Downpour

I wiped my face with the back of my hand and looked up at Tayden. Rain was still buried in his chest, and he was giving me a sad smile as he rubbed her back. I stepped back looking at the route the cop cars took, just wishing they’d come back to stay the night in front of our place. Maybe then I’d actually feel safe.

As we went inside I slipped my hand through Rain’s and pulled her into a tight hug. “Thank you.” I whispered in her ear. If she wouldn’t have called me, God only knows what those two men would have done to me. “I love you so much Rain.” She smiled at me, a hint of sadness lurked behind it, but I assumed it was because of the attempted robbery.

On the bright side, the only thing we had to replace was a window. The cops had returned all of our other belongings to us, and we put them back in their rightful places.

I sat on the couch and clicked on the television, now more awake than ever. Rain sat on the recliner, curling up in a blanket. Which left Tayden to sit on the couch with me. He shifted awkwardly before doing so. I laid down in the half of the couch I’d let myself take up. I wanted to tell him then, to just blurt it out so that I didn’t have to be the only one knowing this secret. But I couldn’t, Rain was right there, and whenever I told him I needed for it to be just us two, because I had no idea how he was going to react.

“So Rain…Copper wasn’t much of a body guard.” Tayden said laughing, obviously trying to lift the dark mood around us. Rain rolled her eyes and pulled the chubby wiener dog closer to her chest.

“Copper was just as scared as we were, weren’t you baby? They almost shot him!” she said pulling his face into her neck. I laughed and sat up, reaching for the blanket on the opposite side of Tayden. He grabbed it and went to stretch it out around himself, then noticed I was going for it.

“Shit, you want the blanket?” he balled it up and put it in my hands but I shoved it back.

“No, no. I’m good.” I said laying back down. I felt the blanket land on top of me and I sat up again shoving it on Tayden’s lap. “I said no, you can keep it.”

“But you’re cold, I’d feel bad.” Tayden said giving me a small smile.

“You guys, shut the fuck up. I’m trying to watch this show.” I looked at the TV and bust out laughing. It was some cartoons for children, and they were talking vegetables. I looked at my best friend and shook my head, sometimes I wonder if something was wrong with her. “Share the blanket, or get another one. Sheesh.” She turned the volume up louder.

I’d shared blankets with Tayden many times, cuddling with him often too. He was warm most of the time, and I was usually always cold. Rain was usually bundled up in a cocoon most of the time so I’d never ask to break in with hers.

Tayden lifted an edge of the blanket, the one against the back of the couch and I crawled into the spot, letting the familiar scent of his body fill my nostrils. I looked up at him, the father of my unknown child. He was laughing at something on the TV. One of the veggies was talking in a funny voice, and I could almost imagine Tayden watching TV like this with a kid of his own one day.

Maybe it wouldn’t be ours. Maybe it’d be a kid he’d have when he finally settled down and married a woman he loved. He’d have children with her, and live with her in a house with a white picket fence. The perfect family. And all I was going to do with this child was ruin his future. Nothing good could possibly come from this.

I tried to honestly pay attention to the talking vegetables on the TV, but the rise and fall of Tayden’s chest, mixed with his warmth put me right to sleep.



I rubbed my eyes, reaching on my night stand for my phone to check the time. I stopped as I grasped my phone. When did I get in my bed? Tayden must have brought me in here sometime, but I had no recollection of even slightly waking up for it.

I wondered out into the hall and smelled breakfast. It smelled burnt. Which could only mean one thing. Rain was cooking. “Tayden.” I groaned shoving him to the side. “How could you let her cook us breakfast?” I screeched, shoving Rain lightly out the way and turning the fire off.

“I’m sorry!” he said laughing at Rain, who looked extremely sad now that I’d taken over.

“I just wanted to make breakfast for Tayden. It being his first breakfast in the house and all.” I stopped in the middle of what I was doing and turned around.

“First breakfast? He’s eaten breakfast with us before…” I was confused, and she wasn’t making sense.

“Oh! Right, you were still sleeping. Silly me. Tayden’s moving in with us!” she squealed and threw her arms around me, jumping up and down. “Isn’t that awesome?”

Truth was, we’d asked Tayden to move in with us before we had even moved in ourselves. Rain’s parents had thought it’d be safer, but Tayden had declined our offer. Saying something about how he’d rather slit his eyes open with a knife then live with the fingernail polish, the hair spray, and the perfume.

“Why are you moving in now? We’ve still got Copper to protect us!” I said pointing to the dog who was laying on his side snoring, not having a care in the world, or bothering to pick his head up at the sound of his name.

“Copper? That’s who’s hands…uh, paws, you’re putting your life into? He’s not even a foot tall!” he said back smirking at me, knowing just how bad this would get under my skin.

“Copper is a loyal dog. And I have full faith in him that if he wouldn’t have gotten shot at he would have ripped a limb off or something.” Even Rain started laughing at the sound of our pooch doing some damage that extreme.

“Bay, unless you haven’t noticed Copper is a wiener dog…not a bulldog. I doubt he can rip someone’s leg off.” Rain laughed putting her cooking into a plate and placing it in front of a stool. Tayden walked over and started to eat it.

“You’re not helping Rain!” I said shouting, suddenly feeling pissed off. “Why are you doing this to me?” I spat at Tayden before walking off, leaving them both utterly confused.



I was squished in the backseat with Rain pressed against my side. We were going in her car and Tayden was driving. Patrick was sitting in the back seat fiddling with the radio, and since Rain and I were the smallest we got shoved in the backseat with a suitcase.

The two guys in the front seat were laughing their asses off at something being said on the radio. I glanced at Rain who was ignoring my attempts to talk to her. I knew she wouldn’t stay mad at me long, and I also knew I shouldn’t have snapped at her for something that wasn’t her fault.

It’s not like she asked for those men to come in and rip away the safe feeling of our home. I know having Tayden around would make us both feel a lot safer in the long run. But the timing couldn’t have been worse.

Looking out the window I watched the scenery go by. I was about to ask Patrick to sit with Rain in the backseat, not even caring if they’d wanted to go at it then and there. I’d just rather be stuck in the front seat then be next to Rain while we were fighting because of something I couldn’t tell her.

It made me feel horrible, and being refined to the close quarters of her car, were making it worse. I wanted to sing and laugh with my best friend.

Maybe when we reached the campground she’d talk to me. Until then I’d just have to deal.