4. Rain
Chapter 4
Rain
I hated running into Matteo Zacharra. He did something to my psyche or some shit. After our encounters, it seemed like even days afterward, I could feel him watching me or something. He was a nice enough guy and despite being a cop, there was something in his gaze I just couldn’t shake.
He resembled his younger brother in looks, tall and good looking. He had a rugged looking quality, and shoulders that I could see my legs dangling over. He was confident and those dark brown eyes of his told me he saw way more than most people ever did. The man’s perfect jawline had me calling him Captain America in my head. Matteo was a boy scout if I ever did see one. He was a good guy.
I liked them bad.
If I’d known that I was going to run into him tonight at T.J’s bar, I would have told my brother no. Like I said, even long after our encounter, I could feel the man’s eyes on me. I knew if I said that shit out loud, no one would believe me.
Plus, I’d only said yes to helping T.J. at the bar tonight because my sister-in-law, Dione, was in the hospital. She was about to have their third child; a boy and she was in the last trimester having difficulties. Severe dehydration had my sister-in-law laying in a hospital bed waiting to be released while her mom watched my nieces.
Staring at my reflection in the mirror, I reached over and grabbed the makeup remover towelette. Pulling the perfect damp white squares from the green packaging, I ran it all across my face and neck. Scrunching up my nose when I was done, I surveyed the gunk that I’d removed.
“Gross,” I said feeling squeamish before tossing it in the trash bin.
Brushing my teeth and flossing thoroughly, I exited my bathroom. My feet hit the smooth carpet of my bedroom. I began to hum some song I’d heard in the bar earlier before lighting a candle.
Climbing into my bed, I crossed my legs and rolled my neck around. Focusing on my breathing, I counted myself down. Allowing myself to feel light as a feather, I breathed in holding it for just a moment and then exhaled.
For nearly ten minutes I tried to still my mind before I laid back on my satin pillowcase.
It was nearly midnight when I finally slipped into the dream world.
Birds were chirping in a tree somewhere and I stared down at my feet. They were bare and I was standing on gravel. Pain shooting into the tender flesh of my feet.
In the distance some old house loomed, gigantic and grand. I didn’t want to go in that house.
Panic began to flood my system, my heart rate spiking, and I was trying to calm my breathing down immediately.
“You’re okay,” I whispered. “No one is here.”
Looking around, I tried to move, but I was rooted to the spot.
“Let me help you, Stizzoso…”
He was here again, in my dreams.
“No,” a hoarse whisper mange to croak its way from my throat.
Matteo Zacchara, stared down at me those brown eyes full of intensity. I worried because this wasn’t the same Agent Zacharra I’d met months ago. No, this was someone else.
Something more, I thought.
“Here, I’m in charge,” the words came out of nowhere his lips never moving.
Instead, he lifted me up and into his arms as if I weighed absolutely nothing and turned his gaze away from mine. I knew that we were going to end up inside that house.
No…
The walk didn’t seem to take long before we were inside the four walls.
“Where are we?”
Matteo never answered, just set me down on my feet. Fear continued to run rampant through my veins. He began to walk away from me, and I couldn’t follow feeling my feet immediately rooted to the spot once again.
“Wh-where am I?” The scream tore loose from my lips. “Answer me you motherfucker, where am I?”
He never turned back, just kept on walking until it was as if he’d disappeared into the darkness that seemed to surround us.
I awoke, in the dark gasping for air. That was exactly why I hated running into that man. Rolling onto my back I stared at the ceiling. I’d thought maybe mediating before bed, I’d be able to get him out of my head. That I wouldn’t have intense crazy dreams about him, except it hadn’t worked.
Groaning, I punched at my pillow and felt around for my cellphone. Eventually, I found it and saw that it was nearly two a.m. and I wanted to go back to sleep. It probably wasn’t going to happen any time soon.
The floor met my feet and I eased into the kitchen for a glass of water. I felt super parched, and my throat felt scratchy. There was a case of water sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor that I’d never put away.
Scrambling around, I managed to free one from the tightly packaged plastic. Cracking the cap, I took a big, long drink.
“This might have tasted better cold,” I murmured out loud.
Trudging back to my bedroom, I saw my phone had lit up on my bed. After placing the bottle on the bedside table, I slid under the covers and opened my phone. I found myself staring at a text from my baby sister, Nora.
Her and her boyfriend were off gallivanting around Italy…or Europe. I just wanted to say, I love you.
It was a simple enough text, but it made my heart melt. She was really the only person that I felt never judged me too harshly.
I sent my response after a moment. Are you saying that because I haven’t heard from you in a week?
You’re awake? She sent the text back quickly, probably already calculating the time difference between us.
I grinned while replying, I am. I had the weirdest damn dream.
Oh lord, you and your dreams.
Hey, I wrote back. Sometimes, those dreams happen to come true.
Nora replied and I knew she didn’t believe me. Sureeeeee!
I grinned and got comfortable. It’d been relatively quiet the last few months without Nora here. I was happy that she was starting to have some fun in her life but that didn’t mean I couldn’t miss her. Her boyfriend, Mason seemed to make her happy. He was a good fit for someone like my sister. He made her get out of her comfort zone. Until they’d started dating, I’d rarely seen her take a day off from her job where she worked for billionaire Sebastian Deluca.
When do you think you guys are coming back to Seattle? I let the question hang out there hoping she’d say soon.
I got my wish when she replied. We’re actually going to be coming back tomorrow. Should touch down about five o’clock p.m.
Really?
Our text message thread showed that she was already replying as the blue bubbles moved up and down slowly. Yup! I can’t wait to see you and sleep in my own damned bed. You wouldn’t believe how bad some of these mattresses are…
I mean have you been sleeping? I wrote back hoping she’d get my suggestive tone.
Jesus, Rain. You’re like a guy. Everything is sexual .
And you avoid fun….so is Mason blowing ya back out still?
My sister replied with an answer. When are you going to get a steady boyfriend?
Rolling my eyes, I shot my answer back. Free spirit over here.
Mom and Dad are gonna want grandkids from you first , she replied.
Hah! Speaking of grand kids , I typed back trying to move away from the subject of my love life, or lack of one. Dione’s in the hospital. This pregnancy is giving her a rough go.
Oh no, for how long? My sister replied instantly, and I knew if I didn’t tell her she’d be googling every symptom she could think of.
She should be released soon, they wanted to keep her for observation. She was really dehydrated. I helped out at the bar tonight.
I need to go see her and T.J. when I get home. Mason and I are off the adventuring for a while. We’re both ready to get back to our normal lives.
Well that’s good news , a yawn escaped my lips.
I need my hair done too , Nora replied.
I bet you do, when was the last time I did your install?
The cringing emoji appeared on the screen. Let’s not talk about it, but I’ll set an appointment up as soon as I get home tomorrow.
Another yawn came. Love you! Be safe.
I will, and you can tell me about your dream in person. Let’s do a slumber party night.
I giggled and sent back a heart emoji. We were two grown women who still had sleep overs here and there at each other’s houses. We would get ice cream and make sundaes and I’d let Nora pick a show from her DVD collection that we’d binge and sit up to watch all night.
One more biting yawn hit me and made my eyes water. Plugging up my phone to charge, I rolled over. Worry washed over me that I’d have another dream like the one before.
Another reason I didn’t like dreaming so hard was because my dreams spoke to me. They were always trying to tell me something if I listened.
The thing was, I didn’t want to know anything about Agent Matteo Zacharra.
I just wanted his ass to stay out of my waking life and my dreams.