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"Rick! Rick, open up! It's Lucy!"
The pounding of fists on Rick Dalton's door made his head ache. The noises rattled in his alcohol-soaked brain, bouncing off the sides of his throbbing skull. He winced— squinting in the afternoon light that peaked through the bedroom curtains.
"Fuck..." he whispered as he rubbed a palm across his forehead. "Shit. What time..."
He rolled over in bed and the silk sheets slid off his half-naked body. The clock read 1:45... PM.
"Goddamn it to hell."
"Rick, come on! I know you're in there. Please!" Lucy cried from his front porch.
Rick rolled out of bed and stumbled over to the bedroom door. He pulled a robe off of the back hook and continued his trek down the narrow hall. Lucia's knocking hadn't ceased, so he walked as fast as he could in his hungover state, assuming it was something important. As soon as he turned the handle and opened the door, Lucia's bright, tear-brimmed hazel eyes graced his sight.
"Oh, honey. What's the matter? What's wrong?" he immediately asked. Despite his foggy thoughts, he could clearly see her despair.
"I don't know— I need... I heard something at work, and I just—" she stumbled over her words.
Rick took hold of her upper arms and led her into the house. He gently slide the purse off her shoulder and hung it on the nearby coat stand, offering for her to take a seat.
He sat down before her with genuine concern in his eyes. "Hey. You can talk to me, sweetheart. What's on your mind? Where's Cliff?"
Lucia swallowed thickly and rubbed her palms across her thighs in nervousness. "See that's... that's why I'm here. This morning, my boss, he— he saw me get out of Cliff's car, and he told me that... shit... he told me that Cliff had a wife and he k-killed her? I don't know what the fuck he means, if that's just a rumor or some shit, or... I don't know. I-I just wanted to make sure it's not true. It's not true... right? He's just pulling some sick fucking joke. He's gotta be. I-I know Cliff wouldn't do that."
Rick was silent for a moment. He took his hands away from her arms and wrung them together. Shit. How was he going to explain this one? He stood from his seat and began to pace across the carpet.
Lucia was shocked at his hesitation. "Holy shit. Oh my god. What the fuck?"
"N-Now, hold on! It's complicated! Let me—" he exclaimed.
"Complicated?" Lucia yelled. "What the fuck do you mean, 'it's complicated?' He either killed her or he didn't!"
"Honey, it's okay—"
"No, it's not okay!" Lucia cried, tears brimming along the edges of her eyes. "I really thought... god, everything was perfect. I spent the best fucking night of my life with a man I don't even know? I'm so fucking stupid."
