The Tutor

Chapter 20

Clutching the umbrella closer to keep it from being yanked out of her hands, she trudged up the muddy path, her wellies squelching, and her tights and skirt completely soaked. Her hair whipping in the wind, she pushed back the branches..

Out of breath and panting, she crested the hill and made her way to the glade grateful the rain had slowed to a light drizzle.. Rafe sat hunched on the marble bench, his hair and clothes soaking wet, his eyes moving over the rainswept landscape. ,

"R-Rafe?" She said hesitantly, shocked to find him like this.

Carefully she approached, holding her umbrella out to shelter him from the rain. He looked up and muttered a casual, emotionless greeting. He looked like he didn't mind sitting soaked alone in the rain. He looked like he was so far in his thoughts; it scared Nora a little.

"What are you doing here?" she asked quietly. His lips were blue from the cold.

"Sobering up. Alex is probably hogging the showers so here I am...taking a natural shower," Rafe said with a slight slur and a tiny half-hearted smirk.

She looked at the wet bench and thought, what the hell, and sat on it with a wet plop. She tried to ignore the unpleasant way her clothes stuck to her body and sent chills rolling up her body. Pushing aside the scary thought of getting sick before the beginning of the school week, she scooted closer to him, so he was under her umbrella.

"It's not as nice here when the weather is so awful," she muttered, looking at the dark and cloudy skies. The trees swayed back and forth from the wind.

"I guess so."

"Are you okay?"

"No. Not really. But I will be." He looked at her and then wiped his face with his sleeve. It didn't stop the droplets of rain from running down his handsome, solemn face. Nora wasn't sure what to say or what to do, so she just sat with him, listening to the pitter patter of the rain.

After what seemed like a long time, he said, "You're not wearing your glasses."

"They fog up in the rain."

That made him smile.

Nora took the opportunity to try again. "Want to talk about it?"

Rafe shrugged his shoulders. "Not much to say. It's the anniversary of my mum's death."

Nora's lips parted. She blinked to hide her shock, searching her memory for when Rafe had mentioned his mother.

"I wanted to fly out to Italy to visit her grave, just for the weekend. Lay some flowers. My father forbade me and blocked all my cards. So, I wasn't sure what else to do on this day. To sit and study like her life meant nothing seemed unfair to her."

"Sorry I thought...You always said your parents are in Italy—"

"My father's wife is not my mother. And my brother is actually my half-brother." Nora began quickly putting two and two together. If his half-brother was older than Rafe, that couldn't make Rafe's mother the first wife. Unless-

"I'm a love child. Or a bastard, I suppose," he murmured. "Depends on how you look at it."

His smile was filled with hurt. Nora had never seen him smile like that before. Usually, he was so blasé , carefree and just so...free.

"When did she die?" Nora asked quietly.

"She died when I was a kid, so my father made sure I was raised by him and his wife, Bianca. My step-mother. She hates me so much. I'm a constant reminder to her of my father's infidelity," Rafe said the words, but to himself.

She wondered if he would say anything else, but he just stared blankly at the countryside. For the first time, he wasn't his usual self. Or even his angry self. He just looked broken.

She had assumed his life was a dream. She realised how wrong she had been. Always surrounded by friends or having endless jokes and a carefree smile, she'd never realised just one thing. He was lonely.

She always got the feeling that Rafe always talked about his family but never sounded like he was really part of it. Now it all made sense. And knowing how much he loved to exaggerate and gloss over the details, she didn't even get close to getting the whole picture.

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah."

"It's so strange...It's the anniversary of my grandpa's death today, too. What a sad day."

His eyes locked onto hers, his gaze softer and more focused. "My condolences..." he said. "So what are you doing for it?"

"We just opened a really fancy bottle of Pinot Noir."

Rafe let out a chuckle, much to Nora's relief. The sky rumbled again.

"I had about five or six pints. Not very glamorous in mum's memory. She'd kick my ass."

"It sounds like everyone in your family wants to kick your ass, Rafe."

He belted out a laugh. It was tainted with drink but a genuine one. "True, bella, that's very true. Maybe that's why I'm the one kicking everyone else's ass."

Nora nodded, imitating her own therapist. "It's like a chain reaction of ass-kicking."

"Exactly. Everybody is kung fu fighting, sensei!" he shouted into the landscape.

"Wow, how much did you drink again?" Nora asked.

"Not enough."

"Rafe, let's go," Nora said, getting up, trying to ignore the gross feeling of her soggy bum. If he was feeling good enough to be shouting songs, he was well enough to go home.

"Where?"

"Back to mine."

Rafe frowned. "Wha? To the library?"

She scoffed. "Haha. No, back to my house..We're having a Sunday roast, with veggies and potatoes, popping a bottle of wine or two and watching some movies. Benny and his boyfriend Simon are over. Moping around here will just get you a cold."

Before he protested, Nora grabbed his hand and forced him up under her umbrella. "I'm not having you skip any lessons because of a cold."

"I'm fine. Just leave me be. I need to be alone."

"Then I'll stay with you here," she said, sitting back down on the cold, wet bench.

Rafe shook his head. "Go. You'll get a cold too."

She matched his temper, "I'm not having you skip lessons because you're sick from sitting out in the rain."

"Nora, I'll see you tomorrow."

"I'm not leaving you," she said stubbornly.

"Why Nora? Why the fuck do you care?"

"I just do. Okay? I know what it's like...to feel alone. I'll sit here with you and soak in the rain. Wet ass and all. I will not leave you here alone, no matter what you say. Please come with me. Meet my grandma," she said softly, taking his hand into hers.

If there was one thing Nora could match Rafe in, it was stubbornness. She wasn't leaving without him.

"I can't come to your house looking like this," Rafe said in defeat and gestured at his soaking clothes. "I'll just go back to the dorm and—"

"You'll dry off at mine."

He had no time to reply as Nora linked her arm around his and yanked him to come with her, nearly pulling his arm off in the process.