Standing in the rain

Rebuilding walls

Evie, Fletch and his mum were sitting in the kitchen
"Is somebody going to tell me what's going on?" Asked Fletch
"You remember Jac yes?" His mum began
"well she's hard to forget mum"
"And do you remember telling me months ago that you loved her but you thought she didn't have feelings like that for you "
"Mum" Fletch said glancing at Evie
"I know Dad"
"Oh"said Fletch
" I remember having a row with her at work and telling her we were just keeping things professional"
"That was just a way of protecting yourself" his mum said
"I can't think about this at the minute I'm really tired I'm going for a lie down "
Fletch was frustrated, tired and in pain. He lay on his bed and squeezed his eyes shut trying to remember. Something had clearly happened with Jac but what? He fell into a fitful sleep.
Evie spoke to her grandma
"He told me you know. How he felt about her and that she felt the same. He was really happy for the first time since Raf died"
"I know pet. We'll just have to hope he remembers"
"Do you think I should let Jac know how he is?"
"I think she would appreciate that"
Evie called Jac's number
Hello Jac said wearily
Jac it's Evie Fletcher. Jac' s heart was filled with equal parts of hope and dread
Is he.. is he ok
He's fine, we've brought him home. I'm sorry Jac he still doesn't remember Evie said sadly you know he told me how happy he was that you two had finally admitted how you felt about each other She heard Jac's sob
Would you let me know if anything changes
Of course Evie said
A few days past and Fletch remained irritable and frustrated.
Jac had never cried as much, every time she thought of what she had lost, reminded of what they had whenever she looked at the roses or caught sight of Fletch's hoodie.
"Come on Naylor pull yourself together" she said to herself.She put the roses in the bin, changed her bedclothes and drove round to Fletch's house to return the sweatshirt which now smelt of them both. She could feel her walls rebuilding.
She had rung Evie before returning the top to make sure Fletch didn't answer the door
She sat outside his house in the car. She wanted nothing more than to go in and hold him in her arms and tell him how much she loved him. She wanted to kiss him and feel his body next to hers but then she thought of his reaction in hospital, the way he recoiled when she tried to kiss him. She choked back yet another sob. It had started raining heavily as if goading her, something else that reminded her of their weekend, reminding her of how she'd ended up here without knowing why or how