o7.
chapter seven
an oblivious idiot

I flinched when a drop of water fell on my cheek. Looking up, my eyes widened at the overcast clouds. Grabbing Ash's arm, I pulled him closer, pointing above with my free hand.

He looked up, his expression mirroring mine before his gaze flitted to me. "I guess we should get to shelter before—"

However, the weather decided to disobey him and not concord with his words. The downpour started, beginning with a light drizzle before it turned heavy.

Our feet splashed water everywhere as we ran—a mixture of laughter and wetness—to an abandoned pavilion. Once under it, I began squeezing the water out of my hair, giggling. "Ash, you told me the weather would be perfectly sunny!"

"I did!" he exclaimed, shrugging. "It lied!"

I snorted out a laugh, now working on whipping my scarf off. The day he decided to leave his car for servicing would be the day it started raining. Walking home was now a problem. The skies cried endlessly, their tears creating a melancholic rhythm. Some of the stray drops started hitting us too.

Ash settled on the cemented, miraculously dry, floor, sitting cross-legged and leaning against a wooden pillar. My own legs ached from walking for too long, and running on top of that. But...

How could I sit down there?

With no other option, I leaned against the pillar, my hands wrapping around my midriff. It had been a bad, bad idea to wear a crop top today.

I sighed, my breath almost visible. As much as I loved the rain, I hated being cold. My thoughts were interrupted when I felt something wet on my bare skin. My head snapped, breath hitching, to find Ash behind me, holding his jacket to my shoulder.

"Ash, it's wet," I pointed out, a small smile breaking out at the protective look nestled in his glistening brown orbs.

"Better than nothing," he breathed out. His hands lingered for a moment more than necessary, the warmth seeping through the fabric and setting my heart on a looped fire.

"Thank you," I mumbled when he withdrew, leaning beside me, his hands stuffed in his pockets now. He held a faraway look, his lips in a half-smile.

The rain tapped gently against the pavilion in a rhythm that reminded me of 21 by Gracie Abrams. Closing my eyes, I tried to hum to the beat. My breath aligned with the steady patter of rainfall, my vocal cords conducting a mini orchestra session.

When I felt that the rain was turning lighter, I opened my eyes, clutching Ash's jacket closer.

"I guess it thinned," I announced, twirling to catch Ash staring at me, a small grin lighting his face. The look in his eye had me biting my tongue. "W-what are you looking at?" I stammered, subconsciously pulling his jacket tighter around my wet body.

He bit his lip, suppressing his smile. "Well, just thinking how lucky I got."

I rolled my eyes, even though his sincere words had my heart skipping a beat. "Lucky for being stuck in the rain? Here I was thinking you hated getting soaked."

"I do," he replied honestly, unfolding his arms and pushing himself off the pillar. He took a step forward and twisted lightly to offer a hand. "It's a bit slippery. Wouldn't want you slipping."

I rolled my eyes again, struggling to contain my excitement and amusement. That was his lame excuse for wanting to hold my hand? Only I could get a shy and oblivious idiot for a soulmate.

Ash arched an eyebrow, his hand teasing. With a groan, I obliged, slipping my hand into his, the free one clutching his jacket securely on my shoulders.

His grip tightened, fingers manipulating to intertwine with mine. My breath hitched when he started walking, tugging me along as if I were a lost child in the woods.

A shifting breeze blew, hitting rainwater against our faces. I shuddered, the wet clothing worsening the chill I was feeling. Ash glanced over his shoulder.

"Daijoubu, Serena-chan?" he asked, concern laced in his voice. The teasing behavior seemed to be put behind bars. "Do you want us to stop somewhere?"

I shook my head, sending him a soft smile and quickening my pace to match his. That way, I didn’t have to let my heart have all the fun at the sight of him looking over his shoulder confidently. "How long could we possibly wait?!" I exclaimed, chuckling when his fingers gripped mine tightly.

"I wish you wore something warmer than that," he mumbled. My smile fell when he dropped my hand. But then he quickly walked in front of me, as if he were a shield. His stride was strong, like he was a windbreaker himself.

Ash’s determined gait caught me off guard, his figure blocking out the chilly breeze from hitting me. I froze in my tracks, watching his soaked form moving ahead, his jacket nowhere to protect me.

"Ash!" I called out, breaking into a jog to catch up. He turned to me, his damp bangs partially obscuring his face. "You'll get sick!"

But his eyes only softened warmly. "I'll be fine. You're the one freezing."

My mouth hung open in exasperation. Shaking my head, I pushed the jacket into his arms. He took it, only to drape it over me again—this time from over my head.

"You're ridiculous, you know that?" I reprimanded, although his gesture warmed me against the chill. Ash chuckled, as if he had heard that a thousand times before.

"You're always looking out for everyone," he whispered, his hand trembling. Heat shot to my cheeks when he reached forward, pushing a wet lock of my hair away from my eyes, giving me a better look at him.

The rain made him look even more serious than I had ever seen him. His hair was plastered to his face, raindrops trailing down his sharp jawline. My breath hitched when I felt the meat of his thumb caress my cheek in a warm, intimate gesture before he let his hand drop.

But the rain didn’t seem so bad at that moment. If only he knew he was making the coldest of evenings the warmest with just a smile. If only he knew how effortlessly he had my heart racing—I would never let him go.

My pulse quickened, chest tightening with fuzziness, when his gaze softened. Earnest words tumbled out of his mouth—even if they seemed to hold something deeper than what he strung into a sentence.

"Well, someone has to look out for you too."