And Then It Rained (Sequel to Rain Again; Stand Alone Book) (Completed)

Chapter Twenty-three: Good Things Happen When a Car Faints

He pinched the tip of his nose, clearly from awkwardness. "You had a fever last night. I was scared to death and had to put a wet cloth on your forehead."

"Ah—" she blinked rapidly. "Yes. And you stayed in my bed all night— " she bit her tongue the moment she said that. Her cheeks flushed red. "Er—I didn't mean it that way. I mean, well—"

"Well, yes, I didn't notice when I nodded off." Even he seemed a bit flustered, but then he cleared his throat and put on a solemn face. 

Her reddened cheek cooled at the touch of a chilly breeze, and by how he turned serious.

He looked at her square in the eyes. "You were burning and turned delirious. At one point, you started to repeatedly say Daddy, don't hurt me..."

The curiosity in her eyes died. Her entire body stiffening, she looked away. She looked away from him but not toward the moon-adorned sky. She looked at the darkness on the bushy side of the road. Her gaze was vacant, but her heart hammered inside her chest, knowing she had unintentionally shown Victor the scar of her childhood.

"Victoria," his tone was indulgent. "I'm perhaps poking into your matters too much, but hell, I need to ask this — did your father—" he hesitated. "I mean, did he—"

"Hurt me?" she let out a shuddering exhale and straightened her spine, suddenly too agitated to bear this moment. "Yes, he did," she replied, lifting her chin which trembled. 

He sucked in a sharp breath. "He used to hit you!"

"Well, what do you want to hear—" she hyperventilated. Her head throbbed, and it seemed like the scars of her heart had responded to his insistence, came alive, and crawled out like a venomous snake. "He did numerous times until my teen years as I was forever the black sheep, the disappointment of his bloodline." Her eyes were red, but she did not shed a single drop of tear.

Victor's face darkened, and his eyes turned hard for seconds until he inched closer, which minimized the distance between them. She couldn't look away as his gaze tendered underneath his furrowed eyebrows. The way his jaw tightened gave her the impression that he was struggling to restrain himself.

An abrupt breeze swept out the strand of her hair that she had earlier secured behind her ear. More of her messy hair followed along as the breeze quickened, bringing along dust and a bunch of dried leaves. And while she struggled to tackle her hair, Victor reached up and took over from her unexpectedly. His long, manly fingers touched her cheeks, forehead, and ears. The palm of his hand brushed across her lips in the process. 

Without notice, his otherwise innocent, perhaps sympathetic, touches derived unexplainable sensations in her. Sensations that were beginning to coax her scars back into their secret compartment—sensations that made her eyes lock with his. 

For the first time ever, an unnamable accord reflected in both of their eyes.

The light of the tow truck shone upon them, breaking the moment of revelation and cracked boundaries. Rescue of Victoria's car had finally arrived.

The moment she looked away, and they stepped away from each other in a state of embarrassment, doubt filled her mind. 

Would he name her moment of weakness another one of her lies?

Now, she regretted telling him.

Victor didn't bring up the topic again as they walked the distance from that place on the street down to his apartment, which was not that far. In fact, he was absolutely quiet except for asking to carry her camera bag and slipping a hand around her shoulders to help her avoid putting more pressure on her injured feet.