[right][sub]TIMESTAMP: After [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5384498]A Little Bit of Rain[/url]
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[color=lightgray][indent][indent]At this point, the Heartbreakers were undertaking an impossible task of deciding what to do. Brooke wanted to watch reruns of the Bachelorette. Vanessa wanted to watch the Desperate Housewives. Harper wanted to play the game Kings like they were young again, ready to risk it all in one night. Lydia suggested the card game Rummy but the likelihood of getting the rest of the girls that weren’t Cat focused, would’ve been a challenge, and Cat simply wanted to sit there and drink, watching her friends enjoy themselves. 

The squabble went on for a bit before Cat decided to put on the movie [i]Stand By Me[/i], per habit, since it was one of the films she and her kids watched together. It didn’t take long before the girls realized they wouldn’t have enough booze to last them the whole night. Cat simply shrugged at that but to her surprise, after Lydia received a text, she got up and offered to get them more booze, saying if they drank her whiskey she’d kill them. That’s all Lyds ever drank. Her whiskey. At least everyone else was less picky with their poison.  

Cat raised her eyebrow as she watched her friend speed walk to the entrance. [color=9f1b3e]“Are you sure? It’s going to rain hard soon! I would hate you getting caught in it.”[/color]

Lydia looked over her shoulder to Cat and smiled, keeping to herself that the reason why she was leaving was because Sofi had texted her, [color=027c1b]“I’ll be fine, it’s just a little bit of rain. Don’t worry yourself too much.”[/color]

[color=ae70db]“Can you get us some margarita mixers?!”[/color] Brooke called out. 

[color=B1E4FC]“No! Mojito stuff!”[/color] Vanessa protested. 

[color=ffbf00]“Whatever you get, get a shit ton,”[/color] Harper concluded. 

Cat rolled her eyes at her soul sisters and waved her best friend goodbye, [color=9f1b3e]“You better be back soon or I’ll be VERY upset.”[/color] As much as she loved her friends, she felt the loneliness creep up. She had called her almost ex husband an hour ago and the report was good, so she had that to keep her happy. Her children were enjoying the City with their cousins. That soothed her motherly part of her heart but the other part, the part that wanted to feel loved, wanted, and needed, it ached for her boyfriend. 

She hated how they left things. She should apologize. She should tell him she was sorry and that she… 

Was this real? Did he really love her? Staring at her wine glass on the coffee table, her left hand covering her lips, Cat smiled, as she replayed his words: [color=BCDD81][i]It’s not an expectation. It’s not a curse. It’s just how I feel.[/i][/color] Clayton Costigan loved her. He really loved her. 

When her girlfriends were focused on the film, Cat slipped out of her single sofa and went to her downstairs bathroom. Closing the door behind her, locking it, she pulled out her phone and dialed his number. Holding it to her ear, she looked at herself in the mirror and bit her thumb as she waited, praying he wasn’t mad at her for being childish this morning. She should’ve been more supportive. She should’ve been there for him. She should’ve ran after him, after he left the apartment. She should’ve done more…

He was going through a lot. 

As it kept ringing, the anxiety built up. She hoped he was okay. He was a police officer, after all. She could lose him anyday! What would she do if she lost him? After finally getting someone that meant the world to her and made her feel like the world? What would she do? 

When he didn’t pick up the call, she sat on the toilet, the lid down, and stared at her phone. A second call would make her seem too needy. She should wait. He probably was busy. He was a busy guy and today of all days was surely mentally and emotionally taxing. She should wait. The anxiety was unbearable right now but she was determined to give him a minute or two before she tried calling him back. She could keep the panic at bay just for a little long.

[color=9f1b3e][i]Please call me back...[/i][/color]

Clayton had been running around all day, interviewing friends about long since past days. He wished it was for something better. He wished it was for something like a time capsule but the reality was far far worse. He had been interrogating his fellow Elite to see if any of them knew David’s secret. He hadn’t realised all those years ago when he decided that he wanted to be a small town cop that people he loved and cared for could end up in his firing line.

Jamie was a lot. Dramatic as always and with good reason as this had all to do with her brother, her soulmate. Rhett was much easier since he was solid as a rock and managed to stay on point. In their travels, Clay and Sly had even managed to get a hold of Francis who was currently somewhere on a mountain with his husband taking selfies with waterfalls. Fran wasn’t much help or at least he didn’t offer anything they didn’t already know. Russell for all intents and purposes was the hardest to track down. Despite trying Jamie multiple times to get a hold of him, he was a ghost today. Clay had even interviewed his baby sister. Lamb, God bless her, did what she could to help. They may not have been as close as they could be but the Costigan twins did love each other.

The lieutenant had dropped Clay off on the Southside. The young man’s shift was over and he had been told to go home by the Chief due to the severe weather rolling in. Yet the former Elite couldn’t stop just yet, he had to try and help his friends any way he could. He had a lead he wanted to check out in Southie, which was why he found himself standing in an old disused shop doorway, waiting for a break in the rain so he could make a run for it. Reaching into his pocket, Clayton noticed a miss call from Cat. God Cat. He had hoped to hear her voice all day but the way they left things earlier that morning led him to give her a little space. He loved her and wanted her to be happy and no doubt him being in his current state was not what she would want. Tapping his phone, the young officer redialled his girlfriend and out on his biggest smile when the line went live.

[color=BCDD81]“Ma’am, do you need us to send you an officer? Specifically, one with amazing hair and who is absolute dynamite in the sack?”[/color]

Relieved. Cat was relieved when she heard his voice, joking too. She missed him, so very much, even though she had seen him this morning. How he’s changed her life and turned it upside down. It was unbelievable, really. Cat found her existence pointless without him and she owed it all to the Afterlife, oddly enough.

She didn’t think she’d ever find herself in a place where she felt whole, with no need to search for something that made her feel safe, warm, and fuzzy. When she was with Clay, everything made sense. He made sense and at times, she couldn’t believe that he was her sweetheart. The boy next door was all hers and he loved every ounce of her, every shattered piece. He loved her. 

Cat was not in a teasing mood. She was tipsy, her buzz coming down, sure, but it wasn’t enough for her to match his jolly humor. Right now she just couldn’t pretend and joke. She wanted him to know that all she had been doing was thinking of him. [color=9f1b3e]“It’s so good to hear your voice,”[/color] she admitted, as she leaned forward in her seat, her elbow resting on her leg and her chin resting in the palm of her hand. [color=9f1b3e]“As much as I want to see you, Officer, I know you won’t stop at nothing until you crack this case. I just wanted to make sure you were safe…”[/color] she was turning into a needy girlfriend. It was awful and embarrassing. She hoped he didn’t mind. [color=9f1b3e]“…and to hear you,”[/color] she absentmindedly bounced her right leg, up and down, continuously, and softly purred, [color=9f1b3e]“I miss you, baby.”[/color]

[color=BCDD81]“I miss you too,”[/color] Clay responded. He still could not believe his luck that the girl, nay the woman he had loved since he was twelve years old was actually his now and despite their disagreement earlier that day, if he could he would be wherever she was, holding her in his arms, happier than a pig in shit. [color=BCDD81]“Define safe,”[/color] He mused. [color=BCDD81]“I mean I'm standing in…”[/color] He poked his head from the doorway to look at the rusting sign above his head. [color=BCDD81]“McMahon Woodwork? On Chestnut. Why I find myself here I have no idea but I’ll be home soon. One last thing I want to check out before I crash and I do mean crash.”[/color] He was exhausted. This day had sucked all the energy out of him and he just wanted it to be over, curled up in Cat’s arms and be the little spoon for a change. Still, he knew he couldn’t go home. Not yet. There was still work to be done. [color=BCDD81]“I would say meet me at home but I don’t want you going out in this, it’s only gonna get worse. Are you somewhere safe?”[/color]

[color=9f1b3e]“My house. Left Palermo not too long ago. Now I have three drunk women watching a sad movie. But is it really that bad?”[/color] Cat had a sudden panic. Lydia had gone out to get them more booze. [color=9f1b3e]“I shouldn’t have let Lyds leave. She was so determined to beat the storm.”[/color] Now Cat had two people out and about in inclement weather. That meant tonight was going to be full of worries and no sleep. [color=9f1b3e]“I know she’s not dumb, she can take care of herself but I should’ve stopped her.”[/color] Honestly, if Lydia was still on the clock Cat could see her friend doing her job, in the rain. Some people just couldn’t help themselves. [color=9f1b3e]“Maybe I should text Bobby… no, I shouldn’t. They haven’t been a thing in years.”[/color]

[color=BCDD81]“I really wouldn’t get Bobby involved. You know how he is. He’ll go all Batman and try to save her and we really don’t need any more people on the streets right now.”[/color] Clay narrowed his eyes as he saw figures moving in the distance. What kind of idiot would be out in this by choice?…Oh wait. [color=BCDD81]“Besides, no storm is gonna fuck with Lyds. She’s too scary. The clouds will part to let her pass.”[/color] In reality Lydia didn’t live too far away, she should be ok as long as she took it slow. Clay on the other hand was on the completely wrong side of town. His journey home would be far more eventful, he thought. [color=BCDD81]“Three drunk women eh?”[/color] The lothario took a step back and remembered what his lover had said. He had a pretty good idea who the lovely ladies were in Cat’s home. [color=BCDD81]“Pics or didn’t happen. Kitty.”[/color]

Coincidentally, as if fates knew he wanted to see something, Avery sent a reminder text: [color=fccb8e]dude, it’s wild outside. Hope you’re somewhere not in this rain. Did you even check your email yet? [/color]

Knowing Aves, she was growing impatient and wanted to know Clay’s reaction to the sexy content she sent him. You really don’t make this shit up. She and her work bestie, RoRo, witnessed a miracle, a once in a lifetime experience, a steamy, hot lesbian wet dream! Since Avery was cooped up at Swerve Arcana the least her friend could do was send her live reacts. 

Clay checked the alert in his phone very briefly and his mouth dropped agape as he watched the footage that his friend had gained earlier. He can already imagine Avery salivating at the the sight with the only bad part being that none of the girl’s were Jamie O’Hara. At least that was one thing Clayton could rub in the comic book store therapist's face; he had seen all those women naked. 

Hot: [color=BCDD81]Save that one to your wank bank cloud Aves. He simply texted back with emoji’s.[/color]

[color=9f1b3e]“Okay, I’ll see what I can do,”[/color] Cat softly responded, smiling at the fact that he didn’t seem too frustrated. Not like he was this morning. Maybe he was getting closure. Slowly but surely, maybe Clay was finding out the answers to questions that he had ever since that year. He simply needed something this random and horrible to kickstart his engine in righting the wrong that was the death of his friend. 

[color=9f1b3e]“Danny’s on mama duty today since I can’t get to Scott’s street, and neither can the nurse. I think tomorrow I’m going to tell the family how terminally ill mom actually is. Without my dad’s permission. It’s getting harder to hide. I mean the nurse visits at least five times a day. The only reason why Natalia hasn’t questioned it is because she never leaves her room.”[/color] Cat stood up and went back to the mirror, staring at herself and fixing her fly away hair. [color=9f1b3e]“I don’t want my family to fall apart but with Viv living with ReyRey and the amount of disconnect between all of us… my mom dying is just going to make that all worse.”[/color]

[color=BCDD81]“That’s a big step babe,”[/color] Clay knew how hard all this was for Cat. He couldn’t fully understand since both his parents were still around and healthy. He just wanted to be there for her as best as he could. That’s all he could really do. [color=BCDD81]“If you want me th…”[/color] A flash of lightning made the shaggy haired cop nearly jump out of his skin. [color=BCDD81]“For fucks sake,”[/color] He growled at the sky. [color=BCDD81]“If you want me to come, then I’ll be there without question but if it’s something you need to do alone, I get that too.”[/color]

[color=9f1b3e]“Focus on David, Clay,”[/color] Cat assured her boyfriend, knowing he had enough going on himself. When he was done with this journey, then he could help her but right now, they both needed to walk solo, [color=9f1b3e]“I’ll call you if I need you, I promise. But just FYI, Clayton, this isn’t a one way street. Please, pretty please call me if you need me. I want to be there for you just as much as—”[/color]

[color=ae70db]“CAT I GOT TO PEE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? SHITTING? ARE YOU TALKING TO SOMEONE?”[/color] Brooke yelled, necessarily so. It wasn’t like Cat couldn’t hear her, there was only a door in between them. 

[color=ffbf00]“Might be her casanova new boyfriend,”[/color] Harper whispered, curious who Cat’s new man was, just as much as the whole town would be. It didn’t take long to find out the hottest new gossip on Scott Street. Those ladies sure did love to talk. 

Vannessa was quick to chime in, vicariously living through Cat, who was gradually getting to a place of being content and happy with herself. Something Vanessa was not, in her lonely marriage. [color=B1E4FC]“I heard he was [i]young[/i].”[/color]

[color=ae70db]“Shut up. The both of you,”[/color] Brooke sassed, before knocking on the door a lot, [color=ae70db]“We have no right to judge, we’ve fucked young pieces of meat all the goddamn time. Anyways, CATTTTTTTTTTTTTT!” [/color]

[color=9f1b3e]“...just call me if you need me, baby,”[/color] Cat finished up her bit, turning her head and glaring at the door that separated her and her friends.  

He had to stifle a laugh. Clay could hear the drunken Heartbreakers musing over his identity and the funny thing was they all actually loved him anyway. It was almost a surprise Cat hadn’t told them. Then again he could already imagine Harper with a sharing is caring comment. [color=BCDD81]“I will. Give the girls my love.”[/color]

[color=9f1b3e]“I will.”[/color]

Looking deeper into the rain, Clay could definitely see movement which was a massive no no right now. Nobody should be on the street. Figuring it could be someone in need of help, he checked to see if anyone else was around. Seeing no one, he knew he’d have to go back into cop mode. [color=BCDD81]“I’m gonna have to go, Kitty but I’ll call you as soon as I get back to the apartment ok? I love you.”[/color]

[color=9f1b3e]“I love—”[/color] Cat immediately caught herself. Was she about to say it so nonchalantly? No! Not over the phone. That was so unclassy. Embarrassed, she was quick to dismiss herself, [color=9f1b3e]“I’ll see you first thing in the morning! Kisses.”[/color] And with that Cat hung up and was resting her hand on her chest. The fuck was that? When she heard more bickering on the outside, she rolled her eyes, [color=9f1b3e]“I HAVE A BATHROOM UPSTAIRS!”[/color] She swung the door open and focused on her friends and not the almost exposure of how deep she felt for Clayton Costigan. 

Nearly there. She almost said it. He was getting closer. Placing his phone back in his inner pocket, Clay zipped up his jacket. This weather was going to do nothing good for his hair. He placed his hands into his pockets and looked out at the figure that was moving slightly closer to him. They were moving slow, something definitely wasn’t right. He wouldn’t grab his gun, in this weather not knowing for certain where a target was was incredibly dangerous and he didn’t want to risk friendly fire, even if this was the Southside. Clay stepped out into the torrent of rain and called out.

[color=BCDD81]“Hey! Need any help?!”[/color]

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