RAINSTORM

Ch. 17

Rachel stares at a car near the wall of the shop. It looks very old and rusted. A mechanic is soldering its roof.

A moment later, Hector appears next to her with a small pink helmet that he got from Bo. "Here," he says and offers it to Rachel. 

Rachel takes off Hector's helmet from her head and puts on the pink one. She nods at the old car near the wall. "What are they doing?" She asks.

"They are restoring it," Hector says. 

"Why? Can it run?"

"It can if they are able to find the right parts for the engine."

"Wouldn't it be cheaper to buy a new car?" Rachel says.

Hector smiles. He looks at the car being worked on and it reminds him of his time with his late grandfather.

The two of them used to work on an old Ford in the garage. Hector must've been nine or ten at the time. An year later, his grandfather passed away. The restoration still remains unfinished. 

"It's not about the money," Hector says and climbs onto his bike. Rachel sits at the back thinking that's exactly what someone with a lot of money would say. Then she notices he's not wearing his jacket.

"Where's your jacket?" Rachel says.

"It's hot. I left it at the shop. Will pick it up later," Hector says. 

Rachel thinks it's a habit after all, for him to leave his jackets everywhere. But her concern right now is what she'll hold onto?

As the bike's engine revs up, Rachel reaches for his shirt. But she's not sure if she should grab his shirt. Jacket was fine, but shirt...

Suddenly the bike kicks forward and stops. Rachel quickly grabs Hector's waist.

Hector revs up the engine again and rides off. Rachel sighs. For a second she thought she was going to fall off the bike. She had rather put up with the embarrassment than lose her life, she decides, and tightens her grip on him.

The next half hour, Rachel simply watches the world go past her. It's a different feeling than watching from inside a moving car. This one is more immersive.

When the traffic dwindles, and roads and open spaces get broader Rachel realizes they are already at the city outskirts.

And when Hector turns to a smaller gravel road and they enter a drive-in theater, Rachel beams. It's the first time she's seeing one in real life.

The huge screen is visible from the entrance. Its white canvas has a tinge of orange, colored by the setting sun.

While waiting in the line of vehicles at the entry way, Hector takes out his phone and opens the theater's mobile app. He books two tickets, and later shows the QR code to the ticket checking staff before driving in.

Two wheelers have a separate section at the side, with tables and chairs to their front for their riders to comfortably sit down and enjoy the movie.

By the time Hector parks his bike and he and Rachel get off, the movie had started. When the older UNIVERSAL logo appears, something about it seems familiar to Rachel. She doesn't hear anything. Soon enough the title appears — three lines, all caps, yellow, and centered.

Rachel bites her lips to contain her excitement. She can't believe her luck. It's one of her all time classic favorites — THE BREAKFAST CLUB.

End of chapter

A/N — Guess you know now what my movie pick is going to be for the New Year's Eve :D

When I write to you again it'll be a whole new year! Thank you so much for being my stunningly awesome reader this year too 🥰 Words can't describe how happy I am to write these stories for you. And I got to learn a lot from everyone's feedbacks!

In 2024, RAINSTORM will continue, and I'll try to wrap up ABIDE, and of course there's the next ML story ;) And some more new ones, too! :D Fingers crossed for everything.

Hope to see you in the next year as well, healthy, happy and ready for some adventures 😸 Take care, guys. And wish you a very Happy New Year! 🎊

— 💕 Auctorsam