The Forbidden Touch

The rain arrived without warning. One moment the afternoon sky above the university campus was bright and blue. The next, dark clouds rolled across the horizon, swallowing the sunlight until everything looked gray. Students hurried across the courtyard, laughing as they ran for shelter. Amara Reyes stood beneath the library entrance and sighed. "Perfect timing," she muttered. She had forgotten her umbrella. A cold breeze swept across the campus, carrying droplets of rain that splashed against her arms. "Looks like you're stuck here too." Amara turned. Sophia stood beside her, holding a notebook over her head. "Apparently," Amara replied. The rain intensified. Within minutes the courtyard became a sea of puddles. Most students had already disappeared inside nearby buildings. The campus suddenly felt quiet. Amara watched the rain fall and wondered how long it would take before it stopped. She hated being late. Especially when her mother expected perfection. Her phone buzzed. Mom. Amara resisted the urge to groan. "Where are you?" Victoria Reyes asked immediately. "At the university." "Your driver is waiting." "It's raining." "Then run to the car." Amara closed her eyes. "Yes, Mom." The call ended. Sophia gave her a sympathetic look. "Still controlling?" "You have no idea." Before Sophia could answer, a loud crash echoed from the courtyard. Both girls looked up. A stack of boxes had fallen from a delivery cart. Papers scattered everywhere. A young man rushed toward them. Without hesitation, he knelt in the pouring rain and began collecting the papers before they could be ruined. Amara watched him. Something about him caught her attention. Maybe it was the way he ignored the rain. Maybe it was the determination in his expression. Or maybe it was the strange feeling she couldn't explain. The young man gathered the final paper and handed the stack back to the delivery worker. The worker smiled gratefully. The young man simply nodded. Then he turned. For a brief moment, his gaze met Amara's. Everything seemed to stop. The rain. The noise. Even the world around them. His dark eyes held hers for only a second before he looked away. Then he walked across the courtyard and disappeared into another building. Amara stared after him. "Who was that?" she asked. Sophia followed her gaze. "No clue." But Amara couldn't stop thinking about him. Not even after she reached the car. Not even during the drive home. And certainly not that night. Because for reasons she couldn't understand, the image of the boy in the rain stayed with her long after the storm had passed.