1st floor.
“Remember how I told you that I was missing the plane not to be with her? She actually missed it too because she was worried something happened to me, so when she saw me arriving at the airport the next evening and then she saw the marks you left…”
The door chimes open and I rush outside, side-stepping him. Hurried footsteps follow me.
“We fought. And she asked what happened, so I told her. And one thing led to another, we’re actually back together now, and I think we’ve never been so happy because in that fight we’ve actually talked and told each other what was wrong this whole time and…”
“There is nothing to explain,Ortega,” I say casually.
“Raph,” he cuts in. “My name is Raphaël. And yes, there is. I was single when we had sex. I swear. I don’t want you to believe that I’m some kind of wife cheating bastard, that used you and lied to you. I’m not. Prue, please, can you just look at me for a second?”
He grabs my forearm and pulls me back to a stop. I close my eyes and sigh.
Come on. I can be reasonable.
I turn around slowly and lift my eyes to look at his face. He actually looks miserable. Or is it fear? His shoulders are hunched, his eyes pleading, his posture tense and careful.
“I… Look, I’m probably going to sound like a douche, but I really need what happened to stay between us. My… Meredith can’t know it was you. She’d freak out.”
“Agreed. Let’s just forget it ever happened. I’m not a home wrecker and I don’t want… Whatever that was to interfere with my work.”
“Great, I’m so glad you agree. So, can you go back upstairs and tell Chief Kosby you want to join another station? You can’t work here it’s just—”
“Excuse me?”
He pauses, blinking a few times, lips parted.
“Well,Ican’t work with you. It would be too distracting. Meredith would find out one way or another. You need to ask to be transferred to a different station.”
I’m seeing red. Thenerveon this guy. Unfortunately for him, even though most emotions are hard for me to express, anger is not one of them.
“No,” I say slowly, coldly, and his face disappears behind a mask of annoyance. “This station is the closest to where I live, and I’m not going somewhere else because you’re unable to deal with the consequences of your actions.”
He’s standing still, blocking my way to my car on the other side of the parking lot. His eyes are dark, brows furrowed, lips pressed angrily together.
“What, do you want me to pretend that we’re just co-workers who randomly met in a shithole and never saw each other naked?”
“I don’t want you to pretend anything. As far as I know, we don’t know each other. I’ll come here and do my job and stay out of your way, as long as you stay out of mine,” I say through my teeth.
“Why are you even here?” he asks, taking a slow step towards me. “I mean, from all the places in the states, you end up here, whereIwork. I find it a littletoobig for a coincidence.”
“Not my choice, trust me.”
“Are you following me?”
I scoff. How can he believe something like this? I didn’t even know his damn name!
“Yeah, right! Two meaningless and orgasmless fucks and I already bought my wedding dress. Get your head out of your ass, Ortega.”
I sidestep him, hitting his chest with my shoulder and ripping my arm from his grasp. I start walking again towards my car. After only a couple of steps, I stop abruptly with a gasp.
“What the hell is happening to my car?”
“Oh, shit.”
Water is pouring over it. Not in a “it’s just a little rain” way. More in a“a pipe fucking broke down just above my car” way.
“Fuck, this side of the parking is usually blocked when they announce heavy rain.”
