A/N: We had a bit of a scare and had to rush dad to the hospital this morning, but it's all good now. So, to celebrate and share my relief, here's another chapter!
4.
She's glaring at me. I wonder if I'm coming down with something, because it's turning me on.
I return to the car I was working on, with an offhand, "Why don't you sit down till the rain lets up?" tossed over my shoulder.
It takes me a minute to focus on what I'm supposed to be doing; instead, I'm concentrating on tracking her movements by sound. A hesitant, squelchy footstep, the rustle of her coat; she takes a deep breath and lets it out with a whoosh.
I'm curious about her. What is she doing here? Where was she going, and how far did she have to walk when her car broke down? What kind of car does she drive? Why was she travelling alone in this storm? The weather has been this way all day. Why'd she risk going out? Why not stay home, safe, like the rest of the sane people in town?
Is she from out of town?
Will she stay?
I clean out the carburetor of Banner's car. She's still standing, looking out of the window, her arms wrapped around her slender body.
The fan belt needs to be replaced. She's moved to sit—not on the couch at the 'customer' end of the shed, but on one of the mismatched chairs situated right in the middle of the work area. She's one car away, but I know she's watching me.
I raise a shoulder, turning slightly to wipe my forehead on my sleeve, and there—caught you!
She averts her eyes, and I watch her for a moment, framed so beautifully by the window of the Newtons' Ford.
The fluorescent light overhead swings slightly as the roof trembles with the continued onslaught of precipitation. It casts wavering shadows across her slightly flushed countenance. I blink, and suddenly the roar of the storm comes back to wash over me in all its deafening glory.
My heartbeat is louder than the storm.
