RAIN HAD BEGUN TO FALL. Tiny droplets falling on the windowpanes, fogging them up, making the world outside look blurry.
Red and blue lights faded in the darkening sky, in the heavily, steadily falling rain, drowning out the sounds of the sirens.
Several people in the neighbourhood had been woken up, confused by the sirens, maybe even fearful. What had happened?
The 11 P.M. news segment seemed to know. Reporters were swarming the home of the reputed lawyer, Takshaka Sarpa, cameramen catching the barest glimpses of the man himself being led away in handcuffs, stony-faced and silent against the onslaught of questions.
People gasped, as some said, muttered: "I always knew he was shady."
————
MINI
Hey, it's Rudy. You probably can't reach me now, but if it's important, leave a message after the beep! Bye!
"Pick up," she hissed through gritted teeth, and after the third failed attempt, she threw her phone down on her bed, before following suit, kicking the duvet off onto the floor into a tangled mess.
He didn't pick up. Crawling out of bed, she opened her laptop, and saw CNN flooded with updates about Takshaka Sarpa's arrest, some articles diving deep into his law career and several donations to the Red Cross and the Salvation Army.
But not one of them mentioned his grandson.
She began chew her lip, feeling the sting of blood, before clenching her fists.
She squeezed her eyes shut before thinking: You'd better be okay, Rudy.
————
RUDY
Long story short, he was not okay.
Half of him was convinced he was a traitor, while the other half tried to convince him that what he had done was correct.
After one does an impulsive thing, dozens of what-ifs haunt their thoughts. For him, the same question bounced around his head: What if this could have ended differently?
He didn't know. He wasn't sure he wanted to find out, either. The police officers had asked him if he'd wanted to accompany his grandfather to the precinct, but given from the looks Takshaka had been giving him, he wasn't wanted.
He scooped up his phone, scrolling past the condolences from other family members, his eyes snagging on the thirteen missed calls from Mini.
She must have been worried.
He didn't know what to say, exactly. He could not say, "I got my grandfather arrested, so how was your Saturday?"
God. He felt an oncoming headache in his temples, and, pinching the bridge of his nose, he swallowed a painkiller, drowsiness rolling through him.
Sleep would help. It wouldn't give him the words to tell her, but it would help.
————
When he had woken up, a light drizzle had begun to fall, causing mist to appear on his windowpane.
His phone pinged with a text: Rudy, PLEASE if you get this, call me.
Mini.
He sighed, pressing his forehead against the cool glass, watching the streetlights flicker.
What am I doing?
He had many causes to celebrate. Suyodhana Shah was arrested, Takshaka was arrested, the threat of anyone dying was gone, yet he still felt terrible. Drained.
The past few days had been overwhelming, with nobody to talk to.
Well. Not nobody.
His gaze strayed to his phone. She always knew what to say. Something to calm him down.
But he couldn't just pile on his feelings on her. It wasn't fair, to her. She was in pain too, and he couldn't just make this about himself.
The tall walls suddenly felt suffocating.
Getting up, he ran down the stairs, calling to his brother, "Bhai, I'm going!"
His brother got up too and caught his arm. "Where are you going?"
"Park," he muttered.
"Mom said not to—" he sounded pained.
"I really need this," he pleaded.
His brother sighed.
"Okay, fine, but don't talk to any reporters."
"Bye,"
He needed to escape that house. Where his grandfather's voice sometimes still echoed in his head.
As soon as he left the house, a gust of wind blew past him, cold and piercing, the air filled with the metallic scent of rain.
The park was nearly empty. Two children— siblings, maybe— were on the swings, and their caretaker was on the bench. From the moment he had entered, he had been shooting Rudy suspicious looks, as if he would attack the kids.
With every look, he felt anger curdle in his stomach, but he stayed there. The cool air helped him make sense of his own thoughts.
Finally, the caretaker called for the kids, and the three of them left the park in his moody silence.
He glanced up, and felt a fat raindrop fall on the back of his neck.
Another fell, and another, and soon, rain began, cold and freezing, making his skin and hands numb, but he still stayed there.
He wiped tears away that had began to sting in his eyes.
"Rudy," he heard someone say, quietly.
He looked up, to see... her.
Mini had an umbrella over her head, but her glasses had been fogged up, making her expression unreadable.
She slid into the bench beside him, as the umbrella blocked out the water.
She sniffed, and said, "Your brother said I'd find you here."
His hands were curled into fists on his lap.
She reached out, and touched his wrist, before eventually lacing her fingers through his, holding on tight.
"I'm sorry I wasn't returning your calls," he sniffed.
"That's okay," she said, softly. "I knew you had other... stuff going on,"
"Like getting my grandfather arrested?"
"...Yes. But I wanted to tell you that, since you'd probably be beating yourself up, your grandfather had made his choice. He had it coming."
"You know what he told me while getting arrested?"
He didn't wait for her answer.
"That I was a traitor and a disgrace to his family name. That I had a special place in hell reserved for myself."
"Oh, Rudy—"
"He's told me that a million times before, but it hurt more this time. Probably because of how hypocritical it was."
He bumped against her elbow, shifting closer, feeling warmth emanate from her.
"You can't stay out here," she said, quietly. "You'll get sick. You're already soaking."
The rain had begun pouring harder.
He rested his head on her shoulder, finding comfort in her warmth.
"I came out here to clear my head. The staring didn't exactly help."
"I'm here for you," she said, gently. "I'll punch all the creeps, if you want."
He tightened his hold on her hand, and said, "Stay. I want you to stay."
She drew in a startled breath.
"Please,"
"I'll stay," she said, reassuringly, tracing her fingertips across his palm. A shiver danced down his spine.
He smiled, slightly, feeling something very close to contentment. Both of them weren't far from healing, but they were both taking the steps, together.
He turned his head to look at her, and saw that she was smiling too.
Not the 'smile' she put up for her family, not the one he observed with a painful twinge in his heart, but a true one, a dimple carved in her chin, her eyes crinkling in amusement.
Water rolled off the umbrella, and when streetlights came on, when the rain lessened, when he was basking in the warmth of her happiness, a realization hit him.
He hadn't considered himself observant before, but just now he was realizing how truly dazzling her smile was, how it made the world around her brighter, happier, and more tolerable.
How, even in this gloomy rain, she made the air around her shine, like she spun magic in her fingers and her smile.
He could look at it forever, if it meant she would stay happy forever.
Before he could think about what he was saying, he blurted out, "Min, I've— I've got to tell you something."
"Hm?" she hummed, looking up at him.
"I... I like you."
She froze. Stiffened, more like. Her grip on the umbrella turned white-knuckled.
"I like you... romantically. And, and, I understand if you just see me as a friend, and it's a lot to dump on you right now, but... I've got to know where we stand."
"I really like you, Mini. To the point where I can't stop thinking about you."
He turned away from her. He'd just messed up, hadn't he?
She brushed a hand against his cheek, cupping his face with one hand.
Trepidation swirled through him, as he heard her whisper: "I like you too, Rudy."
Shocked, he whispered, "You... what?"
She pulled him close, their noses nearly touching, and he felt his heart beat a tattoo inside his ribs.
"So much. I like you so much." She shut her eyes.
"Mini... will you be my girlfriend?"
"I..." she took a deep breath. "Yes. I will."
A stray lock of hair brushed against her cheek, and he pushed it back, his hand coming to a rest at her cheek.
He felt kinda glad that the rain had reduced to a drizzle, as the umbrella clattered out of her grip. His hand slid down to the nape of her neck, and he felt his own eyes flutter shut, feeling nothing but the warmth of her hand in his, and the buzzing in his chest, until...
She kissed him. He kissed her. He could feel the soft press of her lips on his, and, moments later, they broke apart, smiling.
His eyes widened. "The rain's soaking you too."
She plucked at the sleeve of the jacket she was wearing. "Oh no, this is yours,"
He laughed lightly. "That's fine, you looked adorable in it, anyway,"
His stomach grumbled slightly, and less than a few seconds later, her stomach gurgled too.
"Solidarity," he laughed.
"More like ruining the romantic moment."
He pulled her up, and they laced their fingers together.
"So, I was thinking, for a first date... how about the Thai place on 4th Street?"
"Excellent choice," she said, laughing. There it was. That smile. The one that made everything brighter, colourful, and just... happier. Wrapped in their own bubble of warmth, they left, talking and laughing, secure in the promise of something special.
Something that would make both of their worlds brighter.
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