured into the garage since she’s been here. As soon as you walk into the door, there is a large open area big enough for a combine and a car or two. There is an office, bathroom, and storage room on the left. Behind the office in the very back of the garage is a bay where my Porsche lives. Charlie’s eyes widen as she follows me to the back of the garage and the Porsche comes into view.
“So this is what you do out here all day,” she says.
“Mostly. I work in the office, too.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I watch the pads of her fingers slide across her chin with the index finger lingering just below her bottom lip. Damn, I want to suck on that lip.
“What kind of car is this? I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“It’s a 1964 Porsche 365. It was trash when I got it.”
Watching her look at the Porsche with excitement is damn near about to kill me. What I wouldn’t give to push her ass against it and take her mouth like I’ve been envisioning ever since the first time she smiled at me.
“Did you need something?”
Her body jolts to the side of the car that she had scooted closer to. As she begins to back up with her eyes to the ground, I realize how that sounded.
“No. I’ll leave you alo—”
“I didn’t mean it like that. You haven’t come out to the garage since you’ve been here. Thought you had something on your mind. That’s all.”
Charlie shakes her head. “What are you working on?”
“The wiring for the headlights.”
“Can I sit here?” she asks, pointing to the top of the workbench.
“Have at it.”
Placing her hands at her back on either side of her, she jumps but not high enough to get onto the bench. She points to the car that brought her here, sitting in the bay across from us.
“How is the car coming along?”
“It’s getting there,” I tell her.
“How much do you think it’s going to cost?” She grunts as she tries to jump and yet again misses.
“Not sure. I’m waiting for Nicole to bring me some parts. We’ll talk about cost later. Don’t worry.”
A smirk crosses her face, only this time it’s one of disbelief. “Don’t worry,” she whispers sarcastically. She squats a bit, pushes hard, and misses the bench. Instead of trying again, she gives up and leans against it.
“Listen,” I say, moving to her, “I can’t tell you not to worry when you leave here. But while you are on my property and in my presence”—placing my hands on either side of Charlie’s hips, I grip tightly and hoist her body onto the workbench—“don’t worry.” It would be easier to let her go if those brown eyes weren’t full of want. Need, even. The heat of ten fingers remains where she placed them to steady herself. The air gets heavy as her hooded eyes rake down my arms to where my hands are still firmly in place on her hips. I should let go and walk back to the car, but my body isn’t listening to my brain right now. The friction of her touch moving up my arms and over my shoulders make the little hairs on them stand. The control is lost the second her soft fingers brush my neck. Lunging forward, I press my mouth against her cool, rosy lips. Time and the world around us disappear as she opens her mouth to invite me in. Her hands move under the hem of my shirt as my mouth ventures down to her neck. A breathy sigh escapes her, and I could come undone right this second.
“Hey, jerk! You in here?” a voice from the front of the garage echoes against the metal walls.
Charlie’s eyes widen as mine roll around in my head.
“Fuck,” I whisper.