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I sensed a presence beside me before I saw him. Then I looked up and laughed.
"What's up?" Razer asked.
"Your umbrella," I snapped back. "What's with the pink florals?"
He looked up at the pink umbrella he held, pink with a daisy pattern covering it. "I saw you rush out of the bar so grabbed this from the lost property box. Not the best choice, huh."
Even in my utter despair, I had to giggle at the combination of his bulk with that girlie umbrella.
“You look like an idiot.”
"Yeah, I do. But if it keeps the rain off, that's the main thing."
We both stood there in the rain looking at each, as though not sure what to do next. Should I just take the umbrella from Razer and head off? That seemed a bit rude when he’d actually tried to help. I should thank him but being nice to Razer just seemed weird. The way we played things was that he’d do something annoying and then I’d hurl insults. If he didn’t do the annoying thing, I had no precedent of how to deal with him.
“Umm, thanks.” That was the right thing to say?
"Where are you off to anyway?" he asked.
I looked around me. "No idea."
But without even discussing it, the two of us started walking, huddled under that umbrella. My thin summer dress got drenched and stuck to my legs but I wore my boots so my feet were dry. To keep dry, I had to walk so close to Razer that our bodies touched. Even then, it barely covered our heads. Soon, our footsteps fell into rhythm.
Walking like that seemed crazy intimate. I wanted to bolt from him or at least put some distance between us. His arm brushed against mine and I quivered.
As we walked, he told me a story about Dazza getting stuck in the toilet just before they went on stage once. In between laughing, I stole sideways glances at him. The hands wrapped around the umbrella handle weren’t musician’s hands. They were solid, strong hands. The kind of hands you could imagine creating physical things. Now, Alex, he had musician’s hands, with long tapered fingers.
Maybe it was just an illusion created by the umbrella but I felt safe and protected in a way I hadn’t in a long time. Cars rushed past us and people scurried to get out of the rain but we walked slowly, not in a rush to get anywhere.
Ahead, I saw a huge puddle on the side of the footpath. I couldn't resist the urge. I ran up and jumped into that puddle, spraying water up around me. At the same time, Razer had jumped in the puddle too.
"I haven't done that since I was a kid," he said.
"Me neither," I replied and laughed.
"Not much point me bringing the umbrella if you are just going to get yourself all wet anyway."
I ran to another puddle and stomped, splashing water up over him.
"Hey, watch it," he called but he did the same to me.
I squealed but laughed at the same time. He’d be the one squealing when I got my revenge.
That huge puddle up ahead would be perfect.
I jumped.
That damn puddle hid a bloody great pothole. Momentum propelled me forward while my foot stuck. I screamed in pain as I fell to the ground.
"Violet," Razer called. "Are you okay?"
He held out his hand to me to help me up. I almost refused, angry at the whole world for making me fall. My dress had gone from damp to wringing wet and probably torn and filthy. My palms were grazed but I took his hand.
Trying to put weight on my foot, agony surged through me and I screamed again. Shards of pain ran up my leg and I almost toppled to the ground but Razer put his arm around my waist and took my weight.
"Can you walk?" he asked.
I shook my head, thinking he'd offer to call a cab or something. Instead, he swooped me up in his arms.
