CHAPTER 27: THE RAIN, THE NIGHT, AND YOU
THE GIRL WHO CAN’T DATE
By Eleventh
CHAPTER 27: THE RAIN, THE NIGHT, AND YOU
“I was curious. Really curious. Why did he suddenly appear in front of our house drenched in the rain? But my feelings are more confusing. Why does it feel good inside.” – Ira P.
2017 JOURNAL
“Oooow! My arm! My arm! Ira, let go of me! Owww!” the man whined with squeezed eyes as he begged for a tap out.
Ira quickly let him go, her outer brows lowered and her mouth opened for a gasp. “Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry, Eros! Does it hurt?”
“Of course it does! Ouch!” Very pissed, Eros uttered as he stretched his arm while Ira looked at him with a remorseful face. “You know what? Whoever will take you as a girlfriend should be careful. You could kill him!”
“Shut up!” Ira’s brows furrowed and she glowered at her brother. “You startled me! What are you doing embracing me from the back like that?”
“Hellooo! I always do that to you. Why get startled now? Ow!”
“We are not home, Eros! How would I know it was you? You could be some maniac or a pervert, you know!” Ira weaved a sigh. “I guess what happened to Maggie made me paranoid.”
Eros’ eyes narrowed alongside his creased eyebrows, instantly shifting his winced face to a straight one. “Maggie? What happened to her?”
“She had a stalker, a perv. But we already made a report about him at the police station earlier.”
“Is that so? Mmm…” Eros lowered his eyes, thinking for a second while biting his lower lip. “You know what? You're right. It's not safe. You should go home now! And look, I think it’s about to rain.”
Eros hailed a parked taxi. Once it pulled over, he rushed to open the door for his sister, pushed her inside, and shut the door.
Baffled by her brother's weird behavior, Ira's eyebrows creased as she pulled down the window of the taxi and called. “Heeey! Wait! Are you not going home yet?”
“Not yet! There’s something I need to take care of. See you at home.” Eros pressed a smile at his sister. Then he turned to the driver and said, “Sir, take her to the Courtyards, please! Thank you!”
Eros waved goodbye and disappeared in her sight.
The driver steered the wheel so smoothly as the radio played Jack Johnson’s cover of Imagine. Its car freshener had a lavender scent that was very calmative for Ira that she peacefully reclined on the seat. As she stared at the window and watched the moving buildings, her head began to get filled with thoughts jumping from one contemplation to another.
First, she thought of how random, spontaneous, and extroverted Eros is. Then her thoughts hopped to Maggie, wondering if she made it home safely. Thinking of her, she remembered to check her phone if she sent a message. She received one message, but it wasn’t from Maggie.
[Did you guys get home safely?- Twerp]
Sent 15 minutes ago
Ira was about to reply when the rain suddenly poured heavily.
“Oh no! Eros didn’t have an umbrella with him.”
She closed her message app and scrolled through her contacts to make a call. She wanted to check on her brother but he wasn’t answering his phone.
“He must be running for cover right now.”
After many failed attempts, she decided to give up. When her phone warned her that it has 5% power left, she turned off her phone and kept it inside her bag. Then she leaned her head on the window with her eyes closed but opened it a few seconds later.
“Was I in the middle of something earlier? Mmm… I think I forgot something.” Ira’s eyes moved around as she tries to remember what she forgot. But since she couldn’t, she let it go.
A couple of hazards and traffic lights later, she arrived home. The rain was heavily pouring and Ira didn’t like to go out and get wet, but she doesn’t have a choice but to make a run.
She paid for the cab and went out to the rain, drenching herself wet as she reached the gates of their house. Wondering why it was all dark inside, she looked around and noticed that every house in that block has no light too. Even the light posts were dead making the whole street pitch dark.
“There must be a blackout!” she uttered as she wiped the water dripping on her face.
Then out in the dark end of Fifth Street came a small ball of yellow light flashing alongside a revving sound. She squinted her eyes at that ball of light that gets bigger as it drew closer in her direction. It stopped before her and she came face to face with a man dismounting from a familiar motorcycle.
Looking at its body physique despite her eyes blurred by water, she knew right away who he was. What made her wonder that night is why he suddenly appeared at that moment with that weather.
“SKYE?” Ira yelled. The man took off his helmet and just stared at her with relief. “WHY ARE YOU HERE? SHOULDN’T YOU BE AT HOME?”
“I TEXTED YOU AND YOU DID NOT REPLY,” Skye replied with yet another yell for it was hard to hear each other because of the heavy rain.
“WHAT??? I’M SORRY I COULDN’T HEAR YOU!”
Skye stepped closer and leaned to Ira’s ears, his soft cheeks rubbed against hers and his chiseled chest almost enveloped her petite body. With him just an inch away from her, she can smell from his neck his scent that brought a familiar feeling of a moment.
[Vanilla perfume? This scent... smells familiar!”]
“I said, I texted you but got no reply from you for 30 minutes. When I called you, I couldn’t reach you so I have to rush here to check if you made it home.”
Ira pushed Skye and glowered at him.
“You idiot! Why would you get soaked in the rain for that? Shouldn't you be more worried about Maggie?”
Skye did not reply. Silence contained them as he locked his eyes in her gaze. For a moment, she saw in those gazes a look she had never seen before, a look that screamed ‘I was worried’ and ‘I cared’, a look that puzzled her heart.
What the two both needed at that moment was someone to break their awkward silence, and Mageneo’s arrival broke the ice. He arrived with a big umbrella in his hand while carrying the little Usher covered with a raincoat.
“WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING UNDER THE RAIN? GET INSIDE!” He yelled.
“THANK YOU, SIR! BUT I SHOULD GO!” Skye replied with another yell.
“I INSIST! IT’S DANGEROUS TO TRAVEL WITH THIS WEATHER.”
Mageneo didn’t give Skye the chance to leave but instead, welcomed him in. He unlocked the door and let the kids go in first while he groped for the candle and the lighter on the altar placed next to the door. Usher patiently waited for him while he lit up the candle and placed it safely on the wooden table.
While Ira rushed to her room to change, Skye was left standing in the middle of the living room, embracing himself as he shivered in the cold.
“Have a seat, boy! Weren’t you that young man at my son’s wedding?” Mageneo asked, his warm smile radiating in the dark. Skye nodded in response. “No wonder you look familiar. Anyway, wait here! I’ll get you a towel.”
Minutes later, Mageneo returned with a towel with a loose shirt and boxer shorts neatly folded on top of it.
“I’m sorry these are the only clothes I could pull from the cabinet. It’s too dark inside.”
“No, this is more than enough, sir! Thank you!”
Mageneo replied with a smile.
Taking the candle with him, he led Skye into the kitchen where the bathroom is. Usher was walking beside him, then quickly hopped on his chair when they reached the kitchen.
“That door will lead you to the bathroom.” The old man pointed at a cream-colored door.
While the young lad was changing, Ira followed inside the kitchen where she saw Usher, illuminated by the candle on the table, quietly sitting on his high chair while waiting for their father to finish what he was boiling on the stove. An excited smile was painted on her face when she smelled her favorite aroma.
“Hot chocolate!!!” she sniffed.
"You look excited,”
“I am! I love having it on rainy days.” She leaned on her brother and smiled at him sweetly. “You love it too, right?”
Usher cooed.
Then, Ira went to the window and gently placed her palms on the glass pane. She playfully watched the droplets dripping and traced them with her fingers. Suddenly, the lightning struck and the thunder roared making a rumbling noise in the sky. While the view of the lightning illuminating the dark skies oddly brought a smile to Ira like it was a scene from the movie, Skye jumped in fear when he got out from the bathroom.
“HAAAA!” Skye shrieked.
The three other people in the room quickly glanced at him and caught him slumped on the floor, covering his ears and shaking in fear. For a moment, Ira felt sorry for him but the more she stares at him, the more she finds him funny that she can’t keep herself from giggling. So, she burst into laughter.
“HA-HA-HA-HA-HA! Are you scared?”
Skye slowly stood up and glared at Ira as he tries to grab a seat. Then the thunder roared once more and scared the hell out of him that he almost fell on the floor once again. And Ira laughed even more.
“Sssh! Now, now, Ira bear! That’s not nice.” Mageneo reproved his daughter. “You shouldn’t laugh at people like that.”
Ira pressed her lips and pinched her arm to stop laughing. “Got it, Pops! Sorry!”
“Sit down, boy! Here, have some hot chocolate.”
Skye grabbed a chair and carefully accepted the warm cup. He stared at it meaningfully and thought when was the last time someone made him a warm drink in cold weather. He took a sip and said, “Mmmm… this is … heavenly!”
Mageneo smiled. “I’m glad you like it. Do you want some marshmallows? Or some cinnamon?”
Skye shook his head. “I’m all good. Thank you!”
Ira, then, sat next to him smiling. “I didn’t know you were afraid of the lightning. Or was it the thunder? Or both?”
“Your smile is so annoying you know.”
“I know. I’m sorry. It’s just fun to see this side of you HA-HA-HA!”
Ira cracked a smile as she laughed at her colleague’s serious face. Her laughter echoed in his ears, bringing warmth in the cold weather and radiating joy in the dimly lit room. For him, it was a rare moment to sit close to her. It was a rare scene to watch her smile glimmer in the dark. It was a rare phenom to be sitting among warm people in the coldest of night. It was a rare feeling to be at home.