86. Rain

Genre: Paranormal romance, drama

Type: Series

Characters: Tamsyn

Prompt: 66. Rain

Word Count:  670 +

Warning:  coarse language

Rating:  M- (coarse language, adult situations, nudity. N.B-Applies to the whole series)

Summary: Good things come to those who wait...

66. Rain

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Twinbrook, present day...

A thousand miles away, in a general store in Twinbrook, Tamsyn was trying very, very hard, to fight off her shock and white hot rage.

 “Excuse me, Ma’am? Are you going to pay for that? You can’t read it if you’re not paying for it. Store policy,” Marla, the teenage sales assistant, pointed at the magazine in Tamsyn’s hands.

Tamsyn blinked a few times, trying to make sense of the teenager’s words.

“I…No. I’m not paying for this filth!” She threw the magazine on the floor. It landed face down and it stuck on the pages she was looking at just moments earlier.

Marla gave Tamsyn the stink eye and hurled a few choice words at her retreating back as she ran out of the grocery store. With a dramatic sigh, she retrieved the magazine from the floor and resumed her position behind the counter.

“I wonder what this nice couple did to her,” she murmured as she glanced at the two page spread of a happy looking couple. She noted the loving way the man’s hand was placed on the woman’s baby bump, and she gasped at the huge engagement bling on the lady’s ring finger.

“Devon Starlington and Eloise Jones feel doubly blessed…They can’t wait to welcome their son into the world, and start making plans for their wedding.”  Marla skimmed through the article before putting the magazine back on the stand. She had no idea who Devon and what’s her name were. If it wasn’t about Justin Bieber or Zac Efron, she didn’t want to know...

Tamsyn sped down the road, her feet pounding the wet earth hard, oblivious to the unyielding rain. She was soaked to the skin, but she didn’t care. She ran faster, and pushed herself harder, convinced if she stopped, even just for a second, the terrible heartbreak would swallow her whole.

She didn’t know how long she kept at it, but after a while her legs refused to carry her forward and she stopped at the bridge, and doubled over, gasping for air.

A few concerned motorists hooted at her, one even slowed down long enough to ask if she needed a ride, but she waved him off, and cried harder in her hands.

If it wasn’t for her loud sobs, she wouldn’t have known she was crying; her tears were now mingled with the rain; and for a second there, she didn’t know where one ended, and the other began; she couldn’t separate herself from the excruciating pain in her heart.

For eight fucking months, she’d wished him all the best, and convinced herself she was over him. There were times, those first few days when they moved to Twinbrook, when she wanted to hear his voice, and she’d dialed his number a million times, only to hang up at his “hello”. She’d missed him, yearned for him, and craved his strong arms around her. But for her sanity, and for his peace of mind, she’d forced herself to move on, and forget about him. Until today.

Two fucking pages in a tabloid magazine were all it took to unravel her, destroy all the progress she’d made. In her mind, she could already hear her therapist now, talking about forgiveness and letting go…But how the hell did she forgive the woman who stole her world? Eloise was now living her life. It should have been me carrying Devon’s baby. That ring should have been on my finger! She thought bitterly.

Feeling drained, Tamsyn slowly trudged home, out in the bayou.

“Darling, you should have called me. I would have picked you up,” Cheryl fussed over her as soon as she walked through the front door.

“Not now, mother,” Tamsyn pushed her away.

Eight fucking months in the sticks and she was still not used to seeing her mother sober. It seemed small town life had done wonders for Cheryl. The same couldn’t be said for her though, and she’d given a convincing performance for way too long, in her opinion. It was time she stopped with all pretenses.