Page 99 of Wandering Souls

The rapid beat of his heart made his head feel light and the thought of going over to say bye dried his mouth. He swept his tongue across his teeth wondering what the hell he should say to her. Images of their last night together bloomed in his mind, his body reacting with each vivid memory. Knowing that time was running out had forced him to commit as much to memory as possible.

Her scent.

The color of her hair.

The way her eyes twinkled with mischief.

The bond between woman and dog.

Her kiss.

His eyes stung as a cascade of bittersweet emotions tumbled through him, until a knock on the window to his right startled him. Damien. Ray sucked in a deep breath and rolled down the glass.

“Morning.”

Damien raised an eyebrow. “You’re not going to speak to her?”

Ray glanced at the gathering. If he did, he wanted to do it in private. “Please don’t make this harder than it is.”

Abi’s father crouched beside the car. “We’re all hurting but everyone over there is putting it aside to wish her well.”

He couldn’t and he felt like a heel. “If I go over there, I’m going to start blubbering and once I start talking, who the hell knows what I’ll say.”

Damien smiled. “Tell her how you feel.”

“I can’t.”

“Why?”

Ray rolled his eyes. “I won’t make her feel guilty. She needs to do what she needs to do.”

Beside him, Damien sighed. “That’s a cop out.”

Ray shrugged, pretending he didn’t care. “How long until you take off?”

Damien frowned. “Five, ten minutes.”

Ray shook his head. “There’s not enough time, besides, she’s made her decision.”

“Don’t be stubborn, Ray. You love my daughter and she should know.”

“Why?” he shrugged, feeling a spark of irritation in his gut. Aimed squarely at himself, the anger chastised him for thinking he ever stood a real chance with her. “So she can walk away and stomp on my heart? No thanks.”

“I wish you’d reconsider.”

Ray shook his head. “Just send Millie back when she’s done saying goodbye.”

Disappointment and sadness darkened the blue-gray eyes that would always remind him of Abi. “You’re sure?”

No.“Yeah. Tell Abi I hope things go well for her.”

Damien put a hand through the open window on Ray’s shoulder and squeezed. “We’ll talk when I get back.”

Ray couldn’t see any reason to. Talking about it wouldn’t make her stay and sharing his feelings wouldn’t make him feel any better. If anything, it’d only remind him of everything he’d lost.

~

Millie threw herselfat Abi. Catching the teen, Abi held her tight and promised her things would be okay.

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