When It Rains

A smile played on Olympia’s face as she looked at the rain from her apartment window. It’s been a while since it rained in New Jersey.

“Enjoying the rain?” Eli asked, wandering towards Olympia. “Eli, how often did I tell you not to speak when I’m concentrating on something else?”

“My bad, I forgot.”

"Olympia doesn’t like it when someone breaks her concentration,” Milo said, walking into the room with a coffee mug. “You made yourself a coffee?” Olympia asked, eyeing the coffee mug.

“Yeah, you are not going to make any coffee, and I was not going to wait.”

“Why didn’t you make it for three people? Why did you make it for yourself?” Eli questioned Milo.

“There is not enough milk for three people.” Milo took a seat and smelled the pungent aroma of his coffee.

Olympia sat beside Eli and watched the raindrops on the window. “Are we going to have classes tomorrow?” she asked.

“We should be having classes tomorrow," Milo said, sipping his coffee. “Hmm, freshers must be disappointed. They must have been waiting for the first day at uni,” Eli added.

“True.”

“Do you know any of the juniors?” Eli asked. Milo and Olympia thought about it. "Not really. I haven't seen anyone from my high school." He turned to Olympia. "Have you heard of anyone joining?"

"No, I believe Cristy's son is going to be there. That's what she was mentioning last week." Eli and Milo nod their heads.

Milo and Olympia have known each other and studied together throughout their lives. Currently, they attend one of the country's top private universities. They first met Eli last year as freshmen. Eli is from London, and his distinctive British accent is noticeable whenever he speaks.

They have quickly become friends because of their Elite group. The elite group consists of six members.

“Where are the others?” Eli asked, as he hadn't seen the other three since he came.

“Isla and Ezra went to meet a distant cousin. I don’t know where the other one is,” Olympia said, looking out the window as the rain stopped pouring down.

“Why didn’t they tell me?” Eli asked with his brows confused.

“Because you were busy hooking up," Milo answered, and Eli smirked, nodding his head as he remembered last night. It was hot, and he couldn't remember how he ended up there. Not that he was complaining.

“Right. . .”

“Do you know where he went?” Eli asked Milo. “Did he ever tell us where he is and where he is going?”

“Need to make sure that our man attends the language classes we have ignored last year. Can't risk anything, my parents aren't happy about it." Eli picked up the ball pen that Olympia had left on the table.

"Mrs Orman and Mr Tram haven't said a word about our requests out, right?" Milo asks. Olympia thinks about it, and Eli doesn't pay attention as his gaze is fixed on the custom-made pen.

“No, if they have. There would be gossip."

“Mm.”

“Do we have Mr McCoy’s classes this week?” Milo asked, and Olympia smiled. Milo groaned, “Ugh, I don’t understand why he is teaching us family law. He was there the last two semesters, and I thought I wouldn’t see his face this semester."

“It's given as he is one of the top professors who holds the authority. He will be teaching us this year. Probably, next year we won't be seeing him."

“Let’s plan something fun. It's been a while since we went to a pub," Eli said. "Yeah, we should. You have been attending the campus parties and others."

Eli smirked. "What? You guys are invited, but you all won't be attending those parties. Not my mistake."

While Milo and Eli started arguing about parties, Olympia stood up and went over to the wall where Ezra and Milo had stuck the pictures.

She smiled, looking at the first picture they had clicked as a group. She couldn’t believe one year had passed, and now they were in their second year of college. She smiled, looking at the picture of Isla pushing Eli while Milo lay on the floor, cake all over his face and neck.

Even though BBA LLB is complex and full of classes, she found her escape space where she had all the fun in the world. She found her group of people who brightened every day and made even the tired days tolerable.

She stopped at the picture that she had taken with him. She was smiling brightly at the camera while he stood beside her, looking straight at the camera.

That was her first picture with him. “He always wore a serious expression on his face,” she whispered, tracing her finger on the photograph.

She smiled, looking at all the photographs they had taken throughout the year. They have attended several parties and gone to the pub that Eli had found every month. It was their special place.

“Did Ezra take the film camera with him?” Milo asked.

"Yes, they are planning on shooting a film for Isla," Olympia replied. The apartment they are hanging out in belongs to Ezra and Isla. Eli lives with Ezra and Isla, while Milo and Olympia remain in New York.

Their family apartments are in New York, and the university is a 30-minute drive away. Milo and Olympia have been best friends since childhood. They consider themselves as family. To Milo, Olympia is like a little sister that he never had; to Olympia, Milo is like a twin brother.

“Will they return by evening?”

“Yes."

“Anyway, let’s go out and have something to eat. I’m hungry, and there is nothing to eat,” Eli added.

“Can’t we order?” Olympia asked.

“Olympia. . . Don’t be a lazy ass. It's a pleasant afternoon,” Eli said, wandering over to where Olympia stood.

“That's a good idea. I haven't stepped out in two days," Milo said, placing his coffee cup on the table.

“Put the cup in the washbasin. Isla doesn’t like it if you leave it over there,” Olympia reminded Milo. Milo smirked, shaking his head, and Eli laughed. “Olympia honey, he loves to get scolded by Isla."

“Shut up,” Milo said, picking up his car keys.

“Come on,” Eli said, wrapping his arm around Olympia’s arm.

*

Eli made eye contact with the girl with blue highlights. She looked blank as she picked up her coffee and wandered to the last table. He looked away, not wanting to get caught by her again. He listened to Olympia and tried to pay attention.

“I don’t think we are going to step out of this cafe soon; it’s pouring again,” Milo said, looking out. “At least this is a good place to hang out. You have to go somewhere?” Eli asked, sipping his cold coffee.

“No, it would've been nice to take a walk around the campus,” Milo said, and Eli said nothing. He leaned back in his seat and looked at the table where the blue-haired girl sat.

He watched as she frowned, looking at her MacBook screen. Eli felt like he had seen the girl before, but he couldn't pinpoint where he had seen her.

“Isn’t it Elijah?” Milo asked when he saw a man entering the cafe. “Elijah?” Eli asked. Olympia turned her head to where Milo was looking. “Oh yeah. He is Elijah,” Olympia confirmed.

Elijah let out a heavy breath as he looked at the menu. He isn't sure if he wants to have a proper brunch or to grab a coffee. He was going to meet a few guys he had met during the campus tour. Since it's raining, the plan was postponed to a later time.

“Good afternoon, mate. Ready to order?”

He looked at the barista and smiled. “Good afternoon; I would like to order a veg cheese sandwich and a hot milk tea, please.”

“Takeaway,” Elijah added. Eli glanced at the white boy with blonde hair, who was of average height. He studied him carefully and found him cute. “You guys know him?” Eli asked.

“Elijah Wilton, youngest son of the attorney general,” Milo answered. “He is the son of the attorney general?”

“Yeah, he was our junior in high school. You will be seeing him more often, now that he is here. Quiet introvert compared to his siblings." Eli hummed. Eli comes from an old-money background. His family had been running a fashion business for four generations.

Elijah looked around while waiting for his order. Although the counter person suggested he take a seat while waiting, Elijah was too shy to move from his spot

“Are you sure you want to step out in the rain? It’s pouring down heavily,” the barista said. Elijah looked at the barista, surprised that he was talking with him.

“Yeah. . . I would be dampened, but I don’t like to eat alone,” Elijah replied, looking at the barista who had stepped away from his place and a new girl who had taken up his place. “A fresher?”

“Yes.”

“I’m Joel, second-year BBA LLB,” Joel introduced himself. “I’m Elijah, a first-year BBA,” Elijah said, pushing his hand out for a handshake.

“I was going to have my lunch; if you don’t mind, you can join me,” Joel said, removing his apron. Elijah looked at Joel in surprise. Joel turned around to speak with the lady for a second.

“You don’t mind me joining you?” Elijah asked. “No, why would I mind? Anyway, you cannot step out in this weather.”

Elijah turned around to look outside. “Yeah. . .”

Milo looked at Eli, who turned his head to look at the blue-haired girl. “Wassup, Eli? Got a crush on the girl? You kept on looking at her, go and ask her if you are interested." Eli immediately turned his head.

“Shut up.”

“What? You have been glancing at her; she must’ve observed that, too. Why not go and talk to her?”

“I’m not interested in her. I just felt like I had seen her somewhere.”

“Haha. . .” Olympia used the tissue paper before looking at her phone, which vibrated. She received a new text from Isla.

‘Got stuck over here because of the bad weather, will be reaching tomorrow morning.’

She read the text before replying. ‘Okay, be safe and text me when you are getting started.’

“Isla and Ezra won’t be coming back by evening. They will be reaching tomorrow morning.”

“Bad weather?” Eli asked. Olympia nodded her head, standing up from her chair. "I need to use the powder room."

“Okay.”

“Come on, let’s sit over there,” Joel said, pointing to the empty table. “Yes.” Elijah picked up his food and followed Joel. Joel’s eyes met Olympia’s, but he quickly looked away to avoid eye contact. She appeared as beautiful as ever.

Olympia saw Joel turn his head away when she approached. Her brows frowned in confusion, but she didn’t stop.

Joel excelled in the second-semester exams. She never talked to him; he consistently ignored her and her friends. The only member of her group he interacted with was Ezra.

Joel isn’t an introvert. He’s a social butterfly with many friends across different departments. People often say he’s the friendliest person in their department, but Olympia never had a chance to talk to him.

Elijah saw Olympia but didn’t say anything. He knew that Milo and she were at the same university as him. He had heard about it from his mother from time to time as she suggested that he to build friendships with them.

“You must be having classes tomorrow,” Joel said.

“Yes, classes have been postponed, but hopefully, we will have classes tomorrow.” Joel picked up his burger and ate it while Elijah started eating his sandwich.

“You are coming from?” Joel asked.

“New Jersey and you?”

“North Carolina, you come from NYC?” Joel questioned.

“No, I shifted here.”

“Dormitory or apartment?”

“Dormitory. You?” Elijah asked.

Milo pulled out his phone and started browsing Instagram while Eli looked around the cafe as it filled up. All the tables are occupied, and much chatter is happening.

“I stay in the campus villas. You can change next year, but dormitories are good too.”

“Yeah, they are basically like apartments,” Elijah said truthfully. He has a private dormitory with a kitchen, living room, bedroom and an attached bathroom.

“Shared or private?”

“Private.”

“Private campus, brother, and you will find everything exclusive and elite.”

“True.”

“You will love campus life, so don’t worry about anything. Not everyone is an asshole, and you will be able to make friends if you are open to conversations,” Joel said, and Elijah laughed.

“Let us add each other on Messenger and exchange numbers. Call me if you need anything. I would love to show you around,” Joel said.

“Sure, I was going to ask you for your number."

Elijah and Joel started talking about the campus. Olympia walked out of the washroom. On the way back, she looked at Elijah, who was laughing at something Joel had said.

“Looks like everyone is making friends with each other on this rainy day,” Eli said.

“True, it’s a good thing, I guess. They get to meet others,” Olympia said, taking her seat.“What are we going to do now? Did you call him?” Eli asked Milo.

“He is not answering my calls.”

Olympia didn’t say anything. They knew they would not meet him and would see him directly in the classroom.

“Cool, let’s hang out here, then we will go to the villa house. Everyone is gathering over there for the slow party,” Eli said.

“Slow party?”

“Only selected people and not a mandatory one.”

“Olympia, you will be joining us, right?” Eli asked.

“Yes.”