Page 7 of When It Rains He Pours

Tears trickled down over my cheeks, dropping like rain onto the pavement. “It's destroyed, it's all destroyed.”

“Don't worry about that right now, just relax.” Rubbing a flat palm up and down my back, he kept me pinned to his ribs. “It can all be fixed. I'm just glad you weren't hurt.”

Tipping my head up, I stared into his eyes. “You don't understand, I can't fix this.”

Smiling through thin lips, his brows knitted. “Lets go grab a drink, I think you could use one. Let's take a little time to settle your nerves.”

Tearing myself from his embrace, I bared my teeth. “I'm not going anywhere, you saw what he did!” Throwing my arms up through my hair, I pinned it to my head. “I can't fucking believe this.” Dragging open palms down my cheeks, I leaned forward, cupping my hands between my knees. “What the hell am I going to do?”

Resting his hand on my shoulder, the stranger forced our eyes together. “Right now, you're not going to do anything.” Pointing a finger towards the door, he spoke sternly. “That isn't going anywhere. And you can't do anything about it like this, you're too worked up.”

Tugging his phone from his pocket, he stepped to the side and made a phone call, talking so quietly I couldn't hear him. I watched him, doing my best to try and calm myself down.

I was a mess. I couldn't think straight, my brain kept darting between thoughts and concerns, fear and the future of my gallery.

Why did that man do this?

Who was he?

Everything I had was in there, all of it a small piece of who I was. It hurt too much to think about it all on the floor, torn and tattered into bits.

Fuck! Why me? Why the hell did this have to happen?!

Snapping my back straight, I rubbed my forehead and paced in a small circle. I wanted to cry, I wanted to scream and punch and kick anything I could. My insides were a giant ball of angry nerves, ready to explode at any second.

“Alright,” he said, holding his hand out to me and flapping his fingers. “Come on, there's a little place up the street I've seen before. We can go there, grab a drink, maybe something to eat if you're up to it. Then we can figure out what to do about this.”

Cocking my head, my hair fell into my face, tickling across my cheek. “I'm not going anywhere. There's too much to do, I have to call the police, I need to clean it all up. I can't just walk away and pretend like nothing happened.”

“I'm not asking you to pretend like this didn't happen. I'm asking you to join me for a drink so you can relax, and then come back to it with a fresh set of eyes. We'll figure this out, but sometimes, walking away can be a blessing.”

My jaw hung open as I glared at him through pained eyes. His words found their way in, settling over my swelling brain.

He's right. I'm too emotional right now to really do anything productive.

But that doesn't mean I can wash my hands of it.

Folding my arms over my chest, I kicked my hip out to the side. “I need to call the cops, I have to report what happened.”

“That's all set, I took care of it.”

“You took care of it?”

Nodding, a small smile teased the edge of his lips. “I have a good friend who works for the Vienna police , he's going to get on it for you.”

“Really?” I asked, giving him a look of disbelief.

“Yes, really.” Taking a step towards me, he snatched my hand, braiding our fingers together. “You can thank me later, right now, just let me get you away from here.”

Hesitantly, I let my hand blend into his. His touch was warm and calming, putting me at ease. Blinking, I flicked my eyes between his. He looked honest, his expression stark and deep.

My heart pitter pattered, drumming like a hammer in my chest. This man did something to me, the feel of our hands together, the way he held me firmly in his grasp; I felt it everywhere; over my skin, in my muscles, my veins, my bones, he was covering me like a blanket.

I couldn't explain it, there were no words to express what it felt like. It was just a feeling, a surge of tingles and soft pinpricks that caused the hair on my arms to bristle.

And in all honesty, that was exactly what I needed right then.

“Alright.” Our eyes connected, his flickering in bright pops of color. I could see every shade of blue the world had to offer, sparkling and bursting under his relentless stare.

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