Page 79 of David

I flash the headlights.

She ignores me.

I stop my car, swing the door open, leave the engine running, and head in her direction, ready to chase her if she runs away from me again.

LIZ

Ugh.

My left shoe is completely ruined. Water trickles from my chin as I try to salvage what’s left of it.Sadly, it can’t be fixed.

The heel is detached from the sole.

As if I don’t have enough problems, beams of light cut into the veil of rain.

I can’t look in that direction since I’m busy with my shoes.

We rarely get rain like this.

We have such great weather in these parts of Colorado, but something must have happened tonight.

My fucking luck.

I slipped, fell, and scraped my knees. As if that wasn’t enough, I ruined my shoes.

The second one is not much better.Disappointed, I take it off and notice the blood streaks on my knees.

At least I’m home.

Shoes dangling from my hand, I lift my gaze and straighten my back when a dark silhouette approaches me swiftly.

David closes the distance between us, his suit jacket damp from the rain.

“What happened?” he asks, his face tipped down so that rain doesn’t fall into his eyes.

He notices the damage.

“Did you fall or something?”

“Yes,” I mutter, annoyed that I’m covered in blood.

“Why did you run away from me?”

“I didn’t run away from you,” I say, the sidewalk cold beneath my bare feet, my blouse glued to my chest, my hard nipples poking out.

I look at him, expressionless.

“You are so fucking stubborn,” he says. “Does it do you any good?”

“Mm-hmm. It usually does,” I reply, unfazed.

He looks at the house next to me.

“Is this where you live?”

I tilt my chin, pointing over my shoulder.

“The small dark one.”

---