[ Rain's POV ]
The week was a blur of caffeine and frantic note-taking. With finals looming, the university library had become our second home. Sean, Michael, and several of our classmates were huddled around a large oak table, buried under mountains of textbooks.
"Ahh. That's it. My brain is officially fried," Michael groaned, stretching his arms until his joints popped.
"Let's go grab some cold drinks," Sean suggested, standing up and shaking off the fatigue. "What do you guys want?"
The table erupted in a chorus of orders; iced coffees, fruit shakes, sodas. Sean turned to me, his expression softening. "You, Rain? What can I get you?"
"I don't think we need to buy one for Rain anymore," Michael said, pointing behind me.
I turned around and froze. Fran was standing there, silent as a ghost. Without a word, he set a cold drink, my favorite, directly in front of me. He didn't stay to talk. He just turned and walked away, leaving a lingering scent of peppermint in his wake.
The entire table went silent, eyes darting between me and the retreating figure of the "Ice King."
"What is he doing?" Sean asked, his voice laced with annoyance. He reached for the bottle. "Don't drink that, Rain. For all we know, it's poisoned."
"It's okay," I said quickly, instinctively pulling the drink closer to me before he could touch it. Sean's hand hovered in the air, his expression one of pure shock. "It's a waste to throw it away."
Sean didn't say anything for a long moment, his jaw tightening. Finally, Michael grabbed his arm. "Let's go, Sean. My throat is actually dry."
By lunch, things got even weirder.
We were sitting at our usual spot in the canteen when a tray slid onto the table right next to mine. Fran sat down, looking as indifferent as ever.
"What are you doing here?" Sean snapped, leaning forward. "Your seats are over there."
"Tsk," was all Fran offered in response.
"If you're going to insist on sitting with us, there's plenty of space next to Michael," Sean pointed out. "Why are you crowding Rain?"
"Then you go sit there," Fran countered, his voice flat.
Before Sean could explode, two more tray-bearing shadows appeared. Fran's friends.
"We'll take these seats, too," one of them said, sliding in next to Michael.
"Hey! Who told you that you could..." Michael started, but the guy just threw an arm around Michael's neck.
"Let's bury the past, Bro. I'm Zack, by the way." He extended a hand, but Michael shoved the arm off his shoulder, giving him a look that could kill.
I noticed that the friend who used to insult me wasn't there. Only these two were left. It was the most awkward, mismatched group of people the canteen had ever seen.
"Hi there, Goldy. I'm Fer," the other guy said, grinning at Sean. Sean actually choked on his drink.
"What did you just call me?"
"Goldy. You know... like a Golden Retriever puppy?"
Sean looked like he was about to jump across the table and throw a punch.
"Hey, hey! Just teasing. You're actually kind of cute when you're angry," Fer laughed. I couldn't help it, a small laugh escaped me. Sean, the
campus heartthrob, was actually getting teased.
"Tsk. Get your friends out of here," Sean muttered to Fran. "You guys are making the food taste bitter."
Fran ignored him completely. Instead, he spent the rest of lunch silently transferring the best pieces of meat from his plate onto mine. He didn't explain. He didn't look at me. He just did it.
What is he doing? Why is he doing this now? And the worst part was, I couldn't bring myself to push his hand away.
Later that night, Sean had soccer practice, so I found myself walking through the park alone. The wind was turning cold when a familiar figure stepped into stride beside me.
"Hey. This." Fran held out a silver bracelet. It was the raindrop bracelet Sean had given me. I hadn't even realized it had slipped off.
"Thanks."
The air between us felt heavy, but in a way I hadn't felt before. In the past, being with Fran was about walking on eggshells. Now, it was just... electric.
"Takoyaki!" I said, my mood lifting as I spotted a nearby stand.
"Right. Let's go," Fran said. He reached down and grabbed my hand, pulling me toward the stand.
"Two sets, please," he told the vendor. He still hadn't let go of my hand. I knew I should pull away, but I didn't want to. I wanted to hold on so tightly that he couldn't vanish again.
But then he noticed me staring at our joined hands. He dropped my hand instantly, looking away.
Whhat am I thinking? Why am I so nervous with Fran now?
We settled onto a bench to eat. I missed this. Just the quiet, the cold air, and the simple comfort of being together.
"That was delicious," I said, patting my stomach and smiling at the sky. When I turned back to Fran, I realized he was already watching me. His expression wasn't cold. It was... soft. Affectionate?
I looked away quickly, my heart racing.
"Rain," he said softly. "I... I..."
"You want to say sorry?" I offered.
"I... Yes. I don't know how. You know I'm bad with words."
"I know," I said, turning back to him with a sad smile. "I know you regret it, Fran. It's okay. But... you probably know it's not the same anymore."
His expression crumbled into something so lonely and full of regret that it hurt to look at.
"Fran, please," I whispered, begging him with my eyes to stop looking at me like that.
He didn't look away. Instead, his gaze dropped to my lips, to the faint, lingering mark where he had bitten me. He slowly raised his thumb, his touch light as a feather as he traced the scar.
My heart did a somersault. He cupped my face, his hand warm against my skin, pulling me closer. He started to close his eyes, his face tilting. When our lips brushed for a fraction of a second, panic flared in my chest.
I pushed him, just enough to break the contact. I stood up, my hand over my mouth, my heart hammering against my ribs. Without a word, I turned and ran.
What did he just do? Why did he do that?
I ran until my lungs burned. Just as I slowed down to catch my breath, my phone buzzed. A message in the group chat from Michael.
Michael: Rain, look at the post on the University page. Now.
I opened the link with trembling fingers. My heart sank. It was a photo of Fran and Athena at school, standing close together. The comments were already blowing up: "The power couple is back!" "I knew they couldn't stay away from each other!"
The air felt like it was being sucked out of my lungs. I looked at the bracelet on my wrist, then at the photo on the screen. The sting of the kiss was still on my lips, but the pain in my chest was much, much sharper.