The Rain and a Question Left Hanging
1010 Words
Silence stretched between them, save for the soft patter of raindrops against Tavian’s umbrella. Ailith kept her eyes trained on the pavement, hyper-aware of every movement—her own awkward strides, the way Tavian’s shoulder brushed hers whenever he adjusted his grip on the umbrella, the rhythmic sound of their synchronized footsteps.
"What am I supposed to say? Should I start a conversation? Should I ask about basketball? Or school? Or the weather? No, that’s stupid. Why is my brain like this?"
As if sensing her internal struggle, Tavian broke the silence.
"It’s already late. Why aren’t you at school?"
Ailith blinked, caught off guard. "Huh?"
Tavian smirked. "I mean, you’re standing here instead of being in class."
"Oh!" She let out an awkward laugh. "Yeah, uh… I forgot my umbrella. Again."
Tavian chuckled. "Not a fan of checking the weather, huh?"
Ailith groaned. "It was sunny this morning! How was I supposed to know it would suddenly turn into the Great Flood?"
He nodded knowingly. "Yeah, I get it. Weather’s been unpredictable lately."
Ailith seized the opportunity to shift attention away from her poor life choices. "What about you? Why aren’t you at school?"
Tavian shrugged. "I went early, but the team had to run out to get extra energy drinks."
Ailith arched a brow. "Extra energy drinks? What, are you guys running on battery power now?"
Tavian laughed. "Basically. We’re practicing harder since the school tournament is two weeks away."
Ailith made a sound of understanding. "Oh, right. The big tournament. The one everyone talks about as if it's the actual Olympics."
"Well, it kinda is for us," Tavian said with a grin. "It’s a big deal."
Ailith nodded, pretending to consider his words. "Hmm. I guess running around, sweating buckets, and chasing a ball is an art form in its own way."
Tavian burst into laughter. "Wow. You really make basketball sound like some kind of tragic poetry."
Ailith gasped dramatically. "It is tragic! Think about it. A bunch of guys throwing a ball into a hoop while the audience screams their souls out? That’s basically epic warfare."
Tavian shook his head, still chuckling. "You’re something else, Ailith."
"Did he just—Did he just say my name like that?!"
Ailith’s brain went into full meltdown mode. Was it the way he said it? Or am I imagining things? Why does my name sound illegal coming from him?
Oblivious to her internal crisis, Tavian glanced at her. "Are you coming to watch the tournament?"
Her breath caught.
"Wait, what? Did he just—Did he just invite me?"
Ailith’s heart started hammering. She could say yes. She could act nonchalant and say ‘Of course, I’ll be there’ like a normal person. But no. That would be too easy. Instead, her brain decided to glitch.
"Uh…" She shifted uncomfortably. "Let me… think about it."
"What. The. Hell. Ailith."
Tavian raised an eyebrow, amused. "Let you think about it?"
"Yeah! You know, I have… stuff to do. Maybe. I mean, what if I’m, uh, busy?"
Tavian bit back a grin. "Busy with what?"
Ailith panicked. "…With, um… stuff."
A slow, knowing smirk spread across Tavian’s face. "Right. ‘Stuff.’"
Ailith groaned internally. Why am I like this?
Tavian studied her for a moment, then chuckled softly. She didn’t know why he was laughing, but the way his eyes crinkled at the corners made something warm bloom in her chest.
"What’s so funny?" she asked, crossing her arms.
"Nothing," Tavian said, still grinning. "You’re just… cute."
Ailith froze.
Did he just—?
No, no. Surely, she misheard him. Maybe he meant ‘weird’ or ‘awkward’ and she was just hallucinating.
Tavian, on the other hand, was very much aware of what he had said. He found her reactions hilarious—the way she fumbled through conversations, the way she overthought things, the way her nose scrunched up when she was flustered. He wasn’t sure when he started noticing these things about her, but he had to admit… it was cute.
Not that he’d tell her that outright. He had too much fun watching her struggle.
Ailith, still in shock mode, forced herself to look away, focusing instead on a random crack in the sidewalk.
"Play it cool. Pretend you didn’t hear it. Maybe he’ll move on."
"So," Tavian continued, ignoring her attempt to act normal. "You’ll let me know if your ‘stuff’ schedule is clear for the tournament?"
Ailith cleared her throat. "Y-yeah. I’ll, uh, check my… planner."
Tavian smirked. "You keep a planner?"
Ailith blinked. "…No."
He chuckled again, shaking his head. "Alright, Ailith. I’ll hold you to that ‘thinking about it’ answer."
Ailith exhaled sharply. "Sure. Thinking about it. Totally a real thing people do."
They reached the school entrance, where students bustled around, dodging puddles and rushing to their respective destinations.
Tavian turned to her. "Well, this is where we part ways. I’ve got practice."
"Right," Ailith said, nodding. "Basketball. Epic warfare. Got it."
Tavian chuckled, adjusting the strap of his sports bag. "See you around, Ailith."
She hesitated for half a second before replying, "Yeah. See you, Tavian."
And with that, he strode off towards the gym.
Ailith watched him disappear down the hall, still clutching onto her bag as if it were a lifeline.
Then, realization hit her like a freight train.
"Wait. Did I just walk with Tavian Caius under his umbrella? Did we just have an actual conversation? Did he actually laugh because of me? And—"
Her eyes widened.
"Did he call me cute?!"
Ailith nearly tripped over her own feet.
A nearby student gave her a weird look, but she didn’t care. She marched towards her classroom, gripping her bag strap tightly.
"Nope. Not thinking about this. Not obsessing over it. This is not a big deal."
But as she sat down in her seat, her mind refused to cooperate.
Tavian’s amused smile. His laughter. The way he actually invited her to watch him play.
Ailith groaned, dropping her head onto her desk.
"I’m doomed."
- Writer
