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Murphy’s law; an adage that states that “anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.”
And somehow that was the definition of her life at the moment.
It had been weeks since she’d had a day off, so she’d spent hours planning the perfect date for her boyfriend. Rafayel had remained understanding of her business, simply telling her to be careful as he didn’t want his Miss Bodyguard to get hurt. At times, he even accompanied her on her missions when they took place near Whitesand Bay.
But it wasn’t the same as a proper date.
She admitted she might have been looking forward to it more than he was, which made him quite amused. It came as a surprise to her, knowing how needy he could be.
Or was she actually the clingy one?
She spent hours scrolling through the internet, finding the perfect date spots and then arranging them into the best itinerary. Rafayel had complained for a while about how hard he was being made to work, first by Thomas, second by his brain finding inspiration in the strangest of place. She wanted this to be a good break for them both, just some time for themselves amidst the chaos of everyday life.
Yet, the day of, everything began going horribly wrong.
First, an impromptu investigation into stolen Protocores had her come in on her day off to work overtime. She had been mortified telling Rafayel that their plans would need to happen in the latter half of the day instead. He sulked a bit but relented, telling her to finish quickly as he wanted to see her quickly.
Then, a Wanderer had suddenly appeared at the park she visited with Rafayel. While the two had been able to jump into action and make swift work of the monster, the park lay utterly decimated, the pretty flowers crushed under the weight of its steps. It nearly brought tears to her eyes as other Hunters appeared, cordoning off the area.
To make matters worse, the quaint little café by the seaside she had wanted to take Rafayel to in order to sample their new desserts? Closed for the day as their pâtissiers were sick.
She stood frozen in front of the shop, staring at the “Closed” sign in bright red letters. Her fists clenched, nails digging into her skin as she bit her lip.
Was it so hard to ask for one day?
Just one day with her lover?
At her side, Rafayel folded his arms across his chest, gently shaking his head. “How awful,” he sighed. “I suppose we’ll just have to come back another day.”
She bit back a retort about how she didn’t know when they’d have another free day. Instead, she rubbed her temples, her head starting to throb.
How could this get any worse?
“Come on, cutie,” Rafayel slipped an arms around her shoulders, leading her away. “Let’s go cheer you up. We could go to the Meow Café and play some Kitty Cards?”
Despite the throbbing headache, she couldn’t help but smile a bit. Knowing how much he hated cats, his suggestion to play her favorite card game was highly appreciated.
And just as they stepped out of the cover of the café’s roof, she felt something cold fall on her nose.
“What was that?” she asked.
Plop.
Another cold sensation on her cheek.
She turned her eyes to the sky.
How had she not noticed how they had darkened with rain clouds?
“Well,” Rafayel murmured, holding out his hand as drops began to fall with increasing frequency. “That’s not ideal at all.”
They took shelter under the café’s protruding roof as the downpour fell around them, drenching everything it touched. The sudden rain had people scrambling for shelter everywhere, until the entire street was deserted, leaving only them, and the sound of the sea in the background.
Hot tears made their way to her eyes. She blinked furiously, trying to stop them from falling, only to have one slowly slide down her cheek.
Rafayel noticed, reaching out to catch the tear on his finger. “Hey, it’s alright,” he gently said. “Don’t cry.”
She tried her hardest, but more escaped her eyes. She felt angry. Frustrated. Absolutely helpless.
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into him. Gripping onto his shirt, she buried her face in his chest.
“It doesn’t matter, you know,” he said, rubbing circles on her back. “We can always go out on our next day off. We’ll even repeat the same itinerary to make up for today!”
“If the world doesn’t end by then.” She gave a dark laugh. “I’m sorry, I’m just…really frustrated.”
“I know, cutie, I know.”
“Is it so much to ask for just one day to spend with you? I carefully planned everything- “
“We did spend the day together,” he pointed out.
“Fighting Wanderers isn’t the same.”
“That wasn’t all we did,” he offered. “We had a nice walk, spent some time just going around the streets.”
She pouted, wanting to be angry and sad and stew in her misfortune, but how could she stay morose when her boyfriend was just so sweet and endearing? Despite herself, she couldn’t help but smile against his shirt.
“I know you’re mad because you planned all these things, but the truth is, its not the activities that are important. It’s that I get to spend time with you.”
He wiped her tears away with the pads of his thumbs. “You can’t control everything,” he told her, his voice heavy with fondness. “So…just sit back and enjoy the ride!”
She pulled away from him, turning to the rain. “I appreciate the message, but…” She pointed to the sheets of water just out of reach. “We still are stuck.”
“Are we?”
She glanced at him, noticing a certain…smile…curling at the corners of his lips. “Or…is this just another opportunity?”
She frowned. “An…opportunity? For what?”
He shrugged lightly. “You know…I’m feeling a little…whimsical…today.” He turned to her, taking her hand in his. “How about we leave all our plans behind and just…go with the flow?”
Without waiting for an answer, he tugged her behind him, right into the downpour.
“Rafayel!” she exclaimed as she was suddenly bombarded with rain. “What are you doing?!”
“I’ve always wanted to do this,” he chuckled.
“Do what?” she asked, wrapping her arms over her head, as if it would stem the flow even slightly.
“Dance!”
She felt absolutely flabbergasted.
Rafayel stood in front of her, turning his head to the sky. While everyone else had scrambled away from the open sky, he seemed right at home in his element. As if he was just taking a simple shower.
He tugged her closer with a hand on her waist. “It’s okay,” he told her, his voice lowered. “Let all your worries go.”
She turned her head to the sky. The rain soaked into her skin, her hair, making her clothes stick to her body.
Yet, she forced a laugh.
Rafayel was right. She couldn’t control everything. So why not just let loose?
And do something so corny it made her roll her eyes when she saw it in movies?
Her next laugh wasn’t as forced, carrying over the sound of the rain.
Rafayel took a step back, bowing and holding out his hand. “Well, my lady, may I have this dance?”
Once she had begun to laugh, she couldn’t stop. “Of course,” she said, placing her hand within his hold.
He pulled her to him, grasping one of her hands while his other went to rest at her waist. His skin felt warm when contrasted with the cool rain. He began to spin them around in a waltz, their steps light and airy, laughing as the rain continued to beat down on them and soak them to the bone.
On this empty street, there was just a moment for two lovers. The thrum of the rain on the pavement and the sound of the sea beside them became their soundtrack.
All her well-laid plans had gone down the drain.
Yet, this moment, this moment made it all worth it.