Too Close
584 Words
The driver held the umbrella over Kelvin.
"Shall we go, sir?"
Kelvin nodded before turning to Rose.
"I'll take you home."
Rose blinked.
"...What?"
"My driver will drop you off."
She immediately shook her head.
"Oh, no. It's okay.I'll just wait for the bus."
Kelvin glanced toward the road.
The bus stop was empty.
Not a single person stood there.
Not a single bus was in sight.
The rain only grew heavier.
"It doesn't look like one is coming."
"It will."
"When?"
Rose opened her mouth.
Then closed it again.
"...Eventually."
Kelvin folded his arms.
"That's not an answer."
A tiny smile tugged at Rose's lips.
The driver quietly looked away, pretending to admire the rain.
Interesting...
Kelvin took a slow breath.
"Rose."
She looked at him.
"I don't like the idea of you standing here alone in this weather."
The words were simple.
But they landed somewhere deep inside her heart.
She wasn't used to someone worrying about her.
Not like this.
She looked down.
"...You're kind."
Kelvin almost laughed.
His sister had called him many things.
Cold.
Serious.
Impossible.
Kind had never made the list.
"I'm being practical."
Rose smiled knowingly.
The driver failed to hide a smile.
Kelvin noticed immediately.
"...Don't start."
"I didn't say anything, sir."
"You were about to."
"I wasn't."
"You had the smile."
"What smile?"
"The smile."
Rose looked between them.
"...Should I be concerned?"
The driver answered before Kelvin could.
"No, miss."
"Master Kelvin simply believes I smile too much."
Kelvin sighed.
"You do."
"I've been smiling for twenty-five years."
"Exactly."
Rose covered her mouth, laughing.
"You two argue like family."
The driver smiled warmly.
"I've known Master Kelvin since he was six."
Rose's eyes widened.
"Really?"
The driver nodded proudly.
"I taught him how to ride a bicycle."
Kelvin immediately groaned.
"...Please don't."
Rose looked interested.
"Don't what?"
The driver grinned.
"He cried."
Kelvin stared at him.
"I was six."
"He cried loudly."
"I fell into a bush."
"You blamed the bicycle."
"It betrayed me."
Rose couldn't stop laughing.
A proper laugh.
The kind that made her shoulders shake.
Kelvin watched her.
There it was again.
That laugh.
The one that somehow made the gloomy afternoon feel brighter.
His chest tightened.
Why do I like hearing her laugh so much?
He quickly pushed the thought away.
The driver opened the rear door of the SUV.
"Miss Rose?"
She looked at the car.
Then back at Kelvin.
"...Are you sure?"
Kelvin nodded.
"I'm sure."
She hesitated for another second before finally smiling.
"...Okay."
She took a step forward.
Unfortunately...
A wide puddle stretched between the shelter and the car.
Rose frowned.
"...That's bigger than I expected."
Kelvin followed her gaze.
"It is."
"I can jump it."
He looked at her soaked shoes.
"...Can you?"
Rose looked down.
"...Maybe not."
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then Kelvin quietly held out his hand.
"I've got you."
Rose looked at his hand.
Then at him.
The rain continued to fall around them.
Slowly...
Very slowly...
She reached out.
Her fingertips had just begun to touch his hand
BOOM!
A deafening c***k of thunder split the sky.
Rose gasped in surprise and instinctively stumbled forward...
Straight into Kelvin.
Her forehead bumped lightly against his chest.
For a heartbeat...
Everything stood still.
The rain continued to pour around them.
The wind howled through the empty street.
But inside the little bus shelter...
Time seemed to freeze.
Kelvin instinctively wrapped one arm around her waist to stop her from falling.
- Writer
