That previous night had been long. Sleep didn't come and Skye's thoughts had swarmed her mind. Her mind played through everything from flashbacks of the accident taking place to Craig telling her he could feel her emotions. What he'd told her hadn't really sunk in. How could a human have such a superpower? If you could call it that. It didn't seem like a very good superpower to be able to feel other people's pain and suffering. She hoped that at the very least it would be a distraction from his own.
When Craig had said he'd help, he meant it. He'd come round the day after to help with Skye's suspect list. She still hadn't heard anything from the police and was getting ever more frustrated.
He'd brought coffees with him and the two of them sat cosily on the sofa. Skye had been doing a bit of reading in her spare time so there was a pile of Lisa Jewell books on the coffee table with various bookmarks and other items that were being used as bookmarks. She thought that reading a bit of a thriller or mystery might help her figure out her own problems. So far it hadn't.
"Do you think it was an accident? You don't think it was one of your bitter competitors trying to get revenge?"
Skye laughed for a moment before realising it was worth a thought. "I had never thought of that," she breathed out loud. A lot of her competitors were bitter and over-competitive. She'd only ever focused on herself but the more she thought about it, the more she remembered the whispers as she walked past them. Skye had never been particularly friendly with any of them. She'd decided from a young age that she would never get anywhere if she blurred the lines between competitors and friendships.
Craig's hand on her knee made her fall out of her daydream. "I was joking, Skye. I think."
"Oh. Yes. Of course, but it's an option that I hadn't thought of. Although, my gut is telling me that it's somebody who lives locally who had been driving when they shouldn't have been." She paused and rubbed her lips together. "Cass told me she was with him that night, but I can't get Freddie's name out of my head. I have no idea why."
"He does sell drugs in his club. Not that it means anything related, but I'm sure he drives home from there every night."
Skye widened her mouth in shock. "How on earth do you know that?"
Craig sighed and replied, "Alana bought some one time. Not long before she passed away."
"Alana? Drugs?" she spat out. Skye didn't know Alana very well but every time she'd seen the woman, she always looked like she had her life together. She looked so elegant and immaculate. Perfect golden hair, nothing like the scruffy bun on Skye's head and eyes a brighter shade of blue than Skye's. Every word that Alana had every spoken was perfectly articulate, perfectly formed.
Craig shrugged. "She never really explained it, I only know that it was a one-off."
"I went to his bar the week I moved to Riverwell Bay. He asked me out after a couple of conversations but I didn't like the way he looked at me like I was a piece of meat. He didn't much like it when I declined either." Skye could feel goosebumps on her arms and ran her hand over them. "I'm glad Cass is happy, I really am, but there's always been something off about him."
"If anybody can put him in his place, it's her."
Skye nodded knowing Craig was right. "Don't suppose you know anybody with a green car?"
"There was one parked down by the beach about a month ago, that's the last time I remember seeing one but I don't exactly look out for green cars.
"Where was it?"
"The car park by the beach, just down from the food kiosks."
Skye's interest faded quickly, and her frustration grew. "It could be anyone. I just need the cops to find that damn car. It must have a huge dent in it. It has be somewhere," she signed.
Craig reached over to take Skye's hand in his. "They'll find something. We just need to have hope and be patient."
"Can you feel that too?" Skye joked. "Like you can feel my emotions. Can you feel the hope?"
"Yeah." Craig nodded. He moved his hand to Skye's arm. It pressed into her as softly as his words. "I can feel hope."
The swimmer felt her stomach fill with sudden butterflies. It felt like they were attacking her insides, making her breathing speed up just like it would when she was waiting for the sign to start swimming at a competition. Skye gulped and pulled her arm away. "I'm getting hungry, we should get some food."
Craig pulled back at the same time and got to his feet. "I'll walk down to the chip shop and pick something up." Skye felt bad not offering to join him, but she could feel her cheeks blush and didn't want to look at him. She needed a few minutes alone. "What would you like?"
"Fish and chips is fine."
"T-Two portions of fish and chips it is," Craig replied and then seemed to rush out of the door at a speed Skye wouldn't currently be able to manage.
When the door was closed she let out a long breath that she'd been holding in whilst trying not to make it obvious that her heart was trying to beat out of her chest. The flapping of the butterflies had made her mildly nauseaus so she stumbled to the kitchen and slowly drank a glass of water.
Luckily, Skye had managed to calm herself down by the time Craig returned with their dinner and he too looked a lot calmer. She breathed in the strong scent of salt and vinegar as if it was the first time she was smelling it.
"Are you okay there?" Craig chuckled.
"I have been deprived of this for so long and I plan on enjoying every second of it." The friends were silent for most of their meal. Skye had put on Game of Thrones, figuring she would need somebody to explain to her what was going on.
"Wait, that's Jon Snow?" she asked once she'd put the leftovers and packaging in the bin.
"Yes," Craig replied, his eye narrowing.
"Lalia keeps mentioning him. She knows the actor and thought I would fall in love with him. Can confirm not my type."
"Curly hair not for you?" he joked, twisting his own short curls cheekily.
"Yours are short, he looks a bit like my Aunt who hasn't had a haircut in ten years. Though, my type is the ocean. The cold water hitting my skin. There can't be any better love than that." She noticed Craig's lips push together. Was that disappointment on his face? She tilted her head back to the television and acted like she hadn't noticed. Skye could feel his eyes on her still, like he wanted to ask something else but didn't have the confidence to.
Their conversations became more normal after a short silence and they found themselves binging episodes with Skye asking questions every five minutes. She was intelligent but wasn't very familiar with watching television or films, having never had the time.
"Oh thank God he's awake," Skye beamed when Bran woke up. Craig laughed. Skye found herself falling deeper into the episodes, losing herself like she used to in books. She'd forgotten that sometimes fiction was the best escape there was. Silence had fallen between the duo, both of them enjoying the show.
Eventually, Skye's eyes looked down to see Craig's hand holding hers. She hadn't noticed their hands finding one another's, nor did she know how long they'd been like that. Should she pull away? She didn't want to. There was comfort in their grip and Skye didn't want to let it go. She wasn't sure that Craig had noticed at all. Their calm ended with Lalia burst threw the door drunk and started making nosy faces at Skye as soon as she noticed her with Craig.
He'd left shortly after that. Skye had said goodbye to him outside of the front door in the darkness to avoid Lalia's smirks.
"I think I relaxed more tonight than I have in weeks," Skye breathed out into the cold air. "Thank you."
"Maybe you should be thanking the show, not me."
Skye bit her lip and nodded. "No, there's no way the show was the relaxing part." That was all the goodbye she had got with Craig. Sierra returned home at that minute making remarks about it being past Skye's bedtime. It had passed 10pm so she wasn't wrong. Skye waved Craig off and walked back indoors to answer the many questions from her cousins. They were used to her having male friends so luckily it didn't go on for too long before she left for her room.
The next morning there was a knock at the door. It was a Saturday and her cousins were sleeping in so she was the first to the door.
"Jake," she breathed out slowly upon seeing the policeman standing there.
Interactive question: how many siblings do you have?