Jagged Edges (Nine)
Jagged Edges
He took the first step out of the restaurant with her close behind, his movement brought to a sudden halt as he looked up at the darkened skies and then to where the rain was coming down in something akin to a biblical event.
The drops of water bounced back up as they struck the concrete ground and he felt her bump gently into the back of him and exclaim loudly.
"Holy Shit, look at this?"
She said and he hoped that she was talking about the sudden weather and not the fact she had managed to get her body checked by walking into his back.
"Pretty grim"
He said not turning to look at her, his head turned to look across the parking lot to where he had parked his bike, the good news is that it was still there, the bad news, well the weather was speaking for itself.
Around him, people were now moving past him into the rain and making tracks to where they had parked their vehicles, in this case mostly cars, which he would have gladly swapped his bike for right now.
He turned slightly to look at Melissa and could see the look of grim curiosity on her face as she watched the downpour.
"We could try and wait it out?"
He said and she did not break from where she seemed to be hypnotised by the splashing on the ground.
"What for? Doomsday or when The Ark comes to collect us?"
Her grim response before she went to step forward and leave the shelter of the doorway, but stopped before she left the cover overhead suddenly not so sound on her initial idea.
"You do have a point"
He said and turned to look back into the foyer of the restaurant and scanned the area before he saw a red phone on the wall with a sign above it that read Taxi service available.
"I know I do and I do not want to share with the animals"
She said in response and took another tentative step forward, now the sneakers she wore were in the rain and she looked down at them.
"I'll get us a taxi, I can pick the bike up in the morning"
The thought did not seem like the best one, the idea of leaving his bike overnight in the open did not exactly appeal to him, but then again neither did an attempt to ride with a passenger in this terrible weather.
"Sure, good idea"
She said and then took another step into the rain and let her head roll back the rain came down and washed over her face and began to soak the clothes she wore against her body.
He opened his mouth to say something to her about being out in the rain, but she was no kid and he was not her father so he thought better of it and then turned to walk back into the foyer and order the taxi.
it took about 20 minutes for the taxi to arrive, as he just stood in the doorway of the restaurant and watched her standing in the rain, face constantly turned upwards to the heavens and looking as happy as a child on Christmas morning.
He opened the door for her and they both climbed into the back seat of the car, he told the driver the address of his apartment and for the next ten minutes, he was in a back-and-forth with Melissa about having her stay at his place tonight.
She eventually conceded his point and agreed as the rain continued to pour down on the ground, the noise on the roof of the car like someone drumming with multiple sets of sticks.
After she agreed, she sat and looked out of the window and did not speak again until they were pulling up outside of his building, her eyes looking from the front door and then up the building.
"Swanky place"
She offered as he opened the door on his side of the car and eased his body from the backseat and moved to the driver's window to give him money for the journey and then wished him a good night.
He eased his way back around the car and reached into his pocket and pulled his keys from his pocket, he could hear her following him as he pressed a black fob to a panel on the wall and the side door began to slowly open for them.
He sidestepped and she moved past him and into the lobby, the concierge once again nowhere to be seen. he followed her as she moved to the bank of elevators and then pushed the call button.
The doors opened several seconds later and they stepped inside, she seemed curious about her surroundings as she continued to keep looking around and he reached for the button for his floor and he felt the elevator begin to move.
"Very swanky place"
She offered again, perhaps not sure he had heard her the first time back at the taxi, he turned his head to look at her and smiled at her.
"Thank you, I like it"
He said as the elevator slowed to a stop and the doors opened and they both moved into the hallway beyond, he moved ahead of her and walked to his front door and slid the key into the lock and pushed the door open.
"Mi Casa Su Casa"
He said gesturing with a wave of his arms towards the door she smiled before walking through the doorway and stopping for him to catch up with her, but her head already turning to look around.
He walked inside and closed the door behind them and turned to lock the door once again.
"What happened to your mirror?"
She asked him and he turned around to face her again, she was looking into the cracked mirror and he could see she had placed a finger against the glass and was slowly tracing the lines in it.
"Oh, the mirror?"
He said not sure how to answer her question she continued to touch the mirror and then let out an exaggerated yelp of pain as the jagged edge of the glass caught her finger and she pulled her hand back.
"Ouch, that was dumb"
She said and turned her hand over to check where her finger was now bleeding lightly, her solution was to put the injured digit into her mouth and start to suck on the bleeding appendage.
"I'll show you where you are sleeping, you can have the spare room"
He said as the question of the mirror seemed to be forgotten as he headed up and she followed him up the stairs and to the hall beyond until they reached a single white door several feet from his room.
"This is you and that is the bathroom over there"
He offered as he opened the door with one hand and gestured with his other towards where the bathroom door was,
"My room is the one at the end of the hall if you need anything?"
He said as she gave another smile and moved past him into the bedroom and closed the door behind her.
