The rain poured like secrets from heaven, washing the dust off the earth and perhaps, off Elara's heart too. She had just finished her shift at the bookstore when she realized the buses had stopped. Her umbrella had snapped in the wind. That's when Eli appeared silent, holding out his umbrella like a gentleman from an old poem. He didn't say anything at first, just walked beside her quietly shielding her from the rain. They had never spoken before, ever though they both studied in the same college. Elara always thought he was shy or maybe just cold. But in that moment, he looked like someone who understood what silence could mean. When they reached her hostel gate, she turned to thank him. But he just nodded and walked away into the downpour, as if he was never there. Elara stood there with her heart full of questions.

"Who was this boy with the umbrella?"

"Why did his silence speaks so loudly?"

Without knowing that the boy was about to rewrite her story.