Kissing in the Rain ☔ ✔

☔ part 2

Now I know what a fool I've been

But if you kissed me now I know you'd fool me again

GEORGE MICHAEL - "LAST CHRISTMAS"
♪

"POLKA DOT OR floral?"

Giving up on my futile attempt to decipher the blurry green blob I'd been staring at through the microscope eyepiece for the past ten minutes, I twisted around in my stool to face Carla. She had her back to her lab bench, and her light blonde hair hung like the leaves of a willow on either side of her rosy-cheeks as she stared intently at the screen of her phone.

"For what?"

"A backpack. For my ten-year-old cousin."

"Are you shopping?" I gaped, checking to make sure the professor wasn't within earshot.

"No. Well, not technically," she said, finally tearing her eyes off the screen to meet my dubious gaze. "I'm planning what I'm going to order on Black Friday since I don't intend on stepping foot inside a mall or spending a fortune on gifts this Christmas."

Rolling my eyes at Clara, I contemplated her question for a brief moment. I had to admit her plan was pretty smart. Especially because it meant she could have all her shopping shipped directly to her England home. "Um, what have you seen her wear before?"

"She likes pink a lot, and she loves denim. But—"

My attention faltered when my gaze drifted past Carla and I saw the young man who'd complimented my performance the other night. He was sitting in his usual spot at the opposite end of the lab, his back to me. But when he turned to listen to something his friend was saying, his lips formed a beatific smile so wide that the skin at the corners of his eyes moulded into soft crinkles.

Despite being lost in my thoughts, I was vaguely aware that Carla was still chattering away. "—changes her mind every month. So something neutral might be better. Hayden? Hayden, are you listening to me?"

"Hm? Yeah," I said, returning my gaze to Carla. Her bright blue eyes bore expectantly into my green ones as she awaited my opinion. "I think... What class are we in, Carla?"

Carla's brows raised in confusion as she shot me a questioning look that seemed to imply I'd gone completely insane. But, instead of questioning my seemingly absurd question, Carla went along with it, the unspoken trust that underlay our friendship prevailing. "Plant biology?" she asked, unsure if this was the answer I was seeking.

"Exactly. So, polka-dot or floral?"

It took a moment, but I watched as Carla's face went from confused to understanding. "Oh!" she exclaimed, her blue eyes lit with excitement as her lips formed a smile. "Floral," she agreed. "Well, it makes sense. A floral present from the botanist."

I shrugged. "Then you can still get some pink in there without having to worry about her tastes changing." Thinking about my own younger cousins, who were years older now but the most recent memory I had of them was from three years back, I added, "Plus, I'm sure she looks up to you, so she'll love the design no matter what."

Carla opened her mouth to say something, but our professor beat her to it.

"Are you girls doing okay?" she asked, her disapproving gaze flickering momentarily toward Carla's phone before at the both of us.

"Yes, thank you," Carla said nonchalantly.

"Um, actually, I'm have a little trouble distinguishing this structure right here," I chimed, moving my stool so the grey-haired lady could take a look. "I think the yellowish green sac is an antheridium, but I'm not sure what the clear thread-like structures surrounding it are."

"Let's have a look."

After saving us from seemingly completely off-topic, I waited until the professor had wandered over to talk to the TA before I turned back to face Carla.

"Okay, next question," Carla started. "So, my mom—"

I was quickly distracted a second time as, behind Carla, the brown-haired concert goer started laughing at something his friend was saying. As I wondered what could be so funny, my daydream was cut short by Carla's hand waving in front of me, startling me back into our conversation.

"Hey you," she said, her bench making an awful screech sound as it scraped against the water-stained linoleum. "Look at me when we're talking!" she demanded, though not unkindly.

"Sorry Carla," I relented, knowing that now I was just being a tad rude.

Then, knowingly, Carla glanced over her shoulder. A look of amused understanding dawned on her face when she saw the subject of my thoughts. "Oh. Oh!" she said, beaming. "It's him."

"Yeah, but could you keep your voice down?" I whispered, trying to contain my own giddy smile as, beside us, Beth chuckled.

"Sure," Carla agreed, winking at me. As if oblivious to my request, she suggested, "You should go talk to him!"

"Maybe," I said, knowing that we could never be more than friends. And being friends with a guy who made my heart race every time I saw him smile? That was impossible. A part of me would always want more.

It was Carla's turn to roll her eyes. "I think he likes you too," she whispered.

"I don't need a boyfriend," I stated firmly, shaking my head. "And I don't even know him."

"You could," Carla pointed out.

I never thought I'd say the words that came out of my mouth as I turned back around to swap out the slide currently on the stage for a different one. "You should finish your online shopping."

Behind me, Carla laughed. "You know I'm right."

And the thing was I did know she was right. It would be so easy for me to go up to him and just start a conversation, invite him to my next performance since he obviously enjoyed the last one.

But what I hadn't told Carla since we'd met back in September was about Landon. About how the last time I let someone get close to me, he'd crushed my heart. How ten months later I still hadn't gotten over him cheating on me.

What I hadn't told anyone was that love was the last thing I wanted this Christmas.