EPISODE 4 - THE CRACK IN HIS ICE
216 Words
The rain started without warning. I was halfway home when it poured like the sky had something against me. My umbrella? Left in class, of course.
I dashed toward the school gate, completely drenched, when a shadow appeared beside me — tall, calm, and holding an umbrella.
Noah.
He didn’t say a word, just held it over both of us. The silence was awkward, but for once, not tense.
“Didn’t think you’d care,” I muttered.
He shrugged slightly. “You’d probably catch a cold. Then I’d have to finish the project alone.”
“Wow. So kind,” I said sarcastically, though I couldn’t hide my smile.
His lips curved just slightly — the tiniest ghost of a smile. “You talk too much, Charlotte.”
“Then stop listening,” I shot back.
But he didn’t move away. We just walked together through the rain, close enough that our shoulders brushed. My heart beat faster than I wanted to admit.
When we reached the bus stop, he handed me the umbrella. “Keep it.”
I blinked. “What about you?”
He turned, rain already soaking his hair. “I don’t mind getting wet.”
And for the first time, I realized — maybe his coldness wasn’t rudeness. Maybe it was protection.
- Writer
