Chapter five - Soaked In Silence
813 Words
Olivia’s POV
The rain started just as the last bell rang.
Not a drizzle. A downpour. Sudden and relentless.
By the time I made it to the bus stop, my shirt was clinging to me like a second skin, my shoes squelching with every step. The schedule board glowed dimly through the curtain of rain, flashing a single line of red text:
SERVICE TERMINATED. NEXT BUS: 7:45 AM.
Of course the bus was cancelled.
Of course I hadn’t checked the forecast.
And of course I’d worn this—a white blouse thin enough to become a second skin under rain, and a skirt that clung to my thighs like it had been painted on.
I looked like a walking wet T-shirt contest.
And I hated that I noticed how many eyes had lingered when I dashed from the campus building.
I tucked my arms tighter, teeth chattering now. The cold didn’t bother me as much as the way the damp made my skin feel aware. Hyperaware. I dragged my fingers through my soaked hair and leaned against the cold metal pole.
Every car that passed sprayed water onto the pavement. Not a single one stopped.
Until one did.
A sleek, black car pulled up slowly beside me, its headlights casting long shadows in the rain. The passenger window rolled down.
And there he was.
Nick Reed.
One hand on the wheel. Jaw tight. Hair slightly tousled from the wind or maybe just being…him. His eyes dragged over me like a match to gasoline.
“You look like a f*****g mess,” he said, voice smooth, arrogant.
I swallowed. “Good evening to you too.”
He c****d a brow. “Get in.”
“I’m fine.”
He blinked once. “Your n*****s say otherwise.”
Heat rushed to my face. My arms instantly folded over my chest, but it was useless. The rain had made me transparent. Humiliation burned at my skin. But he didn’t look away.
His gaze was calm. Cold. And entirely in control.
“I’m not asking again,” he said. “Either get in or stand there all night like a lost kitten.”
My legs moved before my pride could catch up.
The moment I slid into the car, warmth hit me—and so did the smell of him. Leather, cedar, and something darker underneath. Something male.
The door shut with a heavy thunk. I was trapped.
“Seatbelt,” he said.
I fumbled for it.
He didn’t drive.
Not yet.
His eyes dragged over me again—my soaked blouse, my exposed thighs, the way I was trying not to shiver from the cold or the awareness of him sitting inches away.
“Didn’t think to carry an umbrella?” he asked.
“Didn’t think the weather would betray me.”
He chuckled low, like it amused him how unprepared I was. Like I was something soft the world could chew up.
“College sweetheart, top of your class,” he murmured. “But no clue how to survive a rainstorm. Typical.”
I turned to him, irritated. “Do you enjoy being this insufferable, or does it just come naturally?”
He leaned closer, one hand still on the gear. His voice dropped.
“Oh, I enjoy it, sweetheart. Especially when it gets a reaction out of you.”
My breath hitched.
Silence thickened between us as he finally shifted the car into gear and pulled away from the curb.
But it wasn’t quiet.
The rain pounded. My heart raced. And from the corner of my eye, I saw the way his fingers tightened on the steering wheel every time his gaze flicked toward my legs.
He didn’t say another word until we reached my street.
But when he parked, he didn’t unlock the door.
I turned to him. “What?”
His eyes were on my mouth now. “Nothing. Just thinking about how you looked standing there… soaked, cold, trembling.”
I didn’t answer.
His gaze darkened. “You have no idea, do you?”
I swallowed hard. “No idea about what?”
His smirk was slow. Dangerous. “What you do to people when you pretend you don’t see the way they look at you.”
His words wrapped around me like smoke.
And then… he leaned in.
His lips brushed against my ear—barely there. A whisper, a warning.
“If I ever catch you standing in the rain like that again,” he murmured, “don’t expect me to be a gentleman.”
The door unlocked with a loud click. I could barely move.
“Get out, Olivia.”
My fingers were shaking as I opened the door and stepped back into the storm. But the rain felt different now. Colder.
Because it wasn’t the water running down my spine that made me shiver.
It was him.
- Writer
