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“Good?”Rosalieasked, eyebrows raised.
“Youdon’t like to talk about your personal life.”Shepulled into the parking lot atHemlockSquare, right next toRosalie’scar, which was nothing but a lump of snow.Shesighed.Shedidn’t even know if there was a snow brush in the car.Great.
Autumncut the ignition and stepped out of the car, then pulled a large brush out of her backseat.
“I’mjust kind of a private person,”Rosaliesaid, feeling for some reason as though she owed the younger woman an explanation.Maybebecause she’d been so nice to her that she didn’t want to come off as prickly.
“Iget that,” she said, starting to slowly and thoroughly clean offRosalie’scar. “Butthere’s being a private person and keeping stuff to yourself, and there’s putting up walls to keep the world out.Idon’t know you very well, butIthink you do the latter.”Shelooked atRosaliefrom across the car, an assessing, almost shrewd expression on her face. “Andat first, the walls feel safe.Necessary.Buteventually, if you’re not careful, they start to feel like a prison.”
Rosaliefelt nailed to the spot, breath whooshing out of her lungs.Instantly, the urge to argue and deny rose up inside her, but she couldn’t even get her mouth to form words.She’dnever in her life been so casually and accurately assessed, especially by someone who barely knew her.Someonewho happened to be the sister of the guy she’d spent the night hooking up with.
Autumnsighed, scraping at a bit of ice onRosalie’swindshield. “Theguy that song reminds me of, that’s what he does.”
Ah.Sothis conversation was more projection than anything else.Butstill,Rosaliefelt oddly exposed.Normally,Carriewas the only one who commented onRosalie’slack of love life.Shewasn’t used to having strangers dissect her on a personal level.
“He…he’s been through some stuff, and he’s got walls.Thickones,”Autumncontinued. “Hedoesn’t let anyone get close because he doesn’t want to get hurt, but all he’s doing is hurting himself by…”Shetrailed off, swallowing thickly. “Sorry.Iguess there’s a lot on my mind this morning.Iswear,I’mnormally much more upbeat than this.Andless rude.I’m…tired.”
Rosalie’sheart softened.Therewas an actual melting sensation in her chest, and she crossed in front of the car, taking the brush fromAutumn. “Doesthis guy know you’re hurting over this?”
Autumnshook her head, and it struckRosaliehow tired she looked. “No.He…I…no.”
“Maybehe should.”
“It’s…complicated.”
RosaliestudiedAutumn, taking in the dark circles under her eyes, the worry etched across her pretty face, and she didn’t know what to say.Shewasn’t an advice giver.Butshe also got the distinct impression thatAutumnneeded a friend.
“Listen,Idon’t know you, really, or this guy, butIthink you have two options.Optionone, you tell him how you feel.Youwade into the mess, knowing it’ll be messy and that you might get hurt, but at least you’ll know the truth.Or, option two, you accept that it’s not going to happen between the two of you, and you move on.Youlive your life, you lean on your friends, you stay busy, you date someone else.”
“Optiontwo sounds more like avoiding than moving on,” saidAutumnwryly, andRosalierealized she was right.Itwas avoiding, because it was exactly whatRosaliewould do if she was catching feelings for someone. “Andtrust me,I’vetried to move on.It’sbeen…a long time.Andhe’s clueless, andIknow it’s unlikely to ever happen.I’vedated other people, lived my life.Plus, he’s one of my closest friends andIknow ifIsay something, it’ll make things weird, and more than anything he needs a friend right now.”Rosaliebrushed the last of the snow off the car andAutumnshot her a smile. “Youprobably thinkI’ma nut case.”
“Notat all,” saidRosaliequickly, wanting to reassure her. “Ijust wishIwas better at giving advice.”
“You’rea good listener,” saidAutumn, tilting her head. “Thanksfor letting me ramble about my problems.”
“Ofcourse,” she said, grabbing her keys out of her purse. “Thanksfor the ride, and the hospitality.”
Autumnnodded, taking the snow brush back fromRosalie. “Ofcourse.Ihope we see you again.”Shehopped back in her car, slowly reversing and then turning out of the parking lot, driving off with a wave.
Rosalieunlocked her car and slipped inside, tossing her bag on the seat beside her.Itfelt like a lot longer than eighteen hours since she’d stepped out of the car and into the snow.Timecould be so funny that way.
Theengine purred to life, and once she’d punchedCarrie’saddress into theGPS, intending to go straight to her place for the remainder of her working day, she pulled smoothly out onto the road, passing by the cute cafes and shops she’d never had the chance to visit.Ifthey came back, maybe she’d have time to check them out.
Followingthe directions, she navigated her way out of town, passing by a large sign with a painted image of the falls proclaiming “LeavingGossamerFalls–ComeBackSoon!”Justthen, the car shook strangely, makingRosaliegrip the wheel tighter, her heart vaulting into her throat.Aloud pop came from somewhere outside, and it suddenly felt as though the car was being jerked to the right.
“Oh, shit!” she said, easing her foot off of the gas pedal and doing her best to pull the car onto the shoulder.Thecar slid for a second, making her shriek.Finally, she came to a shuddering stop on the side of the road, her heart hammering in her ears.Witha shaking hand, she cut the ignition, shuttering the car in silence.
Holy.Shit.
Pressinga hand to her chest, she took several deep breaths, trying to calm down her wildly beating heart, and then undid her seatbelt.Checkingher mirrors before stepping out, she pushed open the door and circled around to the back of the car.
“Fuck,” she said in an agonized tone when she saw that the rear passenger’s side tire was completely flat. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”Shepaced anxiously back and forth in front of it, chewing on her bottom lip.Shehad absolutely no idea what to do.None.Didthe car have a spare?Noidea, and even if it did, she wouldn’t have the first clue how to change it.She’dnever owned a car in her life.She’dgrown up in and aroundNYC, and hadn’t even gotten her driver’s license until she was in her early twenties.
Shehuffed out a frustrated sigh and got back in the car, fishing her phone out of her purse and hittingTrevor’sname on her contacts list.
“Hey,” he answered on the first ring. “You’renot back yet.”
“No, didn’t you see my email?Igot snowed in.I’mon my way back right now, butI’vegot a flat tire.WhatamIsupposed to do?”
