feburary 1st, 6pm
Slowly and gently, the clouds fell towards the cobblestone streets, submerging the buildings in a soft grey blur. As raindrops fell, they hit the ground and bounced back up. Soon, streams of translucent water floated down the roads. Little rivers fell into the drainpipes. They carried nothing with them but light and shadow, cast by glowing street lights, their amber rays trickled away. The days were destined to grow lighter soon, yet spring seemed so far. Winter's bitter hold wasn't letting go for a while.
The furious downpour was expected for this time of year, but nevertheless, Delilah found herself unprepared. She immediately dived under the opening to the library. The library was where she worked part-time, often on evenings, and she had just been heading home. It's big brown doors with glinting, gold handles still seemed so mystical to her. To her, it felt like falling into a world unknown, full of stories and mysteries to be uncovered. Even after a year of being on campus.
'' Oh no ! '' She yelped, dabbing her long, soaked hair. It clung to her light coat, whilst her curls unravelled due to the wind. Underneath her flattened fringe, her face was flushed with cold, each cheek bitten by the icy chill. Oh well, at least she was mainly dry, so she wouldn't fall ill. Delilah chuckled to herself. Thinking positively, as always, although it was getting more difficult. Rain carried reminders, and with it's downpour, flooded in memories.
She sighed, brushing a few stray thoughts away. Her mind felt oddly weightless, despite the weight on her shoulders from her bags and her damp hair. She felt like she could easily become untethered to the world and float away into the sky. Looking upwards, the library building loomed over her, and the skies remained a deep grey. Each cloud leaked into another, blurring rapidly, in grayscale. Delilah wondered what the scene would look like in colour. Maybe, the technicolour blues and greens would blend vividly into a sea of movement and life. Would there be pinks, lavenders, a sunset ? Her heart ached for the sunlight again. As much as rain was fun, it was a pain to be stuck in.
The pitter-patter on the pavement was easing to a quiet melody. It was time to head home. She headed quickly left of the library, down past the rows of bare trees, all the way to the apartment buildings.
Her off campus apartment was tucked into a small street minutes away, among rows of tall cream townhouses. In the city, there was an abundance of these towering buildings, all brimming with little homes and local shops. Each street was lined differently. Either with trees, flower boxes and then the bins. Of course, litter too. It was a city, after all. Reaching the iron gate, she entered and shut it lightly. The door to her building was a similar deep, caramel brown to the others, and it felt incredibly charming and warm. Hopping up the steps, she tapped on the call button on her apartment number - four.
''Oh, she's not home yet'' Sighed Delilah, rummaging for keys in her bag. She unlocked the door and headed slowly up the stairs, savouring her energy. Eventually, she made it to the top and then unlocked her own door, before finally collapsing inside. The apartment was dark and empty, so she switched on a few lamps and the kitchen light. Settling her coat on the rack was next, tiding away her shoes so Andrea wouldn't trip on them as she got home.
Then she walked towards the living room, with it's large windows, looking out onto streets that she's passed countless times. The lights were off, and only the street lights casted a fluorescent glow inside the room. Here, the world felt coated in the past. It was hard; she remembered how she studied the routes on her first weeks, or running home after staying too late in the library. And then, a hand, warm in hers. Going up to their apartment, for just a quiet night in. Clattering pots in the kitchen, a warm and melodic voice singing a popular tune. Then, dinner, and chatter. Lots of chatter, which echoed off the half-furnished walls which made the new beginning feel so full and alive. Following that, such a restful sleep she hadn't found in months.
Delilah replayed the scene over again. What linked the past and this moment was simple. The same winter downpour, coating the world in grey, as if the world was a canvas, and the skies just a watercolour stain.
