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Of all the places to be during a rainstorm, Neil didn’t think that right in the middle was the best. Each drop of rain that hit the windshield of his car forced goosebumps to form on his body and he was nearly crawling out of his skin to get home and out of the storm.
So it came as a surprise to Neil when his boyfriend, Todd, seated on the passenger side of the car, pressed his face to the glass of his window and sighed wistfully looking at the downpour.
“You okay there, babe?”
Todd reluctantly peeled his face away from the window and turned to look at Neil.
“Hn?”
“I said are you feeling okay."
“I’m fine.”
Neil scoffed a bit.
“That was almost believable, Mr. Anderson, but I’d like you to try once more with conviction, the audience won’t believe the scene if you’re that reserved, darling.”
When Todd slapped Neil across the arm it was definitely warranted.
"Really, Todd," Neil amended looking toward the other man briefly before turning his eyes back to the road. "Are you okay?"
"I wasn't lying Neil, I'm fine, I just..."
"Just…what?"
The stretch of silence worried Neil enough for him to shift his gaze toward Todd again only to see that wistful expression overtake his face.
"When I was younger, Jeff used to tell me that the rain would make me grow taller, like the plants mom watered around the house. Whenever it would rain I'd beg him to take me outside. He'd always make a big fuss about it, saying he didn't want me to be taller than him. I didn’t realize at the time he was being difficult just to be difficult; I was eight though so it always seemed like a victory when he would finally say yes and take me outside in the backyard. We'd splash around like a couple of fools until dad yelled at us to come back in before we caught colds."
Todd paused momentarily, staring through the windshield.
"I miss that."
"You miss being yelled at by your dad?" Neil asked with a cheeky grin that spread across his face slowly.
Todd smacked him again.
"No, stupid," Todd chided through a grin of his own. "I miss the rain. Being in it, letting it seep into my skin."
His brow furrowed and he bit his lip ducking his head slightly before looking back up at his boyfriend through his eyelashes.
"Could we maybe stop and, you know..." Todd hesitated then gestured to the rain when Neil glanced in his direction.
"You're kidding, right?"
Todd shook his head.
"We're in the middle of a thunderstorm and you wanna stop and feel the rain?"
Todd nodded.
A sigh escaped Neil before he could help himself. He looked to Todd in the corner of his eye. That was his first mistake. Todd’s hopeful gaze broke Neil’s resolve before it even had the chance be fortified.
The brake pedal yielded to Neil's foot as he began to pull the car to the side of the road. A loud thunder clap pulled a shudder out of him, but the smile that broke on Todd's face made Neil's heart flutter enough for him to forget his dislike of the storm.
"The things I do for you."
"I love you," Todd said in a singsong voice nearly bouncing out of his seat as the car coasted to a stop. Before Neil could reply, Todd unbuckled himself and hopped out of the car giddier than a small child during the holiday season.
“And I love you,” Neil whispered to himself as he unbuckled to get out of the car.
Once the two men were out of the car, the rain seemed to pound even harder and within no more than five seconds they were soaked to the bone. From the smile on his face, it was clear that Todd was loving every second he spent in the storm, with his hair pressed flat against head, the most of it obscuring his forehead, its sandy blond color now a dark brown and Neil’s was no better, though he had pushed his away from his forehead in a minor fit of annoyance.
The rain continued to pour on the two of them and for the most part Neil was ready to leave. He wasn’t overly fond of the rain, and yet, the moment he looked at Todd standing a few feet away from him, his arms open wide and his head tilted toward the sky, Neil found a new appreciation for it.
“Isn’t it wonderful, Neil?” Todd asked when he felt his lover’s arms wrap around his waist.
Neil rested his head on Todd’s shoulder agreeing with a silent nod. Todd exhaled slowly and spoke again.
“I could stay like this forever, here with you, and the rain. It’s just so simple, no one asking for answers, no one expecting me to speak up, no one wanting anything at all. Just you, me, and the rain.”
Todd turned around in Neil's embrace and sank his face into the other man’s chest. His arms wrapped around Neil, holding him close as the rain fell around them and for a moment nothing mattered but the two of them, growing closer in the rain.
Neil pushed against Todd slightly, only enough to get him to lift his face up for Neil to place a hand under his chin.
“Do you think I could get a kiss, my dear, here in the rain?”
“You’re such a sap,” Todd stated, looking at Neil with slight smile. “I wouldn’t mind a kiss though…”
Smiling Neil leaned in and let their lips touch; slowly moving his against Todd’s waiting for him to let him deepen the kiss. He didn't have to wait long as Todd himself grew impatient and pressed harder against Neil's mouth, silently prompting for more.
And that’s how they remained, the two of them lost in each other, kissing in the rain, letting the outside world move around while they had their moment of peace.
That is until more thunder rolled across the sky again and Neil nearly jumped out of his skin.
“Alright, Neil, I think it’s time to go,” Todd said with a light pat to Neil's back.
Neil had the two of them back in the car and on the way home before another raindrop could hit the ground.