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DG watched in awe as the rain poured down outside her bedroom window. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen a storm this powerful. There wasn’t a lot of lightning but the drops were fat and looked heavy. Overcome with a sudden desire she made sure she wasn’t wearing white, as that would be bad, before running out of her room barefoot. She heard the clomp of Cain’s boots and swore. She’d forgotten about him. She picked up speed, sliding around corners and into the wall. When she reached the stairs she didn’t even slow down. She propped her hip on the banister and glided down with her arms outstretched for balance, loving the feel of the air rushing around her. It reminded her of her much missed motorcycle. She had so much speed when she reached the bottom of the stairs that she left the ground for a few feet before she landed hard, stumbling as she caught her balance. She barely paused.
She flung open the door and rain out into the rain feeling giddy, despite the angry shouts of her Tin Man. He was always so serious and palace life was boring, he needed this as much as she did. She wasn’t surprised to see Az already waiting for her. A memory of another storm came to mind as she gripped her sisters hand tightly, pulling her along. When she could feel the rain unobstructed she opened her arms wide and threw her head back, spinning in circles as she laughed in delight. She danced in a circle around Az who stood still as she was cleansed. She knew this was more than just a game to her dear sister. She saw Cain skidding to a stop a few feet away and she approached him with a grin. Before he could start his usual tirade she materialized a bright red umbrella and handed it to him. She knew he wouldn’t leave them in the open without protection, she also knew he didn’t trust anyone else to watch over them. She gave him the umbrella as a token of thanks.
“Please.” she pleaded, meeting his gaze. She hugged him quickly when he gave a terse nod before rushing back to Az’s side.
She stood in the rain at her sister’s elbow for a long moment, just lending support before she decided that enough was enough. With a grin she grabbed both her sisters hands in hers and spun her in a circle making her laugh loudly. They skipped and danced around each other, barefoot and dripping, for almost thirty minutes as they laughed and giggled and remembered times long past. She felt her Tin Man’s gaze more than once and lifted her eyes to his when she felt them again. They shared a meaningful glance before she focused on her sister once again. They only went inside when they were soaked to the bone and the rain began to dissipate. Cain walked directly behind them covering them with the bright red umbrella on the trek back to the castle. Once inside he let the umbrella slip closed and they trudged up the stairs with a rueful glance from Cain. They dropped Az off at her room and walked slowly in silence back to hers. He entered with her, setting the umbrella against the wall by the balcony doors and she watched him seat himself on her sofa as he had so many times before.
“I’m going to shower and change Cain, I’ll be right back.”
“Dress warm Princess, we need to have a chat.”
She giggled again, “Yes, we do. I’d expect nothing less.”
Once she was warm and dry once again she settled in the chair nearest Cain.
“Okay, I’m ready to be yelled at.”
“That was stupid. You could have been killed on those stairs and you nearly gave me a heart attack when you barreled out of your room at top speed.”
“I am truly sorry about that last part. I just got so excited I forgot that you were right outside my door, I didn’t mean to worry you.”
“The stairs.” he pointed out.
“Not sorry for that. That was so much fun!” she bounced in her seat.
“Never again.” he demanded meeting her eyes for the first time. She felt her happiness leave her at the real worry she saw in his eyes.
She nodded slowly, never taking her eyes from his, wanting him to know she was serious. He let out a deep breath before he spoke again.
“Are you gonna tell me what that was about?”
She sighed, “Az and I used to dance in the rain when we were children. We both needed to feel that innocence again. For Az it was a cleansing of sorts. It was very important Cain. I promise it wont happen every time it rains, I cant say it’ll never happen again because I’m not sure it wont.”
“Okay, I can let this go this time, but dammit DG why couldn’t you have just told me that instead of running like your life depended on it?”
“Cain, palace life is boring! I don’t know why you even stayed, there’s nothing for you to do here. You needed a good chase as much as I needed the rain.”
“I stayed here to protect you! Do you want me to leave?”
She snapped her mouth shut, reeling back. How could she have gone from deliriously happy to devastated in less that twenty minutes?
“How could you ask me that?” she whispered.
He didn’t answer, she didn’t expect him too. Her gaze wandered to the rain again. Her and Cain had a wordless understanding. They avoided all talk of the feelings growing inside them, choosing instead to remain friends. She though it went without saying that she needed him here as much as he needed to be here. Apparently she was wrong. Her eyes slipped closed as the tears came.
“Do you want to be here Cain?” she asked though her pain.
She heard his sharp breath intake of air but kept her eyes on the rain. She didn’t hear him move until he was kneeling in front of her. He gently turned her face toward his with his fingers on her chin.
“I’m right where I wanna be Deeg. Don’t doubt that.”
“Then why ask that?”
“I had to be sure. You’ve been acting weird lately, what’s wrong?”
His fingers brushed her jaw line gently as he spoke, his gaze never wavering from hers.
“I’m just overwhelmed is all. I needed time to adjust. I don’t remember this life Cain, I remember my family and growing up here, but I don’t remember the grooming and the pointless lessons in etiquette and politics. Its just getting to be a bit too much, and then you’ve been getting distant with me. I thought maybe you were getting bored.”
“Not bored, DG. I’m never bored around you. Everyone has been a bit down lately it seems, I guess the rain came at the right time. Get some sleep DG, and pray you don’t get a cold.”
She watched as he stood and walked to the door. When his hand was on the knob she found her courage and her voice.
“Are we ever going to talk about what’s between us?”
He paused, his eyes finding hers before he spoke.
“Someday, Princess. Someday soon.”
And with a tip of his hat he was gone. DG sighed as she stood and headed to bed. Someday had better get here quick because she was running out of patience with her Tin Man.
And as luck would have it DG did get a cold, and Someday became a reality about a month later. It coincidently was another storm. This time she didn’t run, but walked with her Tin Man and his red umbrella outside into the tempest. There, in front of all the droplets, Cain wrapped his arms around her and sealed the unspoken promise with a kiss. The umbrella lay forgotten.
For years, on their anniversary it would rain. And each time they walked under that red umbrella and kissed in the rain.
~Finis~