"Why are you here, Mike?"
Cath's comments were harsher than the freezing wind that blasted around us, and her voice pierced the rain-soaked air. She protected herself from the storm and from me by standing on her front porch with her arms folded tightly across her chest.
With the rain seeping through my jacket and into my skin, I took a step closer. Despite the storm roaring inside of me and outside, I said, "I needed to talk to you," in a steady voice.
Her chuckle was a sneer of bitterness. "Speak? Do you want to talk now? After all this time?
Even though I winced, I didn't give up. Yes, right now. Cath, because I've been a fool. I require—
"You require?" Her eyes were flaming when she intervened. "Mike, you don't need anything from me. No more.
I remained motionless despite her com
