Rain 01 When It Rains Read Free Page A

a fleece blanket from the backseat before jumping out of the truck and coming around to open my door for me. We head toward the lake, placing the blanket down a few feet from the water’s edge. It’s only May and the air is chilly as we sit next to each other. I inhale the wonderful damp smell the lake provides and enjoy the tranquility it gives me. The breeze blows past us and I begin to shiver.
    “Are you cold?” Beau asks.
    “Yeah, it’s not as warm as I thought it was,” I say, wrapping my arms around my folded knees. Beau slips off his suit jacket and places it around my shoulders. It’s one of the things I like most about him; he’s always thinking about others before he thinks about himself.
    We continue to look over the water’s horizon, listening to the leaves rustle with the wind and the soft sounds of the small waves crashing against the beach. It’s peaceful here. If life allowed, I would have stayed locked up in this moment forever, especially if it meant I could erase all the others.
    “Did you change your mind about college yet?” he asks, breaking the silence.
    I haven’t changed my mind. I haven’t even given it a second thought. It doesn’t matter anyway; I don’t see much of a future for myself. “No, I’m staying here, at least this year.”
    “I wish you’d change your mind. You have so much to offer, Kate. You should let the world see it,” he says, keeping his eyes on the water.
    “I just can’t right now,” I whisper, swallowing down my emotions.
    “Something changed you, and I’m going to keep digging until I find out what that is.” His head tilts in my direction and our eyes lock. I want to tell him that the old Kate is never coming back, but we’ve had that conversation before. He will only ask questions that I don’t want to answer.
    “I’m sorry,” I say, turning my eyes away from him.
    My eyelids are getting heavy, so I lie on my back and wrap the jacket tightly around me. I close my eyes and focus on the sound of nature to keep my mind off of other things. When I feel Beau against my side, I open my eyes to see him looking down at me, his head resting in his hand. His face moves closer to mine and I can feel my heart beating hard against my chest. When I feel his warm breath against my mouth, I close my eyes and his lips gently brush against mine. His touch is warm and tender, and I can’t help but comb my fingers through his hair. I’m trying to make an old dream come true.
    I let myself get lost in him. For a moment, I feel as if we’re the only two people in the world and nothing else matters. I feel like there is a small chance I could let go of everything and just be with him like this forever, but when he leans in to me and rests his body on top of mine, panic shoots through my entire body. My mind flashes to Drew and painful memories start to race through my head as I push roughly against his chest. “Stop!” I cry, rolling onto my other side.
    “What’s wrong? What did I do?” The ache I hear in his voice makes my heart fall a little further into my stomach. This is my fault, not his.
    When I felt Beau’s body on top of mine, I could see the anger in Drew’s eyes and feel the way his fingers dug into my skin. I just want the memories to go away.
    “Fuck. Kate, please say something!” Beau says with a strained voice.
    I flinch, wrapping my arms around my stomach. “Can you please just take me home?”
    I want to tell him. I want to tell someone, but I can’t.
    He stands in front of me with his hands folded behind his neck. I back away, making sure to put an arms-length distance between us. “Jesus, will you please just tell me what’s going on? I can’t keep watching you pull further and further away from me.”
    “Just take me home, Beau,” I whisper before walking in the direction of the truck. When I hear him call my name, I stop and turn my neck to look back at him.
    “I can’t keep doing this shit. Why won’t you talk to me? Give