You are so lucky.

     I don't know how many times I've heard those words today. Was it around fifty? A hundred? Probably a thousand times. I don't know, I've lost count. One thing's for sure, though. I'm honestly getting sick of the word lucky.

     "You are so lucky," I heard an older woman say to the bride. "You've finally found your prince charming!"

     "Huh," I shook my head and turned to the mirror on the wall, checking to see if my makeup's still intact. "Prince charming doesn't exist." I whispered to myself. I reached inside my black clutch to retrieve a black tube of red lipstick.

     One of the servers passed by and I quickly turned around to snatch one of the champagne glasses from the tray he was holding. I raised my glass at him. "Merci."

     Vincent Sterling, one of my dad's younger friends, finally got married to the love of his life. I remember one time when my dad was hanging out with Vincent and his dad at a barbecue, he suddenly joked that he wanted Vincent to be his son-in-law. I blushed like a tomato after hearing that. It crushed my dad's heart when I told him I refused to date Vincent. I mean, why would I date him? He had just broken up with his ex-fiancé at the time.

     That's the last thing I want to be. A rebound. Trust me, it will never work out. Plus, it would be a little disrespectful in Vincent's part. No one really knows why Vincent and his ex broke up in the first place. All I know is that as soon as he was available, women flocked to him because he was back in the market. Reporters had a field day outside his home.

     I tipped my head back, gulping down the champagne as fast as I could. It was time for me to leave.

     "Care for another champagne?" Someone asked next to me.

     I looked up and saw a guy smirking down on me, holding a glass of champagne in his right hand. Thick jet black hair, smooth, milky white skin. Nice height. I'm guessing he's probably around 6 foot something.

     "Sorry," I flashed a smile, tucking a lock of my hair behind my ear. "I don't accept drinks from strangers."

     "Good girl." He held his champagne glass up and took a sip.

     "Yeah. Sorry, bud. Even if you look handsome as hell, I wouldn't dare accept it."

     "Bad experience?" He asked curiously, moving closer next to me.

     "No, it's just common sense," I said. "You don't need to experience it to know it's bad. Everyone should know that."

     "You're right about that," he took another sip. "Guest of the bride or the groom?"

     "Groom." I replied, snatching another glass of champagne from the server's tray.

     "How about you?"

     "Groom." He quickly answered, slipping one hand in his pocket.

     Before I could say another word, an older gentleman stopped in front us to acknowledge him. They shook hands. I recognized the old man as one of my dad's business friends. I don't think he knows me, though. While I waited for them to finish their conversation, I noticed how the guy I was talking to has such cute dimples. I didn't notice it at the beginning when he started talking to me. He seemed like a really nice guy. Charming. You could easily tell a person's personality based on how they speak and carry themselves.

     The old man excused himself and went on his way to greet the newlyweds. The guy turned to me. "Sorry about that."

     "It's alright," I pressed my lips together in a tight line. "Um, hey. I know this sounds like a stupid question, and I'm not stalking you or anything, I promise, but where are you from?"

     "You wanna stalk me, I bet," he laughed. "I'm kidding. Anyway, I was born in Korea, but I grew up here in New York."

     I nodded. "Ah, I see. Sorry, I wasn't sure what your background was, so I had to ask. Hope you don't mind."

     "It's fine. How about you? Where are you from?"

     "Los Angeles," I was supposed to lie, but for some reason I couldn't. "I'm only here in New York because of my dad."

     "You know, we've been talking for the past few minutes," he said. "Is it okay to ask for your name?"

     "It's Raina." I smiled, extending my hand.

     His eyes widened, shaking my hand in return. "No way. What a coincidence. My real name's Rainier, but everyone calls me Rain."

     I opened my mouth in disbelief. "How cool is that? We both have the same nickname, except my dad calls me Rainy."

     "Let me guess. You were born on a rainy day?"

     I stifled a laugh. "You guessed it. My mom said it was raining real hard while she was on labor. So, what's the story behind your name?"

     He briefly looked up at the ceiling before looking down at me, like he's trying to think of a best explanation. "Rainier cherries. She loved eating them while she was pregnant with me."

     "Wow," I grabbed another glass of champagne  from one of the servers passing by. "Last one, I promise," I smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, can't help it."

     You might want to take it easy on that," he reminded me. "Did you come here by yourself? I can drive you home later, if that's okay with you."

     I smiled, waving him off. "I'm fine. Don't worry, I'm not drunk yet. Trust me when I say I really need this right now."

     "I like you," he said. I tilted my head, sending him a questionable look. "You seem like a fun person to be with. Someone who's free spirited and won't give a damn no matter what people say about you."

     "You know what?" I gave him a gentle slap in the back. "I like you, too. You're a smart person, Rain. You can read people well."

     "I'm just being observant, that's all," he nodded towards the glass door near us. "Anyway, do you want to go out in the garden for a bit?"

     As I was about to say sure, I caught a glimpse of my friend, Pandora, who just stepped through the main entrance of the hotel ballroom in her bright red dress. My heart started to race. How the hell did she find me here? Pandora was one of my childhood friends. A real pain in the ass, to be honest. She's well known to stir the pot among our group of friends. In short, she's a piece of work.

     "Hey, Rain? Does the garden by any chance have another way out to the parking lot?"

     "Uh, yes, it does."

     I felt my phone vibrate inside my purse. I checked to see who it was. Shit. I closed my eyes for a brief moment before clicking the decline button on the screen.

     "I—I need to go," I said, tossing the phone back inside my purse. It started vibrating again. "I apologize for leaving so soon. It was really nice meeting you."

     A loud crack of thunder boomed across the sky. It started raining. Raining? You gotta be kidding me. Why does it have to rain now? Today, out of all days.

     "Is everything okay?" Rain was trailing behind me in the parking lot. We were both soaking wet now. "You seemed nervous. Is there anything I can do to help?"

     I shook my head, walking as fast as I could to my car. "No, don't worry. It's something I have to deal on my own," I slipped in my car and rolled down the window. "Thank you for the conversation we had earlier. I appreciate it."

     "Is it okay to get your phone number?" He asked.

     "I can't, I'm sorry." I started rolling my window up, but he placed his hand on the glass to stop it.

     "Why the heck not?" He asked. "Look, I don't know what's going on, but if you're in trouble, at least let me know and maybe I can help you."

     My phone buzzed again. Christ. I glanced at my purse on the passenger side. "I'm sorry, I really have to go. I didn't know what I was thinking coming to this wedding. It was so stupid of me."

     "Do you think we'll ever see each other again?" His voice and eyes were filled with hope. Too cute. Almost like a sad little puppy pleading for attention.

     I smiled. "Hopefully, when rain falls again next time. Who knows."

     His face softened after hearing me say those words. Perhaps he knew that someday our paths will cross again. He nodded, taking a step back from the car. I quickly rolled the window up and made my way out of the parking lot.

❤️ Hope you guys enjoyed the prologue. Don't forget to leave some love. 😘 Thank you for reading!