Opal POV
I'm very well aware of my behavior towards Lily, towards Chris.
I'd have been completely fine, living in my little dream weekend bubble if she had just kept her mouth shut.
I imagine that by now I'd have held Chris' hand, or maybe even let him hold me in an embrace.
I imagine the night would've ended with our first, and possibly only, kiss.
I imagine the night would've ended with me wishing it wouldn't end.
But, that's not real life. In real life, girl get's pissed with best friend for having a big mouth and dredging up the past. In real life, girl takes out frustration on amazing boy that is truly not deserving of girl's anger. In real life girl pushes boy away completely. In real life, girl regrets it forever.
I've sat fuming in the chair that Chris basically dropped me in before going inside. I'm angry with myself. I couldn't see past the discomfort Lily brought on me and may have completely pushed Chris away.
I pick up my heels and walk around the outside of the building, same as earlier tonight, and go back to the carriage house. I decide to change into comfortable clothing and go light one of the fire pits.
I find sitting around a fire helps me unwind, relax, and reflect. Reflection can go one of two ways. It can sow more discourse or help one see their overreaction as unnecessary. I wonder which one I'll experience tonight.
~~~~~
Chris POV
I jerk my tie off from around my neck and loosen the buttons on my shirt. My frustration level is high. Normally I'd go to the gym and spend some time on the punching bag, but that's not an option here.
Instead, I take off my suit coat, tossing it on the bed. I slip out of my pants and dress shirt, putting on a pair of grey sweat pants and a navy shirt. I drop to my hands and start doing push ups.
When I reach 30 I reevaluate my anger level. I've gone from an extreme five to a three. Still not enough to let my body relax. Another 30 more and I'm down to a one.
It's just 10 pm and I realize I'm not ready to lay down yet. I find myself looking out the window, towards the carriage house. No lights are on. Then my eyes are caught by movement on the back patio, a small fire coming from one of the pits. There's only one person that would be having a fire at this time of night.
And I must be glutton for punishment.
"Mind if I join you?" I ask Opal when I reach the fire pit.
She doesn't look up at me, only acknowledges me by voice. "If I said no, would you leave?"
"Probably not."
"Then do what you want." It doesn't appear that she's as angry, maybe indifferent though.
Opal is sat on a single chair, legs curled up to her chest, a light blanket wrapped around her. I move to sit on the same loveseat we shared just twenty four hours ago.
My gaze falls on the fire in front of me, but keeps drifting to the woman on my right. I take in the tightness of her jaw, the direct stare, the way she holds the blanket so tight that her knuckles are going white.
She doesn't want me here, that's obvious, so why am I trying to push something that's just not gonna happen? I stand back up on my feet and begin my trek back up to the house. I'm startled when I hear Opal asking where I'm going.
Before I snap back at her I realize something. Her tone isn't cruel, or sharp. It's even, soft.
"I was going to leave you alone. I figured that's what you wanted."
Her attention turns directly to me, away from the fire this time. That's when I see a tear fall from each of her eyes. My heart urges me forward to her, my brain fighting it. My heart tends to be stronger than my brain. It wins out as I move to crouch down in front of her chair, my back to the fire.
"Talk to me, Opal. Please."
She watches my mouth move, but I'm not sure she's heard me. She lifts her head off to the side, sniffles and wipes at her tears. "Can't you just be here? With me?"
I want to be here with her. I want to be with her every moment I possibly can. But, her blowup from earlier, where did it come from?
"You can talk to me, Opal. The one eighty you made back there, I'd be lying if I said it didn't concern me. I don't know you well, but I know that wasn't you."
I see the debate warring across her face as she wipes harshly at the fresh tears. "Lily just said something that bothered me," she admits. "It's not like she hasn't done it before. We'll be fine."
"Most disagreements with a best friend don't end up with one walking barefoot through downtown." I'm pushing boundaries, I know that. It's the detective in me I suppose. I bring my hand to rest on her lower leg that is covered by the blanket. From the angle where I sit in front of her I can't hold her the way I'd like to, unsure if she'd even let me.
Opal groans at my words. "I don't want to let you in! I mean, I do, but I can't." There's frustration and yet desperation in her voice.
"Yes, you can, Opal." I stand now, in front of her.
"If I tell you about me, make myself vulnerable to you, and you leave," she pauses, taking a ragged breath, "you'll leave me feeling less than worthy, like everyone else."
Her admission scares me. I take her hand, pulling her up and over to the love seat. I guide her to sit next to me as I hold her and let her cry. I'm not pushing the conversation. I choose to just comfort her, help her through by doing whatever it is she needs. My hand rubs along her back, attempting to soothe her. I want her to stop crying, but yet something is telling me that I need to let her cry it out. Allow her soul to be cleansed through her tears.
An unwelcomed guest shows up. The sky has opened and it begins to pour, hard. Opal grabs the lid to the fire pit, placing it over the fire to help squelch what the rain hasn't already. I get her blanket and we both run to the back porch.
"Well, that was dumb," she says, catching her breath.
"What do you mean?"
"I should've ran for the carriage house. Now I'll get soaked all over again." There's a small bit of laughter coming through, not much but enough to have lightened her mood.
"Guess it's a good thing you own the place and can get dry towels," I begin, "or maybe if you're lucky, an umbrella."
That earns me a small grin. "Nice to know the blood, sweat and tears I put into it will afford me an umbrella."
"I'll go see what I can find," I tell her as I reach for the door handle, but stop only when I feel Opal's hand grasp mine.
"Don't go. If you go inside I will talk myself out of staying, waiting for you, even though I'm not ready for this to end."
Looking over my shoulder at her I see all of the anger from earlier has left her features. I take a step towards her, gingerly, afraid she'll become skittish again. Pushing her wet hair back, off of her shoulders, I ask her a simple question. "What is this, exactly?" My brows furrowed, not out of anger or even my earlier frustration, but of genuine curiosity.
Confliction crosses her features. A battle warring within. Her brown eyes darting back and forth between both of mine, but still holding my gaze. She's chewing on her bottom lip, not in a seductive way, but in an exhibit of anxiety. Her right hand clutches at her chest, an effort to slow her racing heart. She starts to speak, parting her lips, but closing them just as quickly.
"Wait here. I'll be right back," I tell her. By the look on her face I know there's a possibility she won't be here when I return, but it's a chance I have to take. Luckily I know where she'll go if she decides to run off.
Going inside, taking the stairs two at a time to reach my room quicker. I unlock the door and move to the bathroom, grabbing two towels. As I move back towards the door I pick up my suit coat from earlier in the evening, fumbling over it until I grab what I'm looking for, slipping it into the pocket of my sweats.
When I reach the lobby area again, I choose an umbrella from the basket by the front door and make my way to the back of the building again, unsure of what I'll find. When I open the door I see Opal sitting on a small couch, pensive, lost in thought. She doesn't acknowledge me, again, until I'm right next to her.
"You've got a decision to make," I start. "Right here, right now. No running away from it, Opal."
She looks back at me, straightening her back up. She places her elbows on her knees, dropping her head into her hands.
"You need to tell me, what you want." I take another step closer to her. Slowly, pulling her head back out of her hands, she looks up at me. "Towel, or umbrella?" I ask, letting a wide smile gradually consume my features. "You can have a towel, dry off and stay out here, with me for a bit longer. Or, you can take the umbrella, go back to the carriage house and I'll see you tomorrow at the wedding. It's your choice."
Opal looks relieved and exhales a loud sigh, leaning back into the couch, relaxing. "What a choice to make. I may need some time to think that out."
"Nope. No time. It's now or never."
"Give me the dang towel, Evans."
I toss her the towel before using my own to dry myself a bit. "At least I'm back to part of my name," I chuckle.
"Don't push it or I'll go back to just calling you officer."
"No, now we don't want that," I say as I move to sit next to her. "May I?" Opal nods her head and scoots to one side, wrapping the towel tighter around her shoulders.
I sit, debating on what to do next. Do I speak? If I do, what do I say? Do I question her again? Do I forget about it all? If I don't speak, do I pull her close to me? Comfort her more? There is something waging a war inside of her, but if I push too far, this, whatever it is, will end.
"Did you know that if you randomly lick someone's elbow without them knowing, they won't feel it?"
"I'm sorry," Opal says shaking her head. "What?"
"It's true. If the person isn't paying attention, and you lick their elbow, they won't feel it."
She's laughing again. It's beautiful. "Where did that come from?"
"Just a random fact. I've got more."
She quirks a brow in my direction. "Let's hear some."
I turn to face her, head on. "Okay. Let's see. Oh! The head of a severed sea slug can grown a new body. There's a frog that can actually hold its urine in for 8 months." She gives me a look of disgust. "Gross, I know, but still true. This is a good one!. Cotton Candy was actually invented by a dentist."
"I should send him my dental bills then!" she laughs out.
"Bees have been known to sting other bees," I say with a point of my finger.
"Talk about backstabbing friends," Opal added.
"They're some mean little buggers."
This is when I notice that she's managed to move a little closer to me. She seems to be back to the way I remember from our limo ride together earlier in the evening.
"Opal," she meets my eyes as I say her name. "I want to give you something." I put my hand in my pocket, pulling out the small organza bag I had previously threatened to throw away.
"Chris, I can't."
"You can't refuse a gift. It's a law," I declare with a smile.
"And what if I argue that law, Officer Evans? What then?" By the look I see on her face I can see that she made that comment on purpose, knowing what it does to me to hear her say my title with my name.
"I don't think you want to know the consequences," I answered. I've missed the playful banter.
"So, then I have no choice in it?"
"Not in this situation, no." I pick up her hand that recently let go of her towel. I turn her palm up and place the small bag in it.
I watch as her eyes cast a downward glance to see the purple organza bag sitting in her palm. She brings her other hand to lift it up and open it. I watch as her expression changes from coy to surprised as she pulls out the floral shaped earrings made of Opal stones.
"When did you..." her voice is soft as it drifts off without completing her thought aloud.
"Earlier, at the arts market, when you went to the bathroom right before we left. I saw them when we had been walking around. I was just waiting for the opportunity to purchase them without you noticing."
Her gaze falls back on me. Her eyes are beginning to cloud over again with tears. I bring my hand forward again to rest her cheek in my palm. "Please, Opal. I can't bear to see you cry again." She closes her eyes, releasing the tears that had pooled there.
Before I can say another word Opal throws her arms around my neck. I return her embrace, holding her securely against my chest, as the rain continues to pour around us.