After The Rain

Kathrine Milan

The rain was pounding so hard, hitting my warm skin like razor blades. It mixed with my even hotter tears. I could taste the salt on the tip of my tongue and feel the bitterness and heavy weight settling in my heart. My vision blurred, not just from the rain or the tears, but from staring at the only car in front of me until it disappeared into the darkness of the night, leaving me standing there with nothing but an empty, aching feeling inside me.

TWO MONTHS AGO

"Kath!"

Someone yelled behind me, making me jump slightly in my chair. My head whipped around to find Maria standing there with her usual composed posture, a cup of coffee in her hand. The silver polish on her nails shimmered against the soft nude pink of the coffee cup. I've often wondered why someone like Maria chooses to work here. She's beautiful, brilliant, and with her father running an entire business empire, she could have anything she wanted. Yet here she is, sharing an office with me.

"Yeah?" I asked, ignoring her glare as her hawk-like eyes bounced between me and the open laptop.

"Oh. My. God!" she exclaimed, earning the softest gasp from me. My fingers trembled as I snapped the laptop shut.

Maria's glare only intensified, but I wasn't about to give her a single hint about what I had been writing. No matter how hard she pushed.

"You're here to tell me something, aren't you?"

I asked before she had the chance to bring up her favorite question. There are only a few people in my life who genuinely care about my writing, and Maria is one of them.

I remember that rainy day.

The air was thick with the scent of wet earth. The rain fell so heavily that it blurred my vision. I remember searching desperately for my favorite pen, the last gift my father gave me before he died eighteen years ago.

I remember a soft hand resting on my shoulder, the warmth of it sinking deep into my bones. I still remember the gentle sound of her voice, soothing enough to quiet the chaos inside my dreams. I remember the brush of her thumb against my rain-soaked skin as she held me upright beneath the relentless downpour.

"Yeah. Well... he's out there in the waiting lounge. Askin–"

Maria's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I blinked at her, trying to process what she'd just said. The moment I did, excitement and nervousness rushed through me so fiercely that I couldn't stop myself from blurting out.

"What? Who's out there?" It was a stupid question, considering how often he visited my office. It was a miracle my boss hadn't fired me already.

"Calm down."

I couldn't ignore the intrigue in Maria's usually velvety voice. I rolled my eyes and stood, smoothing down my deep brown pencil skirt.

"Don't be too hard on him," Maria warned.

I could practically feel her curiosity burning into my back, but I ignored it and focused on the task at hand.

My heels clattered against the polished floor as I made my way down the hallway toward the waiting lounge. Holding my breath, I paused outside the door for a bit too long, trying to compose myself. I brushed the loose strand of brown hair behind my ear and smoothed my lipstick with the pad of my index finger before releasing a shaky breath. Then I reached for the cold metal handle and pushed the door open.

My breath hitched.

It was him.