If That's All There Is

4: Lying was easy, the truth not so much

Heavy rain tapped on top of the glass shelter, the repetitive drum stealing Jay's attention from his mother inside the post office. She'd roped him in to drive her around town as her car was in the garage. He bit his lip, arms folding as he hoped the weather would improve. The forecast didn't predict the downpour today.

Rain, he hated it.

No matter how much showered down on him, it was never enough to cleanse him of his past.

The hem of his grey plaid shirt had been buttoned up in a rush this morning, one side longer than the other. Wet splotches stained his fresh pair of navy suede trainers, his eyes connecting the dots of ruin.

He checked the emails on his phone, glancing up at the women rushing from the bus and under the shelter beside him. The cracked leather jacket hanging over her head now hung off her shoulders.

Jay's focus returned to his email, and out of the corner of his eye, a pair of scuffed black boots came into view.

"Auds." He'd never called her that before.

Judging by the scrunch of her nose, she wasn't sure of the name either.

Blonde hair half scraped back, stray wisps framing her face accentuating her high cheekbones and sharp jawline. A smile stretched her lips, her hands clutching a parcel to her chest.

Silver bracelet circling her wrist.

It had been four days since he last saw Audra at the cafe. He'd caught glimpses of her around town in the same old outfits but didn't dare talk to her. The usual bag draped over her shoulder, strap fraying at the edges. He wondered if she had any other clothes.

"It's stopped." Audra nudged her head to the side and reached her hand out of the shelter.

Jay blinked, a frown settling on his forehead. "What?" He slipped his phone into his pocket and tilted his head, the smile on her lips distracting him from the world around them.

"The rain."

"Ah, no." He shook his head, wavy hair springing back over his forehead. "I'm waiting for my Mum." He winced at the thought, feeling like a small child again. Like the mid-two-thousand's, when his mother used to drag him along to run errands.

Teen Audra used to work across the street at the coffee stand. He'd stand in the same spot observing her as he did now.

Audra stepped closer. "Look, I really don't want there to be any hard feelings here." She adjusted her hold on her parcel and hiked her bag up again. "I don't want to cause any more drama."

"Yeah, we wouldn't want that." Jay clenched his jaw biting back the need to snap back. It was only a matter of time till she'd heard the stories, ones that no one seemed to ask him. She called after him, but he didn't look back.

He strode across the street to his truck and slammed the door behind him once he was in his seat. His fingers curled around the steering wheel, knuckles turning white as he took three deep breaths. He was good at managing his anger now, but that family always had a knack for getting under his skin.

A harsh knock against the passenger window alerted him to his surroundings. His mother's face scrunched up, her shrill voice yelling at him to unlock the bloody door. The bright pink rain jacket she wore blinded his vision as the sun peeked through the grey clouds.

"About time." She climbed into the seat and threw her bags into the back, not caring where they landed. "What's got you so worked up?" She raised a thick brow, hand tracing his knuckles for him to release the steering wheel.