Rainy Days (1/1)

Who made it a rule that rainy days were to only be associated with sadness?Wriggling her toes against her ankle boots, she stood in front of the campus center, pulling open her umbrella. It was the transparent kind, with little blue ocean wave detailing on the rim. There were a couple other people waiting with her at the busstop, but across the street she had her eye on a particular nomad. He was a slow walker, but not sloth-slow, more like enjoying the moment slow. He passed right by her without a care, his face tilted toward the sky. Forsaking the use of his navy cap, droplets kissed his pale skin, rolling over the expanse of his Adam's apple and onto his hoodie. She hated to admit he was kind of beautiful, as he continued to walk on. And then he slammed straight into a pole.She burst out laughing, umbrella forgotten as her arm dropped to clutch her stomach. His cap went flying, revealing a mop of pulled back chocolate hair. The hat rolled to her feet, which she promptly picked up and jogged over to him. He was on the ground, pouting and rubbing his forehead.“You okay?” she asked, bending down and putting her umbrella over his head. “Yeah,” his voice was low and rumbly. “That pole, it attacked me.”“Oh, I saw.” she couldn't help but giggle at the way his cheeks reddened at that. “Those poles, I've heard they're vicious.” “I'm a victim.” he winced, trying to sit up straighter. His eyes cleared, and she was able to make out the pretty amber hue. They fixed on her, but not exactly at her. “Your hair is getting wet.” She shrugged, and held out his cap to him. “Well, I'm not the one who needs a new pair of pants.” He looked like he was going to make a snippy retort (and end up embarrassing himself even more) but suddenly a bus parked on the other side of the street. He shot up, so quickly that he almost ran into the wire of her umbrella. “I gotta go.” and he started running off, waving over his shoulder. “Thank you, stay dry!”That day, she was left with a nasty cold, and a navy blue hat.-On the second rainy day, she was in the corner of the library, her head tilted towards the window. She watched, eyes glazed as clear droplets raced down the pane, and then puddling down the storm drain like a waterfall. Today’s weather was particularly violent, probably reflective of the upcoming exam week. “Is that my hat?”She blinked, her eyes still trained on the droplets, however her ears were attuned to a voice that probably alerted the entire library. He really didn’t look like he fit in, dressed in dirty trainers and those weird dance pants that were baggy at the top but tight at the bottom. Her forehead suddenly became hyper aware of the worn blue cap she was wearing, and thumbed the rim of it before slipping it off. “Well, you ran away from me when I tried to give it back.” she teased lightly, holding it out for him. But he only shook his head, and took the chair opposite hers. “You look better in it than I do.” and he started piling his own used textbooks next to hers. “And anyone who knows this is the best spot to study deserves it.” She tilted the textbook in her lap a fraction, tilting her head to the side. “Well, if I’m really going to keep this, I need to know the previous owner’s name.” He looked up, and cocked a perfectly threaded eyebrow. It was as if he were saying, “Oh wow, that’s some extremely smooth flirting.” But instead, he absorbed her presence, a styrofoam cup with a teabag hanging out, books enveloping them like a barrier, and her new navy hat. “My name’s Hansol Chwe.” -The last time they meet in the rain, she’s at the playground. It was by no means a playground for people her age, it was the day care center on campus, with tiny slides and equally tiny swings. She was sitting on one of them, the plastic and metal groves digging in her thighs because she was no longer toddler-sized. “I’m sure you’re the last kid to leave the playground.” Hansol walked up to her, thoroughly exhausted but still standing strong. He gave her an easy, lopsided smile, his shoulders drooping because of his backpack. There was a bright, shiny strip of pink paint etched on his cheekbone. “Finger painting today?” “More like a paint fight.” although he didn’t seem too bothered by it. “So, I was thinking we could go eat at this burger place,” he winced comically, weighing his options back and forth. “The food isn’t exactly American, but their strawberry milkshakes are the bomb.” She blinked, “Are you asking me out?” His face reddened, and he rubbed his toe in the dirt. “Well, we’ve been running into each other for awhile. Might as well not randomly meet up for once—” The sky crackled in mirth, and she jumped, clutching the faded rope of the swing. In no time at all, the pretty azure sky had dimmed and the clouds settled over them. Rain bucketed down on them, followed by more thunder. She didn’t even bother moving, they were already soaked. “What were you saying?” she asked coolly. A strip of lighting soon streaked between the clouds. His jaw dropped, and he slipped on his hood. “What do you mean, what am I saying?”“I thought you were asking me out!”“We’re in the middle of a thunderstorm and you wanna stop and feel the rain?” he nearly cried. He grabbed her hand, pulling her under the playground slide. Luckily it was wide enough to cover the both of them, but it was definitely not tall enough for Hansol’s height. He was bent at an awkward angle, but only excused the prospect of tilting his head closer to hers. Their faces were centimeters apart, which only made it even more uncomfortable for them. Droplets clung to Hansol’s bangs, and the pink paint stain on his cheek had melted down his skin. “So,” she smiled shyly, “Now that you mention it, I’m hungry.”He smiled back, albeit awkwardly. “The offer still stands. And it’s dry.” “It doesn’t look like it’s stopping anytime soon.” she had to speak up over the rain. “Let’s just make a run for it?”He rolled his eyes playfully, “You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you?” and he offered his hand again, and she took it. “Alright, my locker is in the East gym, not far from here. I have clothes for us to change into, then we can take the bus. We’ll go in three, two—”She ran ahead, pulling him along. “One!”Sunny days soon followed.