Kissing in the Rain ☔ ✔

☔️ part 3

You're always gonna fly away
Just because you know you can

You're never gonna learn there's no such place as Neverland

KELSEA BALLERINI- "PETER PAN"
♪

I WAS STILL an embryo in my mother's womb when my father left us.

According to my mother, my dad didn't want children. So when he found out she was pregnant with me, he bolted. Left the country and went off to see the world, she said.

Also according to my mother, I was the reason he left her. And time would reveal she would never let me forget that. Maybe that was why, the moment I graduated high school and had that diploma in my hands, I fled. Just like my father had eighteen years earlier. And to my mother's dismay, I never looked back.

💧💧💧

When I walked into class on Monday morning, my jaw nearly dropped when I saw Carla sitting one seat away from him. Her navy blue backpack rested on the seat between them, the only vacant one remaining in the front row. When Carla saw me enter the cozy room, she waved at me and smiled brightly.

"What happened to our usual seats?" I asked, settling down next to her and glancing behind me at our usual spot.

"Got here late," she said, shrugging.

I knew that wasn't true because Carla always arrived early to save our seats. I was the one who had to rush across campus from matrix algebra to make it here on time. Calling out her bluff, I rolled my eyes before zipping open my backpack and digging out my spiral-bound notebook and a pen.

Thankfully, before I had a chance to decide whether or not to acknowledge the familiar stranger sitting to my right, our professor addressed the class. She'd just started talking about Sphagnum (aka peat moss) when, out of the corner of my eye, a subtle movement caught my attention. Glancing to my right, I met a pair of bright blue eyes. When our gazes met, I was given a friendly smile, and I mouthed the word hi in return. Then, before the professor could notice our little exchange, I returned my attention to my notebook and frantically scrawled down what she had just finished saying.

My arm was just starting to ache from all the note-taking when we were finally assigned a discussion-based question. Placing my pen on the lined sheet in front of me, I looked up and to my right when the sound of a gentle, husky voice caught my attention.

"What do you think?"

"Um," I stalled, glancing at the board to remind myself of the question. Discuss possible functions of the indicated structures. "I think the cluster of developing branches at the very top of the stem— the..." I paused to check my notes for the correct name, "capitulum—might increase photosynthetic surface area at the part of the moss closest to the light."

"That sounds plausible. Well, I think those clear cells there," he said, pointing a finger at the cross section on the slideshow, "store water. I think they're called hyaline cells."

After working through the rest of the images on the slide, I figured it was as good a time as any to ask the question I'd been wondering all lecture. "I didn't catch your name the other night," I said, putting on what I hoped was a friendly smile and turning to face my partner. It was only then, when our faces were inches apart, that I realized the stubble outlining the lower half of his face had grown into dark bristles since I'd last seen him. Even though I'd always preferred the clean-shaven look, I had to admit it was kind of cute.

"Grant," he said, returning my smile.

As the professor attempted to regain the class's attention, I couldn't help but think of how well that name suited him. Grant. The same oatmeal-coloured cable-knit crewneck he'd worn on Friday and his tousled dark hair portrayed a casual elegancy, while the bristles on his chin added an element of flair. His blue eyes were like sparkling gems, an unexpected surprise. Somehow his name seemed to convey all this in a single syllable.

"That's all for today," our professor announced, capping her pen and placing it on the overhead. "On Wednesday we'll start our final exam review."

As usual, I was quick to stuff my supplies into my worn backpack. Standing up to button up my black wool coat, I swung my bag over my shoulder. Before leaving, I turned to bid Grant goodbye as he took his time packing up his stuff.

"It was nice seeing you again," I said, causing Grant to look up.

"It was," he agreed. "See you Wednesday, Hayden."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Carla slip out of the room. I quickly turned and weaved through the students lined up by the professor's desk, hurrying to catch up to my friend before she disappeared.

"Hey you," she said, smiling brightly as I fell into step behind her.

"You're lucky I love you," I mumbled, though I was fighting back a smile of my own.

"Am I?"

"Yeah."

"Wanna get ice cream?"

"Yeah," I agreed, eliciting laughs from both of us as we started toward the student union building.