Page 26 of As the Rain Falls
“I do!”
He shakes his head, yawning openly.
“You know, I’m teasing you, right?” I make a confused noise in the back of my throat, and he shoots me a glance. “About the hands.”
“Oh. That.” I flip my hair back, getting in his space. “What? Do they not freak you out? Tiny fingers don’t show up in your nightmares as of late?”
“You’re so weird, Cassandra,” he scoffs, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively at me. “The rumors are all right about you.”
“Oh!” I gasp dramatically, and the jacket falls down my back with the movement. “This was very corny, Becky.”
“So corny,” he agrees, eyes disappearing as he laughs.
“I’ll have to keep it between us.”
“Don’t want to ruin my reputation.”
Tilting my head back, I close my eyes and try hard not to snort but fail at it, “Something along those lines.”
Things are the easiest when I’m close to Beckett. He has an easygoing presence, truly. It saddens me that he lost someone he loves. The thought of Lucia completely sobers me up.I open my eyes again, watching as the dots of rain gather on top of the window.
“How are you holding up?”
“Do I really look that bad?”
I wince, “Well…”
“I’m fine, Cass.”
“I don’t like the use of the word fine,” I mention lightly, playing with my hair. “It’s way too simplistic.”
“And you’re a writer now?” He maneuvers the car through the gates, leading us out of the neighborhood. “Saying all this fancy shit to me.”
I flash him a knowing look. “Who else would I say fancy shit to?”
“Point taken.”
“And I might become one someday,” I add.
Beckett grins, making his dimple pop, “Sounds like you.”
I look down, smiling too.
“I know.”
Investigations are still ongoing, but I’m pretty certain they’ll rule it out as an accident.
The thing is, it was a gruesome one. If she hadn’t died from the shock of hitting her head against the window, coupled with being drunk, she certainly would have died from having her organs squeezed out, or something.
The front part of Lucia’s car got completely smashed when it hit the rocks at the bottom of the river. The depth of the water was simply too shallow to absorb the shock.
“Yesterday was her birthday and I don’t know how to feel about it,” Beckett admits. “But it’s no big deal.”
I try to think of something to say, anything comforting enough, but I don’t have any words. I’ve never lost someone, and my life isn’t complicated. Sometimes it’s better not to try too hard. I mean, I can’t relate to his pain right now, so I won’t pretend that I do just because.
“This all really sucks, doesn’t it?” I ask thoughtfully. I lean back against my seat, closing my eyes and breathing in the faint smell of leather. “Life really sucks right now.”
His answer takes some time to come out, and I gather that Beckett is considering which words to use. He does that sometimes. At least, it’s what I’ve noticed.
