rainfall | ashton irwin au | completed

four

It was when I was sat with Ashton in his bedroom on Thursday night that the storm finally broke through the sky. I was in the middle of explaining the plot of The Great Gatsby when the first crack of thunder vibrated through the air, and I bit my lip to suppress a smile. I loved storms.

"Jesus, that was loud," Ashton said, instantly heading to the window and gazing up at the lilac coloured sky.

I agreed and joined him as the first flash of lightening flooded the room. It wasn't long before the rain started. There was no gradual increase; it fell suddenly and heavily. This time, it was not my doing.

Another grumble of thunder loudly fought for our attention and I could no longer resist the urge to grin.

"I'm guessing you like storms?" He said as he took in my expression.

I nodded. "They're one of my favourite things," I told him, barely able to take my eyes off the window in front of me.

"You're so weird," he chuckled, nudging my arm slightly to show that he was joking.

"I know," I laughed giddily, feeling stupid but not really caring. At least now I didn't have to try so hard to act friendly; the storm seemed to bring out the only good side of me. "I kind of want to go outside."

He raised his eyebrows momentarily, still eyeing the bursts of lightening that illuminated the gloomy sky. He appeared to be thinking about something, and after a few minutes he seemed to make a decision.

"Let's go outside, then," he grinned mischievously, his eyes glinting every so often against the ever-changing sky.

"But we need to get back to this," I sighed at the abandoned books and pieces of paper sitting on Ashton's desk.

Ashton already had other plans. "We can do it another day. Maybe the weekend?" He pulled his coat on quickly, almost as excited as I was. I felt like a little kid, getting excited over a storm. It was nice to be happy about something for a change, especially with somebody who was just as enthusiastic as I was. Maybe it wouldn't be that hard to befriend Ashton after all. It already seemed to be working.

I nodded and pulled on my own coat before following him downstairs and out through his back door where a small garden was situated. As soon as I stepped outside, I was dripping with rain, my coat already saturated. I didn't care. Reaching my hands out, the cool raindrops fell straight into my palm and I clutched them as they soaked into my skin.

Thunder furiously boomed again. In reaction, Ashton threw his head back and shouted into the air and I laughed before doing the same. It lightened again soon after, causing Ashton to subconsciously intertwine his long fingers with mine. My skin burned against his touch, contrasting greatly with my constantly cold hands, but I didn't want to pull away. I had never been so exhilarated in my life.

"This is the best storm ever," he said, shaking his head in awe, rain dripping from his hair to his cheeks. "Now I see why you love them."

"They make me feel so alive," I add, brushing my free hand through my soaking wet hair.

We didn't go back inside until the rain stopped almost an hour later, and even then it was only because we were cold.

"Would you like to borrow some warm clothes? I can put your coat in the dryer for you," he offered, noticing the shivers running through my body.

"No, no, I'm fine. I should probably get going now, anyway," I responded politely, hugging my arms to my chest.

"I'll drop you off."

"I'm fine walking, honestly." During the storm, it was easy to get on with Ashton. He seemed to share my love for them and for the first time in my life, I enjoyed somebody else's presence. But in a car it would be different and probably awkward. For me, being driven home had always meant small talk and forced conversation.

He sighed, licking his lips slightly. "Please, Lilah. Just let me drive you home. It will be a lot quicker."

I agreed to his offer timidly, feeling almost too comfortable in the warmth of his car. It smelt like pine, reminding me of the woods, and he was playing some of the songs that I often listened to during long walks into the forest. It wasn't awkward at all, the ambience putting me at ease even when he was silent. Like me, he did not need to fill the silence. I think he relished in them just as much as I did.

"I've never met somebody like you before," he admitted, his voice soft and his eyes never leaving the road.

"I'm not that different to anybody else, really," I shrugged. I tried not to think about the true meaning of his words in fear of either letting my guard down or blushing like a thirteen-year-old.

"You are. Everybody told me you were moody and miserable, but tonight I couldn't stop thinking about how your eyes lit up and you were constantly smiling. I've never seen anybody as passionate about something as you were in that storm. It was pretty amazing to watch."

I couldn't reply. I didn't want Ashton to tell me these things, because I didn't want him to like me. I wanted him to be my friend, yes, for my own sake, but I didn't want him to be too friendly. I didn't want him to say nice things about me and make me feel those stupid butterflies in the pit of my stomach. For both his sake and mine, I didn't want it to be as intense as it currently felt, because he would surely be disappointed if he were to find out that Anna asked me to do this, and I have no business in letting my guard down.

He shook his head, still grinning from ear to ear. "I haven't felt that alive in a long time, thank you for tonight. You honestly don't know how much it meant."

"All I did was stand outside with you in a storm."

Stop, I thought. I really am moody and miserable. Please stop.

I felt guilty, as if I was using him for the coven's sake. But a part of me really did enjoy spending time with him tonight. I had never stood outside in a storm with somebody else and felt so exalted. Maybe I had even let my guard down a little bit. Nobody else in the whole world had ever seen that part of me before. Nobody had seen me act passionately about anything, and I liked being able to share it with somebody.

But it wouldn't happen again. I didn't make friends, and I certainly didn't hold hands with people and enjoy it. I liked being alone, that was always how I had been. So why did tonight feel so different?

I didn't want to know the answer. I just wanted Anna to tell Ashton everything so that I could avoid him and stop acting like a soppy teenager with a crush. I wasn't this person.

"Are you always this great at taking compliments?" He questioned sarcastically and I hoped the previous conversation was over.

I rolled my eyes at him and pushed my damp hair to one side, glad when I saw we were almost at my house.

"Thank you for dropping me off," I said as he pulled up, trying my best to sound indifferent despite the thousands of thoughts running through my mind.

"No problem. Thank you for helping me with English."

I nodded and opened the car door, surprised when he pulled me back by the wrist. "You might fool everyone else, but you don't fool me."

My heart pounded against my chest as I tried to understand what he was saying. Did he know about what Anna wanted me to do?

"What do you mean?" My voice was barely above a whisper.

"I saw the real you tonight, in the storm. You try and act all dark and moody, but I know that it's all a front. You don't have to pretend with me."

I scoffed at his words, pulling my wrist from his grasp. "You don't know the first thing about me," I declared before slamming the door shut, refusing to look back.

A part of me knew that I was being harsh, and Ashton was probably right, but I did not react well to people trying to get close to me and understand me. Besides, I had known him for a few days; he wasn't in any position to pretend like he knew me. Anna would have to find somebody else to cozy up to Ashton Irwin, because I certainly wasn't spending any more time with him.

Even so, a part of me wanted to go outside during every storm with him and feel his hands around mine, his skin on mine. I hated that part of me.