I loved rain as long as I can get drenched alone. The problem was, a full grown guy was walking along with me and that was the moment weather decided to play a little joke on us.

It started raining.

Though it didn't start suddenly. The weather forecast did advise me to bring an umbrella with me whenever I go out. But as always, I disregarded the advice; after all when had I ever pay attention to other's advice? Plus, I loved the rain.

But Shu was with me. And I didn't feel like one of those romance novel heroines and get drenched with a guy right now.

So, now, we were running along the slippery, wet streets, towards my house at full speed. Shu clumsily slipped once and I pulled him, grabbing his collar, giggling.

We reached my house faster than we thought though all these running couldn't save us from the rain as none of us had any umbrellas. We were wet plus exhausted.

"Come inside." I offered Shu, as my teeth chatter. "You'll catch cold."

He looked at me. "Don't worry. I'll manage."

I rolled my eyes. "And how in the world are you going to do that? Your house is quite far from here. It's alright to accept help when people offer it, you know."

"Whenever I'm with you, all I receive are these moralistic life lessons." A ghost of a smile appeared on his lips.

I scowled. "Whatever. Get inside. Just wait until the rain stops."

He looked at the growling, dark sky for a while. His face revealed none of his emotions as he nodded and got inside with me.

He looked around my small apartment curiously as he entered.

"I know, I'm poor." I said blankly as I took off my shoes.

Unexpectedly, he became a bit flustered. "No, no, it's not like that."

"Then?"

"You live alone, that's all I'm thinking."

"Oh. Yes, I do."

I walked inside with my drenched clothes with Shu closely following behind me. It was only one room so, we decided, first I will take a shower then Shu. I quickly took some clothes- A pair of gray shorts and a white tee and went to the bathroom. I finished up faster than usual because Shu was completely wet too, and he would catch a cold if he doesn't change his wet clothes quickly.

The sky was dark and still growling like a hungry lion. I got out of the bathroom while drying up my dark blue hair. Shu was sitting on a chair as I instructed him since I didn't want his drenched self to ruin my only mattress.

He stared at me and my process of drying my hair without saying anything. I raised eyebrows at him, but still he responded with nothing but staring at me, unblinking. I sighed and threw him my towel and pointed to the bathroom. "Go take a long warm shower. And in the meantime, let me see if I can find any bigger clothes for you."

He caught the light blue towel easily. "What if you don't find any?"

"Then you have to stay naked until your wet clothes dries up and the rain stops."

He raised his one brow. "And you don't have any problem having a naked full grown man in your lonely house?"

"Nope." I said while looking through my wardrobe. "You have any problem staying naked?"

He coughed a bit before muttering something to himself.

"What did you say?" I asked.

"That you should be more careful with your actions."

"But I think I heard the word 'strange' in your sentence?"

"Well, I may have added that, you're a strange girl too."

"Why you little---" Before I could hit him, he dashed inside the bathroom.

I smiled to myself as I proceeded with my work. I found an oversized plain blue sweater and a pair of sweat pants that's a bit loose on me. Are these going to fit him? I shrugged to myself.

And I really don't mind having a boy in my house. It really don't bother me or anything. And it's not like he's a stranger or anything. I know him, maybe not very well (well, no one knows Shu very well), I know him enough to trust him.

Plus I had enough self defense classes to protect myself.

I spread out my mattress on the floor and took out my cozy blanket from the closet. I went to the kitchen to see if I had any decent food for two people since none of us had our dinner. I felt a surge of relief when I found two bowls of instant noodles in the cabinet. I prepared the noodles and made tea for two people. I went back to the room with the foods and saw that Shu came out of the shower.

It's not like I never thought that he was handsome. I already knew he was handsome. He was tall, his blue eyes were deep and mysterious plus his features were very sharp- I knew everything.

But at that moment, when he came out of the shower with his drenched black hair, wearing my blue sweater, droplets of water were hanging at the end of his black strands, his wet skin was glistening, his bangs hid his eyebrows and his blue eyes were looking for a place to keep the wet towel in his hand- I gaped- I realized that he was incredibly handsome. He didn't even look human; as if his entire self was carefully created Greek sculpture.

"Where do I put it?" He asked me, unaware of my speechless self. "It's totally wet."

"Y-yeah, right. Two people used it after all." I quickly composed myself and put the foods on the table. "Give me that. Give me your clothes too."

I quickly walked away from his vision and spread out clothes and the towel under the fan so that they dries up quickly. My back was facing him. I closed my eyes and slapped myself internally.

'What in the world was I doing? I was literally checking him out and swooning over my coworker?! Plus, he's probably younger than me too...'

I turned around and saw that he was looking at me strangely with furrowed brows.

"You okay?"

"Y-yeah, I'm good. L-let's eat." My stuttering made it worse.

We sat by the window on the mattress and placed our bowls on the floor. We pulled up the blanket on our lap to feel a bit cozy. We watched the rain silently and sipped on our tea.

"Isn't it lonely?" He asked me suddenly looking at me. "With only having yourself every day?"

"I'd be lying if say I don't get lonely." I stared at the sky. "But I have so many things to do everyday and also when I come back, so most of the time I forget about the loneliness."

He said nothing but stare at the sky with me.

"Doesn't it get lonely for you too?" I asked staring at him. "Without any friends?"

"No." He said. "I'm used to it and I can say that, I've grown to like it too."

"Being alone?"

"Yes."

"Good for you." I said, smiling a bit. "Because I can never get used to being alone. It's always been hard for me."

He remained quiet for a while. Only the sound of the heavy pouring outside filled the room.

"That guy," He uttered slowly. "He's not only an ex boyfriend, is he?"

I remained for a second. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I want to know."

"Why?"

"I have a right to." He said in a surprisingly hard voice, but still I didn't face him. I'm sure even if his voice if hard, he still has a blank expression on his face. "I let you to use me as your boyfriend in front of him. Even before that I took his order for you at the Cafè when he first came."

I bit my lip. I was guilty. I have used him several times to save my own skin still he never interfered. Today, he even saved me. He helped me like a friend and gave me time. I don't know if I could call him my friend, but I want to.

I really want to know him, be his friend. I want to help him, just like he did.

But I can't really do that if I keep lying on his face and hiding things.

And which I can't continue to do anymore.

"He's my ex husband."

Shu kept silent. So did I.

The rain was getting heavier each minute now, the sound of heavy pouring made our silence even more deafening. Once in a while, the thunder enlightens the dark sky, followed by an earth shaking growl.

Don't think that I forgot.

Events of today.

It was not a mere accident or a mistake. It was too obvious and too straightforward to count it as a mistake. I had no idea what was this all about but an eerie feeling kept bugging me, the whole time after that incident.

It was an attempt to harm one of us or worse, kill one of us. But who? It was not like I have lived a chaste, saint's life, but I don't think I bumped into someone who would go to that extent- to kill me- after the Kajanoka household.

What if it was not me?

Maybe it was Shu...

"It wasn't me." My train of thoughts was interrupted by an icy, firm voice.

My widened as I looked at him. Was he inside my head??

He looked away only to stare out of the window, watching the rain with a calm expression. "It wasn't me if that's what you're thinking."

"How are you so sure?" My eyes twitched.

He shrugged as if it was a part of everyone's daily life. "I am not saying that I've lived a quiet life, but I don't believe that anyone would go that extreme to me." Then he looked again out of the window. "And if they know me personally, they won't even dare to." He muttered, more like to himself.

I didn't catch what he said at the end so I asked, "What did you say?"

"Nothing."

I think about what he said. If it was not him then it was definitely me. I'm not dumb; no one in their sane minds would count this incident as a mere accident.

But who would come after me?

I don't even have much acquaintances to begin with, let alone enemies. 

Who would go that extreme?

Then my brain- even though my mind kept denying- zeroed all focus on one person.

"Was it Aka--" My hoarse voice halted when I saw Shu shook his head.

"No, I don't think it was him." Then his eyes turned steel cold, his jaw clenched. "It was normal to suspect your ex husband in these kind of situations... But he loves you way too much to try to kill you."

My breathing hitched at his straightforwardness. My mouth became dry.

Love.

It was suppose to make me blush, make my heart beat faster, even if it was my ex husband. But it didn't.

My stomach dropped; my heart was suddenly filled with undeniable melancholy. I pursed my lips as my mind can't help but start reminiscing the past.

I knew it.

That's why I didn't deny it.

He did love me once. I've felt it.

Though I don't know if he still does. I don't know what I feel these days.

"I wish I could affect your mind and heart just like he does," His soft voice made me turn to him. His stare towards me was intense and warm at the same time.

I said nothing.

"But I don't think I can." His blue eyes suddenly turned sad.

I smiled at him softly. "You like me."

His icy blue eyes widened in pure astonishment and all the calmness and sentiment left his face. He looked at me, utterly shocked and frozen. He didn't utter a word.

Seeing his surprised expression at my sudden straightforward statement, I smiled looking downwards. "You really do, don't you?"

It wasn't a question anymore.

Maybe he was waiting for something more. Maybe he was waiting for my answer.

But sometimes our silence speaks more than our spoken words. I don't know what he understood, but he remained silent too. And in that moment, I didn't even care what he thought was my answer.

All I wanted was to hear the rain.

Suddenly I felt a warm hand on one side of my head. He softly pushed my head on his broad shoulder silently. Both of us remained staring at the window.

"You talk too much." He said softly. I laughed.

The rain kept falling.

He smelt like citrus shampoo and soap.

I liked it.

A comfortable silence enveloped us as the sounds of our breathing resonated. The blanket around our bodies kept us warm and cozy even in this stormy night.

It was so warm and comfortable that I thought I could spend my whole life, staying like this, just like this.

Then suddenly my phone rang out aloud ripping off the thin silence. I got up and took out my phone from my bag with a frown.

Who in the world was calling in this ungodly hour??

The screen displayed no name but an unfamiliar and my frown sank deeper. However, when I decided to take the call with a worried yet anticipating mind, a very familiar shrilly voice greeted me.

"Hello, Ena-san~!"

"Aihana..."

_

A/N: To all the amazing readers out there, here you go, a long ass chapter with a cliffhanger!

It's 4:51 AM in the morning and I'm still awake. Don't ask what I'm doing because I don't even know myself either.

||By my leave||