Into The Rain With You

Kai's POV

I hadn't expected the rain to have such an impact on me.

It had been hours since Haruka and I had run through the streets, drenched to the bone, laughing like kids, and I still couldn't shake the feeling. The weight in my chest had lightened—just enough to remind me of what it felt like to actually breathe.

My mind, usually a constant whirlwind of worries and regrets, had quieted for a brief, precious moment. It was like something inside me had cracked open, if only a little, and I could finally see the sky again.

I didn't know what had gotten into Haruka, but I was grateful for it. She hadn't asked me a thousand questions, hadn't pushed me to talk. She just let me be.

That's the thing about Haruka—she had a way of making me feel like I didn't have to explain myself, even when I couldn't explain it to myself.

It wasn't long after the rain stopped that I found myself walking home in the quiet of the evening. The world felt... softer, somehow. Maybe it was the rain, or maybe it was the way Haruka had taken the time to pull me out of my head and into the present. Either way, it was the first time in a long time that I didn't feel the constant pull of the past hanging over me.

I kicked a stone on the sidewalk as I walked, the cool air wrapping around me like an embrace. The streets were mostly empty, save for a few cars passing by, their headlights casting long shadows on the wet pavement. It was almost peaceful.

But then, just as I was starting to think that maybe things could be okay for once, my phone buzzed in my pocket.

I pulled it out, glancing at the screen. My stomach twisted when I saw the name.

Chino.

I hesitated. The knot in my chest tightened again, and I took a deep breath before answering the call.

"Hello?" I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Hey, Kai," Chino's voice came through the speaker, casual as always, but with an undertone I couldn't quite place. "I was wondering if you wanted to talk. I know we haven't really had the chance to—"

"Now?" I cut him off, trying to sound less irritated than I felt. "I'm not sure it's a good time, Chino."

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line. "Yeah, I get that. But listen... I just want to clear the air. I don't want things to be weird between us, you know?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose, walking slowly as I tried to think.

This was exactly what I had been avoiding—this conversation. The last thing I wanted to do was confront my past, especially with Chino. But there he was, reaching out like nothing had happened, like all the years of silence and distance could just be erased with a few words.

"Chino," I began, my voice softening, "I don't know if I'm ready for this. We haven't talked in so long, and now you just want to pick up where we left off? It doesn't work like that."

"I get it," Chino said quickly, the frustration in his voice barely masked. "But can we at least talk? I don't want to leave things hanging. I owe you that much, right?"

I stopped walking for a moment, standing still under the dim streetlights. The weight of his words hit me hard. Chino had always been there—my friend, my closest ally, the one who knew everything about me, even the parts I'd rather forget. And now, all that history was waiting for me to face it, even if I wasn't ready.

"You don't owe me anything," I said quietly, my voice barely above a whisper.

"But... okay. Fine. We can talk. But not now. I need time."

"I'll be waiting," Chino replied, a slight edge of impatience in his tone. "Don't take too long, okay?"

I hung up before I could say anything more, the familiar weight of unresolved emotions settling back in my chest. I didn't know what he wanted, but I knew one thing for sure: I wasn't ready to dive into whatever this was.

I stared down at my phone for a moment longer before slipping it back into my pocket. It wasn't just Chino that was complicated. My entire life had become this tangled mess of unspoken words, feelings I didn't know how to process, and the ever-present fear that I was too broken to fix.

But tonight, with the rain still fresh in my mind and Haruka's smile echoing in my thoughts, I realized something.

Maybe I didn't have to fix everything all at once. Maybe all I needed was to take a step forward and let things unfold at their own pace.

Haruka's POV

I was lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling, but my mind kept drifting back to Kai. I hadn't seen him since we parted ways after the rain, and though we hadn't talked much, I could still feel the shift between us. It was subtle, but it was there. There was a connection between us that hadn't existed before, a deeper understanding that we shared something—something beyond the small moments and the surface-level conversations.

I couldn't stop thinking about the way his eyes had softened after we ran through the streets. The way he had laughed, genuinely and without hesitation. It was the kind of laugh that made you feel like everything would be okay, if only for that moment. The kind of laugh that made me think maybe Kai wasn't as lost as I had feared.

But there was still so much he wasn't saying. I could see it in the way he closed himself off whenever things got too real. And I knew that, as much as I wanted to help, I couldn't push him to talk before he was ready. Kai had to find his own way, at his own pace.

And yet, I couldn't shake the feeling that he was carrying something far heavier than I could understand. Maybe it wasn't just Chino—it wasn't just about the past he had tried so hard to bury. Maybe it was everything. Maybe it was the weight of his entire world, everything he had been holding inside for so long.

I sighed, rolling onto my side, pulling the covers tighter around me as I tried to focus on something—anything—other than Kai. But the truth was, I couldn't stop thinking about him.

It was becoming clearer every day: I had feelings for him. Stronger than I'd ever admitted, even to myself. And it terrified me. Because I didn't know where it would lead. Because I didn't know if I could help him with everything he was going through.

I closed my eyes, trying to silence the thoughts racing through my mind. All I wanted was for Kai to find some peace, to be free of whatever burden he was carrying. But how could I help him do that if he wasn't ready to face it?

Kai's POV

I had barely stepped inside my house when my phone buzzed again. I hesitated, but I knew exactly who it was.

Chino.

I had promised him we'd talk, but I wasn't sure how to start. I wasn't sure if I was ready to start. Every time I thought about the conversation we still needed to have, I felt this familiar tug in my chest—the fear of the past spilling out and dragging me back into a place I didn't want to revisit.

But I couldn't avoid it forever. And maybe that was the problem.

I took a deep breath and unlocked my phone, fingers trembling slightly as I typed out a message.

Kai: "I'll meet you tomorrow. We'll talk then."

I hit send before I could second-guess myself, then threw my phone on the couch, rubbing my temples. The exhaustion from the day was catching up to me, and all I wanted was to lie down, close my eyes, and forget about everything for a little while.

But I couldn't escape the thought of Chino. Of the conversation that was coming.

Tomorrow would come whether I was ready or not.