Page 282 of As the Rain Falls
Sex and sweat, dried and sticky, all clinging to her skin.
I sit her down on the toilet, noticing the mess that is her hair and her clothes. She wipes her face, her eyes fleetingly meeting mine, and something in my gaze makes her flinch.
“Can I get some water, please?” she asks, her voice soft and hoarse.
I nod quickly, moving on autopilot to grab a water bottle in my room and hand it to her, lifting it up to her lips. I can see the clear disorientation in her eyes. It unsettles me.
“Cass?” I ask gently, touching her wrist when she starts to stare at an empty spot above my head. “Hey. Are you with me?”
She blinks, slow and dazed. “Becky?”
I smile weakly. “That’s me, baby.”
“Where… Where are we?”
“My bathroom.” I press my lips to her wrist, feeling her pulse, slow but steady.
“Okay.” She nods slowly, her gaze flicking to the shower. “Can I shower?”
“If you want to,” I keep my voice firm as I add. “Just tell me what happened first, okay?”
“I went to André’s.”
Cassandra exhales shakily, color blooming across her cheeks.
God… She’s so ashamed of herself.
“I had to walk all the way back to the bus station, but the driver wouldn’t drop me close to home, so I had to walk all the way here, too.”
I hum in acknowledgement, checking for any signs of injury. There’s a dark hickey on her neck, but nothing else.
“And what happened at André’s?”
“Beckett,” she cries, her tone tinged with defeat. “Ireallyneed to clean myself up right now. Please, I feel so gross.”
“Cass.” I wince, not liking how forceful I have to be.
I can’t shake the urge to drive her to the hospital. She doesn’t look fine. We exchange a long look, and I understandvery quickly that I’m not getting any more from her until she showers. That’s fine. I can work with that too for now.
“Do you need any help?”
“I can, uh, I can do it on my own.” She rises and takes a wobbly step forward, but her arms sag as she tries to pull her shirt. I motion to grab it, but she pulls away from my touch. “I can do it, Beckett.”
After another failed attempt, Cassandra starts to get frustrated with herself. The frustration gets her to start sobbing. I decide to help her, then, at least just to slip the shirt off. Her fingers drop it, letting the piece of fabric fall to the floor.
She hugs her body, shrinking away from me as I turn towards the shower and adjust the settings from cold to warm. Her hiccups are the most torturous sound I’ve ever had to hear. I throw a quick glance at her, checking to see if she’s still standing, still waiting for the water to warm up.
“Stop looking at me!” Cassandra snaps.
“I’m not,” I promise, and my gaze is now fixed on the floor. “I just want to get you in and out of the shower.”
She closes her eyes, nodding quickly.
I pull her skirt down next, slow and careful.
It’s torture.
Absolute torture.
