Fall Like Rain (Preview)

Chapter 4

“Was it?” I asked, feigning innocence. I sat on my bed across Meah’s, dropped my phone on my pillow, and reached for my laptop, which I had been using until before the phone rang.

“Yeah. You were in the living room for almost an hour. I almost wanted to eavesdrop on you.”

I glanced at the clock and realized she was right. My face started to heat up. I glanced furtively at Meah, hoping she wasn’t looking at me. Tough luck; of course she was.

“You’re blushing,” she said slowly. She put her legs down and sat up. “You are! Who was that?"

There was no point lying to her. “Mark. I was talking to Mark.”

She actually squealed. “I knew it! Did you call him?”

“No. He called.”

She jumped up abruptly, almost knocking off some of the items on the nightstand as she clambered onto my bed. I tilted my computer slightly so she wouldn’t see my laptop’s screen. “He called you? Even better!”

“Well, okay, I sent him a message. Then he replied. And he called me.”

“I told you so! See what happens when you don’t overanalyze things?” she giggled. “This calls for some leftover wedding cake.” She untangled her legs from under her and headed out of the room. She had stayed over often enough for her to know where everything was stored, so I let her be while I turned back to my laptop.

Meah returned, carrying a tray with cake, two forks, and two glasses of water, and set them on the nightstand after nudging the lamp aside. So what did you guys talk about?” she asked, as she settled beside me on the bed.

“We talked about stuff...” Meah made a face at the vagueness of my statement, but she brightened when I continued. “…and I’m seeing him tomorrow.”

“You are? And when were you planning to tell me this?”

I reached for a fork and ate some cake, shrugging nonchalantly. Deep inside, though, I was suppressing the butterflies that had been dancing in my stomach ever since Mark and I ended the call. The last time I had a really long conversation with him was late last year, shortly before I started avoiding him. I thought it would be filled with awkward silences, but it wasn’t. It was almost like I didn’t disappear from his life at all. I wasn’t sure if he just didn’t notice that—if that was the case, then ow—or if it was really just the years of friendship between us that made it possible.

I was bursting to tell Meah everything, but I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. I mean, it was a big deal, and of course, I was excited to see him. But I hadn’t seen him yet, and I didn’t want to jump into any conclusions about what this meant. It could mean absolutely nothing, just two friends catching up, and additional excitement from Meah would not help me keep my heart in check. “I don’t know. Tomorrow?”

“I can’t believe you, Rain de Castro,” she said in mock disappointment, and waved the fork at me before getting another bite. Then she grinned, her front teeth covered with icing, and poked at my knee with a finger. “So…where are you off to?”

“I’m renewing my alumni card tomorrow. He said he’ll join me.”

“Well. That’s…romantic. Not.” She blinked several times, and then tilted her head to the side as she watched me. “Are you excited?”

“Only a little.” I scooped one last forkful of cake from the plate, and motioned for her to finish the rest. I put my plate and fork on the tray then grabbed my laptop and hit a few keys. I looked at the screen to avoid catching Meah’s eyes.

A pause, and then a snort. “Yeah, right.”

I looked up from my laptop again, met her eyes, and—I couldn’t help it—a giggle escaped from my mouth. I raised my hands in surrender and said, “Okay, fine. I am very excited.”

“See what happens when you follow my advice?” she said with a victorious smirk. “You have a date with Mark!”

“It is not a date,” I said automatically, even as my insides fluttered at the thought.

“Whatever,” she said dismissively, waving her fork in the air. She finished the last bit of cake before continuing. “What are you planning to do after you renew your card?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. Go around the school. Talk. Eat. Ask him about...his ex.”

“And?”

“Catch up?”

“Oh, Rain.” She heaved a huge sigh. She took a drink of water, then set the plate with her fork down back on the tray. It almost looked like a ceremony. I sensed another sermon from her as she turned to face me. She looked stern, but that look faded when she glanced at my laptop screen. “Wait a minute.”

Oh shoot. I should have closed it. “No, Meah, it’s not what you think.”

She pulled my laptop from me to get a better look, and then looked at me with a mischievous grin on her face. “Oh, Rain,” she said again, this time with an entirely different tone.

“What?” I said guiltily.

“Online stalking, huh,” she said, giggling.

“Look, I haven’t been on Facebook for a while, and then his profile picture showed up on my feed, and—”

“Go on, tell yourself that,” she cut in, still grinning. She looked at my screen again and pointed. “Look, Mark’s online. You go talk to him. I’ll go to bed.”

I watched as she went back to her side of the room and settled down to sleep. “Don’t mind me. Go and spend quality time with your other best friend.” Meah giggled again and pulled the blanket over her head. “Good night, Rain.”