Kissing in the Rain ☔ ✔

☔️ part 6

You throw your head back laughing like a little kid

I think it's strange that you think I'm funny cause he never did

I've been spending the last eight months thinking all love ever does is break and burn and end

But on a Wednesday in a café I watched it begin again

TAYLOR SWIFT- "BEGIN AGAIN"
♪

"WHAT DO YOU want to do with your music?" Grant asked at the exact moment I took a piercing bite out of my bacon cheese burger.

The diner on campus didn't have the best food, but it was decent enough. Its main appeal was that it stayed open late and always had students around, either doing some late night reviewing or watching whatever sports game was playing at the bar, so it was a great place to find company on lonely evenings. Rumour had it the place used to be a restaurant, which explained the earthy colour scheme and contemporary décor. But the place was pay-first and specialized in milkshakes and burgers, so it had kind of a mixed identity.

Wiping the sticky sauce off my lips with a napkin that easily could have doubled as sandpaper, I shrugged. "Right now I'm just having fun with it. I've never thought about pursuing an actual career in music or anything."

Grant nodded, tucking a few soft fries into his mouth. "Lots of people give up on extracurriculars after high school," he explained. "I like that you didn't."

The truth was that I had given up music. Until last spring, I hadn't even touched an instrument since completing my last conservatory exam in my senior year of high school. For nearly two years, I'd abandoned music, putting all my effort into studying to make sure I got into a mainland school and then to get into my desired major, the latter of which didn't happen.

But instead of dumping all this on Grant, I just smiled.

We continued eating, a comfortable silence falling upon us as Grant worked on his chicken strips and I finished my burger. When all that was left on my plate were fries, I spoke up.

"What about you?" I asked. "What did you do for fun in high school?"

"Sports," Grant said, flashing his pearly whites.

"Really?" I asked, astounded. Grant did appear more fit than many students our age and he was of average height, having a couple inches over my five-foot-five figure, but he seemed more like the studious introvert type. "Which ones?"

"Swimming and intramural soccer. But I've always preferred being outdoors to relax, not compete. Now I mainly just hike, go trail running, skiing. That sort of stuff."

"That sounds nice," I agreed, selecting a fry. "You're in the right place for outdoorsy hobbies."

"I am, aren't I?" he laughed.

Something Grant said earlier came back to me. He'd mentioned he lived with his aunt, which meant either his parents had passed away or were elsewhere. Then it occurred to me that maybe he wasn't from around here after all. My eyebrows furrowed as I wondered, "Are you from here?"

"Nope. I grew up in Montreal."

"And now you're staying with your aunt?" I asked, trying to put together the pieces like a puzzle.