Rain on the Way Home
1367 Words
The rain started before Lea finished work.
At first, it was only a soft drizzle tapping gently against the catering kitchen roof while workers hurried to finish packing food deliveries for the evening rush. Steam filled the small kitchen while plastic containers stacked higher beside giant pots of soup and rice.
Nobody paid much attention to the weather yet.
Rain was normal.
Temporary.
Easy to ignore.
But by evening, the sky completely opened.
Heavy rain crashed against rooftops and flooded narrow streets outside the market. Water reflected blurry city lights beneath flickering streetlamps while distant thunder rolled endlessly through the dark sky.
Inside the kitchen, workers slowly began leaving one by one after finishing their shifts.
“You should wait until it slows down,” Bu Ratna said while tying plastic bags near the counter.
Lea glanced outside through the small doorway.
Rain poured so heavily the road beyond the alley looked almost invisible.
Most workers had already rushed home.
The kitchen suddenly felt emptier than usual.
Quieter.
“It’s okay,” Lea replied softly. “I can walk.”
Bu Ratna frowned immediately.
“You’ll get soaked.”
Lea forced a small smile.
“I’m used to it.”
And she was.
Rain never really bothered her anymore.
Sometimes it even felt comforting somehow.
At least the weather matched how exhausted she constantly felt inside.
After saying goodbye quietly, Lea stepped outside beneath the storm with her backpack hugged tightly against her chest.
Cold rainwater instantly soaked through her hoodie and hair.
Within seconds, her shoes splashed through puddles collecting beside broken sidewalks.
The streets felt strangely empty tonight.
Most people had already escaped indoors.
Motorbike headlights blurred softly through heavy rain while neon signs reflected across wet pavement.
Lea walked slowly beneath it all.
Exhaustion dragged heavily through her body after another long shift.
Her shoulders hurt.
Her hands still smelled faintly like dish soap, garlic, and cooking oil no matter how many times she washed them.
But her thoughts were louder than the rain tonight.
Beautiful.
The word replayed endlessly inside her head no matter how hard she tried pushing it away.
Ryan’s message from two nights ago still sat half unanswered.
She never gave her number.
Still, she couldn’t stop thinking about the boy from the party.
The way he looked toward her bedroom window.
Not mocking.
Not pitying.
Just… noticing her.
Lea lowered her head while walking faster beneath the rain.
It was stupid.
Thinking this much about someone she didn’t even know.
Then suddenly—
A motorbike slowed beside her.
Lea startled immediately and stepped farther from the road instinctively.
The rider removed his helmet halfway.
Dark wet hair.
Black hoodie.
Lea’s heartbeat stopped.
It was him.
The same boy from Ryan’s house.
For one long second, neither of them spoke.
Rain poured endlessly around them while distant thunder echoed softly across the city.
Then quietly, almost awkwardly, he asked:
“Do you want a ride home?”
Lea stared silently at him.
Up close, he looked older than she first thought.
Maybe seventeen.
Tired eyes.
Gentle voice.
Rainwater dripped slowly from the ends of his dark hair while he waited patiently for her answer.
Lea tightened her grip nervously around her bag straps.
“I’m okay,” she replied automatically.
The boy smiled faintly.
“You’re completely soaked.”
Lea looked away immediately, embarrassed by how obvious it probably looked.
“It’s not far.”
He nodded slightly.
“Still.”
Silence settled between them again.
Lea’s chest felt painfully nervous.
She should say no.
She barely knew him.
But something about him felt strangely safe.
Not forceful.
Not demanding.
He spoke carefully, like someone approaching frightened things slowly because he understood what fear looked like.
“I’m Adrian, by the way,” he said softly.
Lea blinked slightly.
A name.
Somehow that made him feel more real instantly.
“…Lea.”
“I know,” Adrian admitted quietly.
Heat rushed immediately into her cheeks.
Of course Ryan told him.
Rain became heavier around them while cold wind brushed against Lea’s soaked clothes.
Cars splashed through puddles nearby.
Adrian glanced briefly toward the dark road ahead before speaking again.
“At least let me drive you before you get sick.”
Lea hesitated one final time.
Then slowly…
She nodded.
Adrian handed her the spare helmet carefully.
Their fingers brushed briefly against each other.
Lea’s heart stumbled awkwardly inside her chest.
A few minutes later, she sat nervously behind him on the motorbike while rain continued falling around them.
She didn’t know where to place her hands.
Did people normally hold onto someone during rides?
Would that seem weird?
Too close?
As if sensing her panic, Adrian spoke gently over the sound of rain.
“You can hold the back if you want.”
Lea quickly grabbed the metal bar behind the seat instead.
Adrian smiled slightly but didn’t tease her about it.
The motorbike moved forward smoothly through wet streets.
Cold wind rushed past them while city lights stretched beautifully across rain-covered roads.
For some reason, Lea suddenly became hyperaware of everything around her.
The warmth of Adrian’s jacket only inches away.
The quiet guitar music drifting faintly from a café they passed.
The soft vibration of the motorbike beneath them.
And most strangely—
The calmness slowly settling inside her chest.
Nobody had ever taken care of her like this before.
Not gently.
Not in small ways.
Not without obligation attached afterward.
“You work at the catering place near the market, right?” Adrian asked after a while.
Lea blinked in surprise.
“How do you know?”
“I saw you there once.”
“Oh.”
Another silence followed.
But not uncomfortable.
Just quiet.
The kind of silence that didn’t demand performance from her.
Then unexpectedly, Adrian asked:
“You write too, right?”
Lea nearly choked on air.
“What?”
Adrian laughed softly for the first time.
“Ryan talks too much.”
Lea immediately covered part of her face with one sleeve in embarrassment.
“Oh my God.”
“You don’t have to look that horrified.”
“I am horrified.”
Adrian laughed again, warmer this time.
And unexpectedly—
Lea smiled.
A real smile.
Small.
Shy.
But genuine enough to surprise even herself.
The motorbike eventually slowed near her neighborhood street.
Too quickly.
Lea suddenly realized she didn’t want the ride to end yet.
Adrian stopped beneath a dim streetlight while rain softened into a quieter drizzle around them.
“We’re here.”
Lea carefully removed the helmet while avoiding direct eye contact.
“Thank you.”
“No problem.”
She handed the helmet back awkwardly.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Rainwater dripped softly from rooftops nearby while distant thunder faded farther away.
Then Adrian spoke quietly.
“You look different when you smile.”
Lea’s breath caught immediately.
Her heartbeat panicked all over again.
“What does that mean?”
Adrian looked at her gently before answering.
“It means you should do it more often.”
Lea stared at him speechlessly.
Nobody had ever said things like that to her before.
Not softly.
Not sincerely.
The rain suddenly didn’t feel cold anymore.
After several quiet seconds, Adrian started the motorbike again.
“Goodnight, Lea.”
“…Goodnight.”
She stood beneath the dim streetlight watching him disappear slowly into the rain-covered road.
Only after he completely vanished from sight did Lea realize something strange.
Her chest felt lighter somehow.
Not healed.
Not fixed.
Just… lighter.
That night, she sat beside her bedroom window again with her notebook resting against her knees.
Outside, rain continued falling softly across the sleeping neighborhood while distant streetlights reflected against wet pavement.
The room smelled faintly like rainwater and old paper.
Lea opened to a blank page slowly.
Then carefully wrote:
Tonight someone stopped for me in the middle of the rain.
She paused.
The words blurred slightly beneath tired eyes.
Then continued writing.
Such a small thing.
Another pause.
Her chest tightened softly.
But somehow it felt like the universe whispering:
Lea swallowed slowly before finishing the sentence.
“Maybe you are worth stopping for after all.”
- Writer
