Red In The Rain

It was September—one of those moody transition months when the sun and rain seemed to be at war. The sky, once bright and clear that morning, was now veiled in thick, rolling clouds, releasing a relentless downpour. The scent of wet earth mingled with the crisp freshness of rain, and puddles began to form along the cracked sidewalks. The highway gutters overflowed, spilling onto the streets. Ailith Cortez, a seventeen-year-old high school senior, stood under the awning of a small flower shop, watching the rain with an exasperated sigh. She shifted her weight from foot to foot, pulling her light cardigan closer to her body. The wind wasn’t exactly cold, but the dampness clung to her skin like an unwelcome embrace. She turned to her left, noticing the elegant signboard above the shop’s entrance. The words "F-L-O-W-R-A" were etched in graceful white-and-gold calligraphy. She tilted her head slightly. "Flowra? That’s an odd name… Maybe it’s a play on ‘flora’? Or someone’s name? Either way, it sounds fancy." The smell of fresh roses, lilies, and jasmine wafted from inside the shop, momentarily distracting her from the fact that she was stranded—again—without an umbrella. It was Tuesday, and once more, she had miscalculated the weather. That morning had been so bright and promising that it hadn’t even crossed her mind to check the forecast. She exhaled loudly. "Brilliant, Ailith. Absolutely brilliant. Now I’m going to be late again. One week straight. That’s got to be a record." Her mind flickered to her homeroom teacher, Ms. Jane. "She’s going to kill me. Or worse—she’ll make me write an essay about punctuality. Ugh." The streets were eerily quiet. The occasional car zipped past, its tires slicing through puddles, sending water splashing onto the pavement. Pedestrians were sparse, most of them scurrying under umbrellas, hoods pulled tightly over their heads. Ailith checked the time on her phone. Her heart sank. "Great. Just great. Maybe I should just make a run for it." She stepped forward, hesitating as she felt a raindrop splash against her cheek. "Nope. Bad idea," she muttered to herself. With nothing better to do, she let her thoughts drift—straight to him. Tavian Caius Gomez. The name alone sent an involuntary shiver down her spine. Her fingers tightened around the strap of her bag as she imagined his face—the strong jawline, the effortlessly tousled dark brown hair, the sharp yet kind hazel eyes that seemed to see through people. Tavian wasn’t just a boy; he was a phenomenon. Class President. MVP of the TigerClaws basketball team. A representative of the International Youth Leaders. Rank Top 2 in academics. A gentleman. The kind of guy girls dreamed of dating and guys envied. "And then there’s me." She bit her lower lip, feeling a pang of self-awareness. Compared to someone like him, she was just… ordinary. No remarkable talents, no prestigious titles, no fan club waiting outside the gymnasium after every game. "I wonder if he even notices me. If he knows I exist beyond the attendance sheet." They had been classmates since middle school, yet she could count on one hand the number of conversations they’d had. "Conversations? More like awkward exchanges." There was that time in sophomore year when they were paired for a science project. But all she had managed to say was, “Uh, sure, I’ll do the slides,” before he took over the experiment. And then last month, he had handed her a worksheet she dropped, flashing that polite smile of his as he said, “Here you go, Ailith.” Ailith. The way her name rolled off his tongue was permanently ingrained in her mind. "Pathetic, right? Getting excited over two words?" She sighed, shaking her head. A sudden honk startled her, pulling her back to reality. Across the street, a familiar group of students was huddled under the eaves of a convenience store, waiting for the rain to let up. Among them, Tavian. Her breath hitched. He was standing with a couple of his basketball teammates, laughing at something one of them had said. Even from this distance, he exuded an effortless charm, his uniform crisp despite the rain’s humidity. He ran a hand through his damp hair, and she swore she heard an imaginary swoon sound effect in her head. And then, the impossible happened. He looked her way. Her heart stopped. For a split second, she thought she was imagining it. But no, his hazel eyes locked onto hers, a flicker of recognition flashing across his face. Was he—? Before she could react, he raised his hand and waved. Waved. At her. Ailith’s brain short-circuited. "Okay, okay, act normal. Be cool. Just wave back." Her hand twitched. Nope. Abort mission. Instead of returning the wave like a normal human being, she turned on her heel, pretending to be deeply fascinated by the flower shop’s display window. "You i***t!" she screamed internally. "He waved at you! You had one job!" Her pulse was racing. Had he noticed her panicked reaction? Did he think she was ignoring him? Slowly, she risked a glance back. He was still looking at her, a small amused smile playing on his lips. Before she could process anything else, the rain started to ease. It wasn’t completely gone, but it had softened to a drizzle. The small crowd across the street began dispersing, some students daring to dash across puddles. Ailith’s breath caught as Tavian made a move. He said something to his teammates before stepping away. Towards her. Panic. Pure, undiluted panic surged through her veins. "He’s coming. What do I do? Act casual? No, I’ll mess that up. Do I run? No, that’s even weirder. Breathe, Ailith. Breathe." Before she could figure out a plan, he was already standing in front of her. “Hey,” he said smoothly, pushing his hands into his pockets. Ailith stared. Say something! “Uh… hey,” she croaked. Smooth. So smooth. Traylor glanced up at the sky, then back at her. “You waiting for the rain to stop?” She nodded. “Yeah. Forgot my umbrella. Again.” He chuckled. “Yeah, I saw you waiting here. Thought I’d say hi.” He saw me? “Uh, thanks,” she muttered, her face burning. There was a brief silence, and then— “You want to share my umbrella?” Ailith felt her soul leave her body. This wasn’t happening. This had to be a fever dream. She blinked rapidly, struggling to form words. “I-I don’t want to bother you—” “It’s no bother,” he said, opening the umbrella. “We’re heading the same way, right?” Her brain had officially stopped functioning. She swallowed, forcing herself to nod. And just like that, she found herself walking beside Tavian Caius Gomez, under the same umbrella, as the rain continued to fall in a gentle, rhythmic melody around them.