Chapter 6 HER SMILE IN THE RAIN

It started with a storm.

The city had a way of welcoming rain without sign. The skies will be clear this minute, torrential downpour the next minute. Elijah had just finished with a call from a client when it began raining. From his office window, he watched the world get dim behind drops of rain, as car horns faded into soft, barely-heard sounds

He liked the rain. It was a reminder that some things were beyond control.

That some things just fell.

It was well past six.

Most of the offices had become empty except for a few junior analysts who had unfinished assignments and the cleaning staff quietly making their rounds

There was something he liked about the quietness in the building after work hours, the way the space seemed to breathe differently when everyone must have gone.

He gathered his things, signalled Charlie to stand, and made his way to the elevator. Just as he stepped out, he heard the sharp, familiar click of heels echoing behind him.

He turned,

It was Sofia.

She stood by the door, just watching the rain fall, the drops splattering quietly on the pavement.

She held an umbrella by her side, its spokes had already bent and the frame already collapsed making it useless.

"You look like someone who trusted the weather forecast," Elijah said with a small smile.

She turned, laughing softly. "I always do, and I 'm always wrong "

"Classic optimism."

She raised the mangled umbrella. "Classic disappointment."

There was something about the way she stood, she always had a relaxed shoulders, her hair had began to curl. She looked softer and realer.

"Let me walk you to your car," Elijah offered.

"I parked across the street," she said, "Didn't expect to stay this long."

He handed Charlie's leash to the security guard, shrugged off his blazer, and extended it toward her, "You can wear this."

"You'll get drenched."

"I'll survive."

She held back, then took it.

As they stepped out, the rain gently greeted them. I was cool, swift, and had already cleaned up everything. She pulled her blazer tighter, drew the lapels close to her neck as the rain continued to drop.

They crossed over to the next street; as they ran, they laughed, their shoes were already soaked with water and her dress had been splashed by the rain, The hem was already drenched.

By the time they got to her car, they were both exhausted.

Sofia leaned against the door, still laughing, her hair glued to her face, and her eyes shining through the mess of the whole thing. "We look ridiculous."

Elijah smiled. "We look like people who fought with the weather ."

She stared at him, and at that point, they could feel something between them.

Not a glance,

Not a brush of hands,

Just stillness,

And just below the surface, something unspoken stirred, it was quiet, but alive.

"I miss this," she said, her voice calmer now. "Spontaneity, laughter, feeling something in the middle of all the routine."

"You can have that again," he said.

"With who?" Her words were honest, painful.

"With someone who sees you."

Their eyes locked,

Neither of them moved,

The rain didn't stop, The city didn't pause, but time felt like it did.

"Elijah," she whispered,

"I know" he said, stepping back.

She got into the car and continued to admire him through the window. Her hair was already wet and her eyes were holding everything she couldn't find the words to describe this feeling.

"Thank you," she said.

"For what?"

"For not letting me forget what it feels like to be alive."

Then she drove off, leaving Elijah soaked and standing in the street.

He didn't move for a while,

The rain kept falling, But he remained unmoved

---

That night, he stood before the mirror, his towel hung around his neck, as he recalled how she laughed, how she smiled and the tremble in her voice.

The line had never been closer or easier to ignore,

But they hadn't,

Not yet,

Still, he knew something had changed,

And once a storm passed, nothing stayed exactly where it had been before.