Kissing in the Rain

Prologue

00
Prologue

There will always be someone you could never forget. For me, it was the dark haired boy I first fell in love with. His name was Jayden, Jay for short. He wasn't an astronaut, he wasn't a superstar, he wasn't the most popular boy in school nor was he a genius; but what I know for sure is that he made me the happiest I've ever been in my whole life.

Based on my memory of him, he was a boy who had a way with words. He was a smooth talker, which is, I guess, why everybody loved him—with me as an exception of course. I was never the nicest girl to him. I was rude and straight forward. Not because I hated him but because I thought he hated me—because of something I don't want to discuss. Despite that, he still talked as if I put all of the stars in the sky—probably ironically.

I never found myself considering guys before I met him. Whenever someone would push a guy towards my direction, I'd brush them off. But in my fifteen year old mind, he was different. And in the end, I fell for that different boy, regardless of all the times I told myself I wouldn't, regardless of all the pain that came with it. As much as it hurt to love him, I did. That is why leaving my hometown was difficult. He didn't love me, he didn't care, but I couldn't stop and I couldn't let him go.

It was Tuesday when I arrived. Buildings tall and wide lined every corner. Horns honking and people chattering engulfed the streets in noise. There was a sense of familiarity there, as if I never left New York. It didn't look exactly like New York, but it did sound like it.

I hailed a cab when I first arrived. Last time I was home, cheap taxis wouldn't be found anywhere near Stone Ridge. Everyone had their own cars so there was no need for taxis. If you really needed one though, a ride from Uptown to Stone Plain would cost about fifty to sixty five dollars depending on the distance of your drop off. But then, what used to be a small unknown town was developing into one of the most advanced cities in America. I wasn't quite used to that yet.

More beads of sweat trickled down the side of my face the longer I was cramped inside the taxi. I fanned myself with one of my manuscripts but it was no use. My things didn't fit in the trunk so I brought some of them in the backseat with me. It didn't help that the air conditioning in the taxi wasn't working right. But that was the least of my worries; I was back for good.

After spending the summer in Europe, my manager, Lisa, suggested for the millionth time for me to take a trip back home. I didn't necessarily want to but I missed my family. I knew I had to face them, after avoiding them for ten years. I didn't know what to expect.

I was going to see my dad whom I haven't seen in years. He sometimes visited me in New York but his visits gradually stopped when I got too busy with my novel. He understood, of course. But even after it got published, he didn't visit, thinking I didn't have time to see him. He sent me an email though, which was, well, something.

Where I was from wasn't like Uptown. It was pretty small in comparison so everyone knew everyone. Pretty soon, news would get around that the Stone Plain girl turned New York's Best Selling author was back, finally back. Home wasn't where I was heading; at least, it wasn't home to me anymore.

I pushed open the glass doors of Fusion. The smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the air inside the shop. Nostalgia surged inside of me as I looked around. Not everything was the same as when I left it, but some things stayed, which I appreciated. The quotes I'd individually handwritten in white ink for a school project were still framed on one of the walls and the old couch I would always sit on to write was still in the same place.

My dad was in front of the counter, counting money from inside the register. He didn't seem to notice me, too fixated on what he was doing. I didn't realize how much I missed him until my eyes burned with tears. I furiously wiped them with the back of my hand. I dropped all of my bags at the entrance and ran towards him. I didn't exactly tell him that I was coming home. It was supposed to be a surprise. But when he finally looked up, recognition dawned on his face. He smiled. His eyes lit up at the sight of me. He placed his money carefully on top of the counter before holding out his arms in a welcoming manner.

I immediately wrapped him in a strong hug which he reciprocated. He twirled me around like he used to do when I was younger. I laughed as he put me down. He pulled away, placing his hands on either side of my shoulders.

"Jas, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in New York?" I beamed at him.

"Well, as you know, I finished my book and Lisa would not stop nagging me about coming back home. I finally agreed. Just 'cause I figured I needed to see how you guys were doing." I was always encouraged to go home for a break but I never did. I wanted to focus on my art. If I didn't, I wouldn't be where I am now.

He raised both of his eyebrows. "Really? Thank God for Lisa then, right?"

"Absolutely! I would be so lost without her." There was a short pause.

"Are you back for good?"

"Uh... I think so? She made me completely move out of my studio. It was such a rush. We're currently looking for renters."

"That's great!" He said. "I can't believe you're back."

"I can't believe it either. So much has changed." I said, referring to the coffee shop and Stone Plain in general.

"Yeah, well, it has been ten years." I nodded slowly in agreement as I looked around the shop once more. There was something, or, well, someone missing.

"Hey, where's Luke?"

"He's out grocery shopping. He'll be back soon though."

"Ah." I averted my gaze towards the entrance as realization struck me. "Right, my things." I nervously scrambled towards them, carrying all three of my duffel bags in one arm while pulling my suit case with the other.

"Oh, you can let one of the boys take that." My dad called over one of the server boys but I didn't catch his name. I hummed in acknowledgement as a boy approached me. I was fumbling with my suitcase when he reached out to take two of my duffel bags from me. I gave it to him, exhaling loudly as I pulled back my hair with one of my hands.

"You can just take that up to my room—"

Our eyes met. I froze. Time slowed down. Soft music playing from the speakers faded along with the senses I had left. He was the same but different. He still had a messy mop of jet black hair on top of his head, the pools of his eyes were still dark, but still beautiful, and he still smelled like vanilla. I blinked.

"Jay...What are you doing here?" I asked in a small voice. I barely choked out the words. My heart clenched. Maintaining eye contact was harder than it usually was. He flashed me a toothy grin.

"Well hello to you too." He replied sarcastically with a chuckle. He hoisted my bags effortlessly on his shoulders, walking towards the stairs leading up to the bedrooms.

"How are you?" I asked. Attempting to keep up with his walking was as easy as writing a good first draft. Simply put, it wasn't. I still did though. I had so many questions I wanted answered.

"I'm good. How 'bout you? I heard you wrote a book?"

I laughed softly, somewhat out of breath from all the walking. "Yeah, I did. It's selling well."  He stopped, turned around and looked me dead in the eye.

"Oh yeah? Maybe you can read it to me sometime." He joked in a low voice. My heart fluttered a little, I think. He made it seem so easy to manipulate how I felt. He always had that talent and I envied him for it. Maybe it was the universe telling me to forget the past and start anew. There was no use crying over him now. I gave in. My mouth curved up in a genuine smile.

"Maybe."

After that, we walked to my room in silence. He didn't look at me. I mean, really look at me. Like the way those guys from the movies look at the love of their lives. He occasionally broke the silence, but only to ask where to put things and whatnot. I guess he was over me, over us. But I wasn't supposed to care anymore. Did I?