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I don’t think I’ve ever driven this fast in my entire life. It took me less than ten minutes to get to Darrington's house. The lights are turned on, and that means he's at home. Of course, he is; where else would he be at this time? Nothing is open in our town this late, except for a couple of pubs, but I can't imagine Raphael visiting them.
I bang on the door loudly without thinking twice. If I had thought about it, I wouldn't dare to come to his house like this, especially at night.
He opens the door right away, and I freeze. I didn't expect him to be standing right next to it.
"Katie, you came," he says with a slight smile and a noticeable relief on his face as if he was expecting me.
"Why did you do that?" I ask rudely and come inside the house without waiting for him to invite me.
"Do what?"
"Don't play with me, Raphael. You know what!" I feel my cheeks getting red, and it's not because it's hot in here; it's from rage. "What do you want from me?"
Raphael slowly and calmly closes the door, looking at me from above. I cross my arms around my chest to help myself stay still and not punch him because of how confident he’s staying while I'm yelling at him.
"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about." His voice is even, just like his body, and he takes a step closer to me.
"Don't touch me." I extend my palm to stop him from coming closer. I can't think straight when he's near.
I close my eyes and take a couple of deep breaths to calm down. What if he really doesn't know why am I here? What if he had nothing to do about it?
"You promised to never lie to me, Raphael," I say, calmer this time, and finally open my eyes to look at him.
"I never did." Our gazes meet, and my heart skips a bit at his intense look.
"Did you pay for my sister's cancer treatment?" I finally ask after a long pause, doing my best not to look away.
"Yes" is the only word he says. No explanation, no nothing.
"Why?"
"Because she needed it."
Is he kidding me? Of course she needed it, but why did he pay for it?
"Is that why you were yelling? I thought you'd be happy," he continues, and I feel my eyes start getting wet.
What is wrong with me when I'm next to this man? Why am I acting like a teenager, ready to kiss him anytime he wants, denying my feelings, crying because I can't reject what I feel for him?
"Katie," he whispers and comes closer. This time I do not protest. He wraps his arms around my body, and I dive my head into his snow-white shirt.
I start crying, and this time for real, I do not hold back my feelings any longer. I let myself express all those emotions that have been hiding inside me all these years. Since our parents died, since my fiancé left me, we lost our farm because I couldn't pay the loans, and Marie got cancer... I never let myself cry for real. I thought I couldn't. Sometimes a tear or two appeared on my face when I went to sleep, but I did not allow myself anything more than that. Marie was sleeping next door, and she could've heard me. I couldn't let her see how weak and helpless I was.
Raphael holds me in his arms, hugging me tightly, letting me cry as long as I need to. We stand in the hallway for who knows how long until my weeping ends. And then we stay a little more until my cheeks are completely dry, and that's when I realize that I probably should let him go already.
"I got your shirt wet," I say when I pull away slightly, looking at his perfectly ironed outfit.
"It'll dry, just like your tears, beautiful," he whispers, placing a kiss on my forehead. "And even if it doesn't, I have plenty of white shirts in my wardrobe."
I laugh at his words and look up at him. He's smiling, too. He looks terrific, even better than I remembered. While I probably look like a swollen tomato.
"Do you know there are other colors except for black and white?" I ask, and he laughs in response.
Hearing him laughing makes my heart melt and calms me down completely.
"Will you have dinner with me, Katie?" he asks, still smiling, holding me in his arms.
My stomach growls loudly at that thought, and we both laugh again. I nod in agreement. He takes me by the hand, and we both walk through the living room right into the dining room.
