Page 6 of When It Rains He Pours

“Damn.” A man's voice broke the silence, his breathing heavy and labored as he continued to speak. “He ran, took off before I could get a good hold on him.”

I couldn't look up. I heard him talking, but a high pitched ringing filled my ears. Falling back, I sat on my ass, letting my head settle into my hands as tears I couldn't hold in fell freely over my cheeks.

Who the fuck was that?

What the hell just happened?

Sitting in years of art, hours and hours of pained hands and sleepless nights, all I could do was cry. I felt violated even though I had only experienced a dark threat.

But something about the whole thing didn't feel right, it wasn't making sense. If he wanted to rape me, he could have. Instead he went on and on about me knowing what he wanted, asking me if I liked what he had done.

Why would he do this?

Why would he need to destroy everything if he was here for something else?

Plucking at my lips, my eyes gaped at the ground, staring into everything and nothing at all. A small bird chirped in my ear, reminding me of the recent conversations I had and how I blew them off without a second thought.

Was he with. . . No, they wouldn't do this.

Would they?

No, that's ridiculous.

“Are you okay?” the stranger asked, his voice soft as his feet crunched against the floor, grinding bits of glass under his shoes.

Wiping my eyes with the back of my hand, I lifted my face to the man's with a sniffle. My breath hitched as he lunged forward, dropping to one knee and gripping my shoulders tight.

Crooking his hard jaw, his brows arched with concern as thick lines drew up across his forehead. Bright cobalt blue eyes scanned my face and body, looking for injuries.

I couldn't speak. His eyes were sucking me in, making me forget why I was on the floor to begin with. They were so big, so blue, I wanted to dive inside and never climb out.

The chaos around me turned into heavy silence as our eyes connected. A ripple coursed through my body, riding my spine from head to toe. The electricity in my veins was numbing, causing the tiny hairs on the back of my neck to shoot up.

Who is this man? Where did he come from?

Firm fingers explored my shoulders, slipping down my arms and gripping my hands to lift them and look them over. “Did he hurt you?”

As quickly as the silence and warmth swept over me, it was gone, resonating as faded tingles deep in my muscles. With the snap of a finger, his voice pulled me out of my daze. I was back on that floor, living the nightmare I walked in on.

“No, he didn't get the chance. Is he really gone?”

“Yeah, he took off running. I tried to stop him, but he got through me. And it was either chase him down or make sure you were alright. So, here I am.”

“Thank you,” I said, doing my best to force a slight smile.

“You're sure you're okay?”

My eyes opened wide with a nod as I tucked my legs into my chest and hugged myself. I was shaking all over, unable to control the trembles that held me hostage.

“Come on,” he said, curling his hands around my shoulders. “Lets get you out of here.”

Pulling me to my feet, he nuzzled me under his strong arms, walking me out onto the sidewalk. The sun hit my face as it hung on the horizon, ready to disappear behind the treeline.

I stood quiet, trying to grasp everything that had just happened. But I couldn't.

It's all gone. . . How did this happen?

Why was that guy even here to begin with?

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