We all laugh heartily, when there’s a knock at the door.
The room falls into instant silence.
“Uh… excuse me.”
The last voice I was ready to hear right now brings me crashing back to reality.
“What the heck are you doing here, Aaron?” Rain gets to her feet and goes towards the door, opening it angrily.
“I’m on guard,” he says, sounding a bit embarrassed, touching his beard.
“On guard? What are you, a dog?”
“Us guys weren’t sure about leaving you all alone at home.”
“We don’t need bodyguards. What’s the problem, you don’t trust us?” Erin intervenes, getting off the bed and going to the door as well.
“It’s not like that, and you all know it, it’s just we didn’t feel comfortable leaving you all alone in the house, that’s all. Patrick and the others are at the hotel, and I’m just staying here the night, I swear. Before you wake up, I’ll be gone and you won’t be aware of my presence. I’ll stay in my room and won’t stick my nose out, I promise. If you prefer, I can also use earplugs and…”
Rain closes the door in his face.
“Don’t get angry,” Alex says, smiling. “You know why he’s here.”
That’s the moment I regain control of my own thoughts. Seeing him at our door with his hair mussed up and his naked chest, worried about us… I wasn’t able to say even half a word—I didn’t even breathe the whole time he was here. But when Alex says those few words, I do have to acknowledge the boys’ collective worry. Rain had a terrible accident and Alex risked her life when she had a heart operation and she lives with the aftermath of her heart trouble daily, because her illness means she can never sleep alone because she might stop breathing or have an attack while she’s unconscious.
Erin is Lily’s mother and Patrick’s life. What these men feel for their women is so pure and beautiful… Without my even being aware of it, the tears start to fall down my face, to remind me that there is no one outside that door for me. Because Aaron isn’t here for me, as he’s just made clear.
“Oh boy, we’ve got a big problem here.”
Rain interrupts my thoughts and, lifting my head, I realize that everyone is staring at me.
“What… What is it?” I ask them.
“Don’t tell me…”
“Oh, Ciara!” Erin hugs me in consolation.
“Girls, what’s happening?” Alex asks.
“I didn’t really think it was him,” Rain adds. “Well, I knew you had a crush on him, but I thought it was just one of those things, not that you were really interested.”
“What is it? You’re all jumping to conclusions!” I bark with too much self-righteousness, betraying myself. “It’s not what you think.”
“We’ve all been through it,” Alex says, caressing my hair. “These guys are special.”
I start sniffling and give way to my emotions, because I am with my friends, the best people I know and the ones who understand me like no one else.
“He just thinks of me as a friend!” I burst out sobbing like a spineless, stupid adolescent and showing everyone in the process what a little girl I really am.
“My brother is an asshole!” Rain sentences him, making everyone laugh. “But I’ll get him in line, just you wait…”
“No, please. Don’t do anything, I’ve already made myself ridiculous in front of him.”
“Do something… me? And when have I ever stuck my nose into other peoples’ affairs?” she asks with fake innocence as Erin and Alex look at her sideways.
“I will be as silent as a fish.”
And I know full well that it won’t go down like that at all, because all Rain sees are hearts, rainbows and unicorns even on the stormiest of nights, and nothing will hold her back from drawing up a happy ending for her brother.
