One rainy afternoon

By Arpita Mishra

He adores when it rains.

She used to wonder what was so fantastic about this. When it comes to rain, her inquisitive mind will always be old grandma. There's dirt, her clothes won't dry, her curly hair becomes stringy, her sinuses flare up, and it's just so damp and humid everywhere, not that she minds being wet anywhere else.

It's ridiculous that when you love someone, you want to partake in their hobbies. The urge to convince your partner that you are their soul mate may be the reason, or perhaps it's because mutual experience can forge a closer bond. This desire to belong to someone else is an extremely difficult thing.Sometimes you lose yourself in the process and forget who you are; other times, you come across a better version of yourself giggling that you let it out.

Anyway, she disliked the rain.

She was looking for him among the visitors to this area as she made her way down the rocky road that day. You see, the problem with tourist destinations is that they are constantly packed. "Why is everyone growing a beard now, what happened to the gentlemen, clean-shaven days" She didn't mind his beard, though; she was simply worried that after spending so much time apart, she wouldn't be able to identify him among all these beardos.

After a little while, she became exhausted and sat down on a nearby seat with a cup of tea and a cigarette, hoping perhaps the smoke might draw him close to her. She suddenly felt a push from someone standing next to her. She turned around to see her guy chewing on an apple and laughing like a fool.

He said, "You know cigarettes kill, right?

She chuckled, "It's like a flame for my moth."

Then she hopped from the seat and gave him a bear hug. For her, the rest was a blur. He was telling her something about how fat she had become...the places he wanted to take her to try new foods, the people he wanted her to meet...everything faded into the background after the warmth she felt. He smelt like strong coffee...both calming and awakening... His embrace felt like a bed full of comfy heavy blankets lovingly tucked in. She could feel him kissing her in no time. Time appeared to have paused for her. primarily because it began to rain fiercely and people had already left the area. I mean, come on, who enjoys rain?

Perhaps this was the first time she had ever relished the rain.

The rains appeared as though they would soon puncture through her flesh as they fell on her cheek. As if to tease both of their bare bodies, their clothing was sopping wet. She could hear thunder rumbling and birds tweeting, and her heartbeat was quickening as his breath became heavier. With each passing second, she could feel his pace quickening and his hold getting tighter around her waist. She could feel a tear stream down her cheek as if it were the finest kiss she had ever gotten. Standing in the rain today, she didn't feel choked or devastated—it was unreal. It's as if there's some sort of love potion in these downpours, and she's becoming drunk off of it, or maybe the love of her life has made the rain his constant love.

He smirked and continued, "If we were a little more shameless, we could be nude right here and have sex. You know that right?"

She chuckled and said, "Yeah let's have it then."

She was enjoying his perplexed expression and twisted brows as he searched for a good answer to her statement.

"Let's get coffee, my weirdo," he said.

As they were headed down to the café, debating what they would eat and who had better fashion sense, she replied, "yo...Not too horrible, your rain.”

By Arpita Mishra