CHAPTER 5
Fix me now
I wish you would
Bring me back to life
-Garbage, "Fix Me Now"
Rafe glanced down at the woman in front of him. She stood there, her tiny palms pressed against his broad shoulders, acting as if she could block any move he might attempt.
Suddenly, he couldn't help but chuckle.
"Rafe Kovich, are you laughing at me?" the now-agitated woman demanded. "Because this is not funny!"
"I'm sorry, but you're acting crazy," he managed through laughs.
"Ugh!"
Alison threw her hands up in the air in exasperation.
"You're always telling me that!" she snapped.
"Everybody's telling me that," she added quietly.
Rafe stopped laughing, and his face became serious.
"You know," he began. "It sounds like you've been through a lot, and I really don't want to add to your troubles, but I need to know what's going on with me. I need to remember. So..."
He paused.
"Will you help me?"
"Of course," said Alison, smiling at him sweetly.
Oh, that man... This new Rafe might not remember anything about their life together, but he still managed to somehow worm his way under her skin without her even knowing it. Maybe helping him to remember his old life wouldn't be so difficult...
"So, Mrs. Kovich, may I ask your name? Or should I say, your maiden name?"
Rafe grinned.
"Oh!" Alison exclaimed, snapping out of her reverie. "I'm sorry. I should have told you that already. It's just so weird, having to remember that you don't... remember. I'm Alison, Alison Barrington."
"Alison Barrington." Rafe knew that name.
Livvie told him Alison Barrington killed her father. But how could she, this tiny girl before him, be a cold-blooded killer?
"Well," Alison murmured, "guessing from your expression, you've heard of me before."
"Yeah, uh-" Rafe stammered. "I, uh- I read about you in the paper."
"God!" Alison yelled angrily, turning away from him.
Realizing her whereabouts, a church, a "house of God," she winced.
"Sorry, Big Guy," she apologized softly.
"Listen, Rafe-"
She spun around quickly.
"I really need to get out of here before I say something else I shouldn't. I know that you probably don't trust me right now, but can you please try? I really think we should just go home and talk about this."
Purposely avoiding her pleading eyes, Rafe asked, "Alison, are you trying to take me home with you? Because I don't know... I mean, I just met you... again. I really don't think that's a good idea."
There, he'd said it. Now, the question was, how would she react?
Alison scoffed.
"Rafe, I'm not going to try and seduce you or anything, and I'm not going to do any kind of dastardly deed, if that's what you're thinking. I just really want to talk with you and try and help you. Besides, I didn't mean we should go to my place. I don't really have a place of my own right now. I meant we should go to your house."
"M-My house?"
Rafe couldn't believe his ears.
What was this girl talking about?
Fix me now
I wish you would
Bring me back to life
-Garbage, "Fix Me Now"
Rafe glanced down at the woman in front of him. She stood there, her tiny palms pressed against his broad shoulders, acting as if she could block any move he might attempt.
Suddenly, he couldn't help but chuckle.
"Rafe Kovich, are you laughing at me?" the now-agitated woman demanded. "Because this is not funny!"
"I'm sorry, but you're acting crazy," he managed through laughs.
"Ugh!"
Alison threw her hands up in the air in exasperation.
"You're always telling me that!" she snapped.
"Everybody's telling me that," she added quietly.
Rafe stopped laughing, and his face became serious.
"You know," he began. "It sounds like you've been through a lot, and I really don't want to add to your troubles, but I need to know what's going on with me. I need to remember. So..."
He paused.
"Will you help me?"
"Of course," said Alison, smiling at him sweetly.
Oh, that man... This new Rafe might not remember anything about their life together, but he still managed to somehow worm his way under her skin without her even knowing it. Maybe helping him to remember his old life wouldn't be so difficult...
"So, Mrs. Kovich, may I ask your name? Or should I say, your maiden name?"
Rafe grinned.
"Oh!" Alison exclaimed, snapping out of her reverie. "I'm sorry. I should have told you that already. It's just so weird, having to remember that you don't... remember. I'm Alison, Alison Barrington."
"Alison Barrington." Rafe knew that name.
Livvie told him Alison Barrington killed her father. But how could she, this tiny girl before him, be a cold-blooded killer?
"Well," Alison murmured, "guessing from your expression, you've heard of me before."
"Yeah, uh-" Rafe stammered. "I, uh- I read about you in the paper."
"God!" Alison yelled angrily, turning away from him.
Realizing her whereabouts, a church, a "house of God," she winced.
"Sorry, Big Guy," she apologized softly.
"Listen, Rafe-"
She spun around quickly.
"I really need to get out of here before I say something else I shouldn't. I know that you probably don't trust me right now, but can you please try? I really think we should just go home and talk about this."
Purposely avoiding her pleading eyes, Rafe asked, "Alison, are you trying to take me home with you? Because I don't know... I mean, I just met you... again. I really don't think that's a good idea."
There, he'd said it. Now, the question was, how would she react?
Alison scoffed.
"Rafe, I'm not going to try and seduce you or anything, and I'm not going to do any kind of dastardly deed, if that's what you're thinking. I just really want to talk with you and try and help you. Besides, I didn't mean we should go to my place. I don't really have a place of my own right now. I meant we should go to your house."
"M-My house?"
Rafe couldn't believe his ears.
What was this girl talking about?