Chapter Text
“Are you still there?”
He ran through the courtyard of the university, holding the umbrella tightly in his hand as he felt the splash of the puddles soak his socks. But even that couldn’t make him slow down.
He could hear her laugh through his headphones and he sighed. “Don’t laugh! You can get a cold if you get stuck in the rain like this!”
“It’s just a little rain, Luke.” Her voice was soft, almost dreamy as she sang his name. “And I can always use my bag to cover my head.
“You’ll still get soaked, and knowing you, you’d probably work through a cold. Probably do something dumb like take a bunch of random medication thinking the more you take the faster you’ll recover.”
“Did Artem tell you about that?”
A pause, he scowled as he stopped. “You’re joking, right?” A nervous laugh was all he needed to know that his dear Watson would do something as stupid as that. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “We’ll talk about that later. Just stay on the line.”
“But Luke my battery is almost..”
The call disconnected and his heart dropped. He pulled out his phone and cursed at how when he called her again it went straight to voicemail. “She always forgets to charge her phone when she’s busy.,.I’m going to buy her a new external charger…Better yet, I should just get her a new phone.”
The library. She mentioned that she was at the University Library studying for her upcoming bar exam and that she didn’t realize it would suddenly rain. As he ran, almost slipping twice, he only slowed down when he saw a familiar figure standing in front of the library. Her hand reaching out to catch the cold raindrops. There was a serene smile on her lips that made his worries almost disappear.
Almost.
“Rosa.” He breathed out and she turned around and gave him the brightest smile.
“You really came!” There was a laughter in her voice as he approached her under the roof of the library entrance. “You know it’s really just a little rain.”
“You’re lucky my shop is near the University.”
“But it isn’t.”
“It’s close enough.”
She smiled before staring back out at the rain. “I usually pack my umbrella even on a clear day, but I guess…I slipped back into my old habits.”
“Old habits?”
“When you were around, I never had to remember my umbrella cause you always did and we’d share it…or you know we’d run through the rain trying to get back home as quickly as we could.”
He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “I think we once used my jacket to cover us both and screamed as we ran to catch the last bus.”
“You were the one that was screaming.”
“I think it was both of us.” He leaned into her, a cheeky smile on his lips while the bright smile on her lips never left. “I even think you were louder.”
“Shut up…”She shoved his shoulder before looking at the umbrella in his hand. “You only brought one?”
“I thought we could share…like old times.”
“Tsk…” She grabbed his arm and gave it a squeeze. A gesture that was familiar and yet still made his heart skip a beat. “I would have been more upset if you brought two.” A pause before she glanced up at him, her green eyes meeting his coral ones. “Do you have to go somewhere?”
He hummed before shaking his head. “I’m free for the rest of the day.”
“Then…can we just stand here for a bit and watch the rain?”
“Outside? We can always go to a cafe or something.”
“We can do that after...I just want to watch the rain with you, Luke. I just want to stay here and enjoy the moment.”
His eyes softened before nodding and turning his head. “I guess we can do that but I thought you hated the rain. Especially getting wet by the rain..you called it a painful type of cold that you could feel in your bones.”
“I did…but then one day—the rain started to remind me of you.” She nuzzled his arm with the side of her head and he bumped the top of it with his. An action that earned him a giggle and a small poke to his side.
“Is that a good thing? I wouldn’t want to be remembered by something you hated..something that caused you pain.”
“Not like that dummy. It just…I missed you most when it rained. Did you know that one time I stole an unused trash bag to cover myself from the rain…My mom was not happy about that.” They shared a small laugh before Rosa sighed and squeezed his arm again. “I guess…when it rained I thought about you because you would always be waiting with an umbrella and your hand reached out to take mine. I’d talk about my day to the raindrops, maybe thinking that you would do the same. The conversations we would have had if we stayed together and just—It would make the time go by faster, made the rain less cold and soon I’d be home…even if my socks were soaked..even if I was home alone again...I was less lonely because I go to remember you when it rained.”
She slowly lifted her head to look at him and saw the slightly guilty expression. “Hey…I’m not saying this to make you sad.” She reached out, her fingers lightly touching his cheek. “I missed you.”
A soft confession, one that made his eyes shine and she gave him a sheepish smile, her eyes curving before she moved to stand in front of him. She pressed her hand to his cheek and took a step, pressing her forehead against his. She breathed out slowly, enjoying the comfort and warmth that only he could provide.“I really missed you, Luke. I’m really glad you’re back…I’m glad I can forget about my umbrella because I know you’d come to find me. I…” Her eyes opened slowly to see his closed, his lower lip trembling slightly. “I missed you, Luke…I really really missed you.”