Jennie: Hey, Aurora. It’s pouring down, you home?
Layla: Yeah, we’re worried.
Aly: Need a ride? I’ll swerve back.
I felt a small tug at my lips as I read the messages. From a group chatIwas in. The first-ever group chat I got invited to. Jennie must’ve invited me since she was the only one who had my number. Still… it was nice.
Me: I’m fine. You girls get home safely.
Layla: We’re fine, but you… do you have a way back?
Jennie: And God, please don’t walk or I’ll scold you.
Aly: Oh? That’s not good.
A short chuckle left my lips as I read that.
Me: I won’t. I promise.
Jennie: Good. Text us when you get home.
Me: I will.
Aly: Right away. Don’t sit down first, text first.
Me: Okay, I’ll do just that.
I placed my phone back in my pocket and looked up at the horrendous view in front of me.I promised not to walk home and worry them. What do I do now?
“Hey.”
I turned, startled, and blinked at the unfamiliar face behind me. He had the kind of smile that came easily, like he’d practised it a thousand times without even meaning to. Bright, warm, unbothered by the storm hammering against the world outside.
“Are you waiting for someone?” he asked, jingling his car keys like it was nothing.
I shook my head, clutching the strap of my bag tighter. He nodded once, not prying, not pushing. Just… moving past me toward the steps. I moved aside, assuming he’d run for it.
But then, he shrugged his jacket off and dropped it over my head. The weight of it, the sudden smell of soap and faint cologne, caught me off guard.
Before I could even process it, he was gone, sprinting out into the rain. I stood frozen, fingers gripping the fabric tightly over my head, my heart confused.
Was this… for me? To keep? No, probably just so I wouldn’t be drenched when I went home.
Three minutes later, a car pulled up to the kerb, headlights cutting through the storm. The window rolled down, and that same easy grin flashed back at me.
“Get in!” he shouted over the rain.
My grip around the jacket got tighter as it hit me. The jacket wasn’t so I could run home. It was so I could make it tohiscar, dry.
I didn’t move. I just stood there, frozen. My chest rose and fell too fast, my heartbeat thrumming in my ears louder than the rain.
He leaned an elbow casually against the window frame, smile still there. Not mocking, not rushed. Just… patient. Like he had all the time in the world to sit there and wait for me to decide. And that was what made me move.Patience.
One step. Then another. My hand trembled as I tugged the passenger door open, sliding in with the jacket still draped over me like a shield.
“Hi,” he said again, softer this time, like it was just for me. His smile didn’t falter, not once. For a second, I almost smiled back. But I just looked away, pulling the jacket down to my lap.
The car was warm, a soft hum filling the silence as the rain beat against the windows. My fingers twisted in the edge of his jacket nervously, trying to figure out what to do or even say, if I could even utter it.
