I follow the whole scene with my head held low, glued to the pages of my book and I try to follow his movements discretely.
Rain arrives in the living room with her cell phone up to her ear.
“Relax, I’ll be right back, okay?” she says, and then she cuts the connection.
She sighs with agitation, nervously touching the scar on her forehead, sitting on the kitchen stool.
“What’s happened?” I ask, setting my book on the couch and sitting up straight. “Are you okay?”
She looks at me and I can see that she’s worried. There’s a veil of sadness there.
“I have to run over to the pub right away.”
“What’s the problem?” Jason asks, going straight to alarm mode.
“A little fight has broken out.”
“What? What the fuck…I’ll go…”
“No, Jay. It’s calm now. It was a stupid journalist’s fault. Liam got really overwhelmed and tried to punch him. Patrick resolved the situation, but Liam is still upset. Erin is worried and I am too. I have to go to him,” she concludes, near to tears.
“I’ll try and be back as soon as possible, but if I shouldn’t make it—” She pauses before looking at Jason, “—I need you to do me a favor.”
Jason gets back to where he was before all this confusion broke out and nods at her.
“You have to take care of Alex, just for a few hours. Don’t leave her alone, okay?”
Jason locks his jaw and his whole body goes rigid.
I fall apart completely because I know that I’m gonna be alone with him, in this house for the better part of the night because Rain, damn her, just usedthosewords.
Jason nods but doesn’t look at me. Rain leans in to me and whispers, “I’m sorry, but it’s an emergency,” before flipping on her shoes and taking the house keys and leaving.
The two of us sit in silence a few minutes.
Immobile.
I do not emit a sound, I can’t breathe, I don’t even blink.
Jason stands up and moves towards the front door, giving me his back.
The silence. That damned silence.
Then that sound, strong and sudden.
My eyes roll back in my head and I’m lost.
I’m not there anymore.
