The Rooftop Rain
The storm arrived suddenly, without warning. Natalie had been sitting on the rooftop, her legs dangling over the edge as she stared out at the city, lost in thought. The evening had been calm - clear skies, a cool breeze, the sort of night you would expect to end quietly. But then the sky darkened, the clouds swirling with a menace that felt oddly personal, like the world itself had decided to remind her of the uncertainty she had been trying to avoid.
The first raindrop hit her cheek, and then the skies opened up, pouring down in sheets. She didn't move at first. The cold water soaked her clothes, ran down her skin, but she stood still, letting it all wash over her. It was the kind of rain that made you feel alive, like every drop carried with it a secret of its own.
The sound of the door opening behind her brought her out of her trance. She didn't need to turn around to know who it was. She had already known he'd come, the pull between them impossible to ignore.
Alex stepped onto the rooftop, his figure bathed in the light of the city below, the rain soaking through his clothes. His gaze was locked on her, as though the storm itself had faded into nothing. His expression softened when their eyes met.
"I thought you'd be inside," he said, his voice low, as if the storm had muted the world around them.
"I thought you'd be with someone else," she replied, a small smile playing on her lips. The rain made it impossible to tell if the smile was genuine or simply a mask to hide the vulnerability she felt deep inside.
His lips curled into a half-smile. "Couldn't stay away."
They didn't speak for a long moment, standing there, the rain falling between them, their eyes never leaving one another. There was something fragile in the air, something that felt like it was teetering on the edge of breaking. The world around them, the city, the storm, all faded into the background, leaving just the two of them. It was a silence filled with the weight of unspoken words, but neither of them moved, as though they were afraid that any action would shatter the fragile moment they had created.