AFTER THE RAIN (Bonus edition)

17. Had the whole Multiverse gone mad?

"I am not going to be that guy who fucks you against a car on the side of the road."

Stormy jumped as the car door suddenly flung open and a flustered looking Marcus stuck his head in.

"What?" she blinked at him, caught off guard by his sudden agitation and presence. He'd been walking up and down the road for almost ten minutes now, while Stormy had been left to stew in the hot car all alone.

"You deserve more than being some fuck on the side of the road. I'm not doing that to you."

"What if I want you to?" she challenged him.

"Well, then I'll be totally pissed off with you. Because you shouldn't sell yourself so short. You're worth a lot more than that." He was deliberately avoiding eye contact and his body language suggested he was on the defensive for some reason.

"Here," he handed the phone over to her. "Lilly is going to phone you back in five minutes, she wants to speak to you."

Stormy was confused. "What's Lilly got to do with this?"

Marcus ran his hands through his hair, still avoiding her prying eyes. "I called Damien. I needed to chat."

"What did he say?"

Marcus looked as sheepish as hell. "He crapped on me. Called me an asshole and said that if I hurt his future sister-in-law, he'll kill me."

"Seriously?" Stormy perked up, feeling touched by this. "He said that about me? That's so sweet!"

"Sweet?" Marcus repeated loudly. "The guy's threatening to kill me, and he's not someone you want to mess with. He may look thin and wiry, but trust me, in a fight he could take me down."

"He's just joking." Stormy smiled slightly as she imagined Marcus and Damien in a wrestling match.

"Sure, he's not going to kill me, kill me," Marcus conceded. "But the point is, he's pissed." The phone rang and Stormy looked down at the screen as if it was a giant hairy spider.

"Slide that thing across," Marcus pointed.

"What thing?"

"That icon at the bottom of the screen, slide it with your finger."

"Why do these things not have buttons!" Stormy wailed in frustration, and started poking the screen with her finger. Marcus snatched the phone back and answered it; he handed it over to Stormy and then turned away to give her some privacy.

"Oohhhh Storm, what's going on?" Lilly breathed down the phone as soon as Stormy answered. She sounded excited, for some bizarre reason.

"I don't know, Marcus and I –"

Lilly cut her off. "Are so perfect for each other! I am sooooo giddy with excitement. You guys make so much sense. Exciting!"

"What? You're not serious, Lil!" Stormy shook her head in exasperation. How could Lilly think that she and Marcus made sense? No two people made less sense as a couple, as far as Stormy was concerned! They were like oil and water, pigeons and starving cats, garlic snails and strawberry yoghurt.

"I'm totally serious," Lilly insisted. "You guys would be so awesome together. Ying to Yang."

"Lil, have you taken drugs?"