When The Rain Falls

CHAPTER 4

Arya Fraser, nee' Gladstone, took off her sunglasses, and stepped into the cafe. Her long blond hair shimmered and gleamed like strands of the sun and her eyes the color of grass. She was beautiful. There was no denying her looks. She was thin with model curves, and a smile that shone like a star. When she entered the cafe she commanded attention, her sleek outfit adorning her figure, and her jewelry simple but noticeable. Her eyes scanned the small area and heads turned, basking her in an effervescent glow.

When she caught sight of her husband, a small smile crossed her lips. Callen was a good man. He was an amazing man. Especially like this, dressed in simple civilian clothing, spoon feeding their youngest daughter. They sat near the back of the cafe, with Ainsley talking up a storm with a stranger who sat with them, and Fiona laughing when the woman tickled her. Beneath Callens' ice-cold demeanor, his heart was warm and loving. He was handsome, with eyes the color of water, a full head of dark hair just sparingly graying at the temples, and a smile that blessed his rugged features with a softness he couldn't contain. He looked well younger than his age of thirty-seven, until his eyes showed a wisdom beyond those years. Overall, he was an absolutely beautiful man.

Yet she still felt his coldness. His warmth dissipated over time and the fire Arya needed to stay in love went out with those flames. When she met her current lover, the embers of her love flew into a rage so powerful it couldn't be ignored. So she left him. And over time, life with her flame burned a few bridges of her past, while her husband's ice eased the embers.

Yet as he sat with his children, she saw that same fire happening again. Except there was something else igniting those embers. She felt it. He was different than when they last saw each other, where parting words were spat out with venom. Now, he seemed happy. Content. Her throat felt raw and her head hot.

This was not how she expected to find him.

And not with someone else who resembled a carnival lollipop. Not with someone who captured his gaze like she once did, even if the girl was completely oblivious to his stares.

Arya cleared her throat as she walked towards the table, carefully approaching the pair and her children. Ainsley looked up and gave her a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, standing up from her chair and leaving the other woman at the table mid conversation. Arms wrapped around Arya's waist lightly, as Arya hugged her back. The other woman gazed up at her with dark curiosity, while Fiona crawled into her lap.

Arya nodded to her and turned to Callen, giving him a small smile. He stood and gave her a polite hug, releasing her as quickly as his arms held her. "Arya, thanks for this. I know its not normal circumstances, but-"

She shook her head and held up a palm. "Don't worry, it's fine. I need to re-establish a connection with my children." Arya glanced down at Amelia as she said the last two words, her smile never wavering.

If she sensed the animosity, Amelia didn’t show it. Instead, she stood and brushed the crumbs off her hands on her apron before extending an open palm. "Hi! I'm Amelia. I work here."

Arya nodded, and took the younger woman's warm hand in her own. "American?"

Amelia listened hard for the same animosity that Callen originally had given her. Sensing none, she grinned. "Yes indeed. Came here from New York."

Arya gave a small gasp. "Really! My partner is from New York. He does a lot of the diamond importing and exporting. Maybe you've heard of him? Jason Maccone?"

Amelia frowned slightly. The name slightly rang a bell, but nothing alarming. "Hm, he was most likely higher society. I was a low-down girl from Queens."

"Ah yes. He does his business in Manhattan. It is good to meet you. Sorry if my girls gave you any trouble." Arya genuinely smiled.

Amelia grinned. "They weren't any trouble! I was telling Callen here they're more than welcome any time. Him on the other hand, he has to call ahead and see if I’ll put up with his crap.”

“Hey now,” Callen said, mocking shock. He pressed his hand to his chest and his eyes went wide. “That one hurt. You’ll always put up with me crap if I bring you food.”

“And you’re severely lacking in my orders, there, pal.” Amelia planted her fists on her hip and c****d her head. “I’m still waiting for my fish and chips from Balfours, you jerk.”

He rolled his eyes. “Balfours is in Falkirk, we are in Glasgow. I am not driving over an hour one way to get you fried fish and potatoes.”

“See what I mean?” Amelia turned to Arya, shaking her head sadly. “Completely unreasonable. How did you put up with this crap?”

“You can get perfectly fried fish and chips locally!”

“But are they made by the kind hand of the sweetest old lady you will ever meet? Are they made with love?” Amelia held up a hand to ignore his rebuttal before picking up a cookie and chomping into it noisily. “Exactly.”

Arya frowned and swallowed before she turned to her husband, desperately trying to hide her disbelief. “You didn’t tell me you were seeing someone, Callen. Wouldn’t this be something important to share?”

Choking, Amelia waved her hands in the air. Ainsley appeared by her side and handed her a cup of water, patting her on the back.

Taking a sip, Amelia let out a laugh, shaking her head and giving a silent thank you to Ainsley before turning to Arya. “Seeing someone? That’s news to me. Callen, who’re you seeing?” The shocked look on Arya’s face made her laugh again. “You can’t mean me.”

“You cannot possibly assume that Amelia and I are… Are…” Callen couldn’t say the words, so Amelia chimed in instead.

“Ew.” She said, her nose scrunching. “No thanks. He’s old enough to be my dad.”

Callen gave her a cold look, while Arya laughed. She pulled her youngest into her arms, and hugged her oldest close. Fiona wriggled while Ainsley kept her arms at her sides. "Well, thank goodness for small favors, then.”

Callen’s smile fell from his face, and Amelia gave her a flat look. “’Thank goodness’? What do you mean by that?”

Arya cleared her throat. “Well, I meant that I would hope Callen would keep me updated on important changes like that.” She set Fiona down, and pulled the child's jacket closer together. “Girls, give your father a kiss good bye. We leave for Italy in a few days." She smiled at Amelia again as Ainsley and Fiona crowded their father. "It was good to meet you Amelia...?"

"Richards." Amelia said. "Amelia Richards."

"Amelia Richards." Arya nodded. Ainsley and Fiona held onto their father like a life line, and he them until his shoulders sagged and he reluctantly let them go. Arya gave Callen a polite smile and kissed him chastely on the cheek, before gathering her children and heading towards the cafe exit. Fiona looked back over her shoulder, then emitted a long scream. She tore her hand out of Arya’s and ran towards her father, wrapping her arms around his knees.

Carefully, Callen pulled her from his legs and lifted her into his arms, following Arya out the door to her waiting car. Amelia watched him go, following his form through the clear windows before shaking her head.

“Kinna a daft nyaff, innit she?”

Amelia turned to Jules. “When did you appear? Didn’t want to say hi to his wife?”

Jules shook his head. “Nae. Arya an’ I aren’t on good terms. I watched ‘er an’ Cal both grow up, fall in love, then fall out of it, and frankly, her an’ I don’t agree with her choices.”

Amelia nodded, and watched Callen as he stood by Arya’s car, waiting for it to go. With a look of longing in his face, he went back into the cafe looking completely defeated. Amelia unwrapped her apron from her waist and walked towards him, pressing a warm hand against his shoulder. He turned towards her, his body finally softening and wrapped long arms around her, swaying softly.

"They'd been with you for a long time haven't they?" She asked him, her voice soft in his ear. When he nodded, her arms reached upwards and held him tightly. "It'll be okay. It's just a few weeks."

Callen sniffed her hair. Plumera and jasmine. He then tried to pull away. She didn’t let go. "Er, you realize you're hugging me."

"Mhm."

"You can stop anytime now."

"And stop making you uncomfortable? Nope."

Callen laughed softly and gently pulled her arms off his shoulders. "I haven't been out of their lives since Arya left ours. Since they were born." He looked away and stared out the window. "I have no idea what to do with myself, to be honest."

Amelia nodded. "I have an idea. There's an awesome Bistro that's open twenty-four hours. We can go out and have a late dinner there."

He frowned. "We?"

"Of course," she replied. She pulled her arms across her chest, wary of how cold she suddenly felt. "We. You work til midnight sometimes. I'm an insomniac after a late shift. So. Yes. We. You take me."

Callen smirked, and she liked how that half of his face looked when he smiled. "And you can't go on your own, why?"

Amelia stared at him as if he was a simpleton. "Uh, its by Airdrie, and Lanarkshire. And it’s a Bistro, I can't afford that. Oh, and you have to come get me. I'm not calling a cab that late at night."

Callen stared down at her, and felt the other side of his mouth lift.

She was pretty.

And petty.

And wholesome.

And shallow.

And he still wondered later that day why he agreed to this dinner the next night off he had.

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"I can't believe you agreed to a date with a cop." Daniela grumbled. “With a COP. You know it’s still dangerous for us to be associated with anyone, especially law enforcement.”

Amelia rolled her eyes. Her sister kept going on and on, her voice on speaker while she prepared to wash her face. Pulling out her lip piercing, she sighed. Her sister was not helping. Daniela didn’t seem to understand what it was like to be just one person. Especially with the party that was happening behind her. Especially since Daniela found it wasn’t a bad idea to have friends for her, at least. "It's not a date, Daniela. It's just a friendly dinner."

"With a cop."

"Yes. With a cop. An officer. A gentleman. A friend." Amelia picked up her phone. "Who also happens to be married with kids."

A scoff on the other line. "You said he's separated. You said he's grumpy. You said he's kind of a jerk face and you said he's-"

"I said a lot of things," Amelia interrupted her. "And I'm still right about them all. But he's a good man. And a good father. I think he's just lonely."

"Amelia," Daniela said softly. "I don't feel like it's safe yet."

"I know what you're saying." She replied sadly. "But... I'm just so f*****g tired of being alone."

"Amelia," Daniela said quietly. "Just... I'm sorry. How long have you known him?"

“It’s been a month, give or take. We talk for an hour or so. Sometimes he brings me food. He brings his kids in every other day. And I like them too.” Clearing her throat, Amelia sighed. “Besides, it’s been almost a week now. He comes in, we talk for a bit, he leaves. All he does is send one-worded texts here and there to my book of a response. He’s probably forgotten.”

“Mmmmhmmm, I hope he did.” Daniela said, annoyed. “For your sake any way.”

A loud whooping and shouting happened over the phone again, and what sounded like a glass bottle breaking. Amelia rolled her eyes. "Look, I have to go. I'm exhausted and I have an even longer day tomorrow. Call you next week?"

"Yeah, of course,” Daniela replied. "You can tell me how the date went."

"It's not a date."

"Sure.”

She hung up the phone and stared at it. Calling her sister and letting her know what happened that day was probably not the best idea, considering Daniela’s fears. It sounded busy, like a party was happening behind her, and Amelia felt a twinge of jealousy and a little bit angry. How could her sister tell her that fraternizing was a bad idea, seven months after their abandonment of their lives, yet every time she called her it appeared she was having the time of her life? Amelia flung the phone on her bed. She lied. She wasn’t tired, and didn’t have a long day ahead of her. She was wide awake, and wasn’t so pressed for time, and tomorrow was her day off. She just didn’t want to listen to yet another person tell her that everything she was feeling was wrong.

Like it was wrong to feel so alone sometimes.

Her phone chirped and she stared at it. The tell-tale sign that a message had appeared while she was on the phone. Rolling her eyes, she picked her phone up and checked the message.

Callen?

It was a simple ‘Are you awake?’, but she stared at it all the same. It came about ten minutes ago. As she was typing a reply, another message quickly appeared ‘Sorry to bother you. Speak in the morning.’

“He’s so proper.” Amelia typed back to him ‘No, I’m awake. What’s up?’

The little dots on the corner of the screen started, then stopped again multiple times before she received his reply. ‘Call?’

“Huh.” Amelia dialed him, and he picked up by the third ring. Before she could say anything, she heard him blow out a hard breath, and he said “I miss me girls.”

“Oh, Callen.” She sighed softly, and laid down on her bed. Pressing the speaker button on her phone, she laid it on her clavicle and relaxed in the deep down bedding. “It won’t be for too long. Two months is nothing.”

“Just… It’s just been us. You get me?” She heard him settle in his seat, and a seat belt click. “I was lookin’ forward to some time to me self, but it’s too much.”

Amelia adjusted herself on the bad, and threw an arm under her head. “Too much? Can’t stand yourself?” She chided softly.

He responded quietly. “No. I can’t. I really am a bastard, even to me self.”

“I’m so sorry honey. Have you ever been away from them?”

“I’ve never been with out them for a week, none the less two months.” His voice cracked ever so slightly. “I don’t like this. I don’t like not having me girls.”

His sadness made her heart break. “Callen,” She said softly. “Are you off work right now?”

“Ay, I just clocked out.” He replied sadly. “I’ve worked doubles this entire week.”

“That’s crazy. Why would you do that?”

Callen paused for a moment before replying. “I hate how quiet this house is. I hate watching the news, listening to any radio station, I hate the lack of chatter. I hate that Ainsley isn’t rolling her eyes at me, or Fiona isn’t babbling like a brook gone mad. I don’t know if you’d understand that, at least at work, I’m not so goddamn lonely.”

Amelia pulled the phone from her chest and sat up, and looked at her phone. “No, Callen, I do understand. I was actually just talking to my sister about this earlier.”

“About your pathetic officer friend?” He scoffed lightly. “You probably called me Officer to her as well.”

“No, no.” She said softly. “About being lonely. And to be fair, I’ve been alone longer than you. So I do understand how much it hurts.”

Callen stood quiet for a moment, before groaning softly. She heard the jingle of keys in the ignition, and a car started. “I didn’t realize that.” He said quietly. Amelia heard the car turn on, before he spoke again. “How long ye been here, Amelia?”

She mentally calculated the time. “I’m looking at about seven, eight months?”

“You don’t have any friends,” He cleared his throat, as if preparing to say the next word. “Companions? Time for company?”

“Depends, Callen. Are you my friend?” She asked. “My companion? If so, then that includes you and Jules, so you can see what a rousing social life I have, yanno, hostel living.”

“I see.” Callen cleared his throat. “So, no companionship. No company to speak of. Interesting.”

Amelia chuckled. “Do you have friends, Callen? Or, Companions, as you call them.”

“Ha,” he said, before a soft chuckle escaped his lips. “Hardly, Amelia. I’ve had company before, of course, and I’ve a few friends.

But me life, it’s me girls.” He cleared his throat, and he turned the car radio on. “Look, thank you for taking me a call. I’ll let ye-”

“Callen,” She interrupted him. “Do you work tomorrow?”

“No, why do you ask?”

She said it before she could stop herself. “Do you wanna come over? You can stay the night.”

He paused and for a few seconds, and Amelia thought he hung up. Instead, his voice held a tint of surprise. “I… Come over… I can, if that’s what you want, Amelia. Do you want me to spend the night?”

“Yes.” She stared at the ceiling, frowning. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Did you...” He cleared his throat. “Did you want company?”

Amelia smiled at the ceiling, and looked at her fingernails. She hadn’t showered yet, and dirt lined them underneath. Gross. “I’d love some company. Just need to shower before you get here, so drive slow. I’ll unlock the gate, and if I don’t open the door, just let yourself in.”

“I can do that.” She heard him move in his car, and the wheel move. “Jules’ apartment? Are you still there at the moment?”

“Sure am! Awesome. I can’t sleep right now anyway.” Amelia said standing up. “I also have cookies.”

His soft chuckle sounded genuine and sweet. “That sounds enjoyable. Although, I am rather looking forward to the company.”

“Company?” Amelia said quietly. “Of course Callen.”

She heard him sigh. “It’s been a long time, Amelia. I hope you understand.”

“What’s so hard to understand?” Amelia replied quietly. “I don’t want to be alone either. I could use some company too, yanno.”

“Ay then.” He said softly, his voice a lower octave than usual. “I’ll be there soon.”

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