The rain hadn't stopped all day.
Aria sat by her window, knees drawn to her chest, watching the raindrops race each other down the glass. The house was too quiet — her parents had gone out, leaving her alone with her thoughts and the ache in her chest.
Everywhere she looked, she saw him.
The boy she once teased… now the boy who defended her when no one else did.
She sighed, pressing her forehead against the window. "Ethan Gray… what are you doing to me?" she whispered.
The doorbell rang. Once. Twice.
She froze. Who would come in the middle of a storm?
Her heart jumped as she went to open it — and there he was.
Ethan stood at her doorstep, soaked from head to toe, his dark hair plastered to his forehead, eyes deep and unreadable.
"E-Ethan?" she stammered. "What are you—"
"I needed to see you," he said simply. His voice was low, rough from the rain.
Before she could reply, thunder cracked across the sky, and she quickly pulled him inside. "You'll get sick! What were you thinking?"
He looked at her — really looked — and for a second, neither of them spoke.
Aria's hoodie hung loose around her shoulders, her hair slightly messy, her eyes soft in the dim light.
"I was thinking," Ethan said quietly, "that I didn't like not seeing you."
She swallowed hard. "You're supposed to be mad at me. Everyone is."
"I'm not everyone."
Something in his voice made her heart skip. She looked away, pretending to fuss with a towel. "Sit down before you catch a cold."
He obeyed, sitting on the couch as she handed him a towel. He took it but didn't move, just watched her as she paced nervously.
"Aria," he said suddenly, making her stop. "Why did you fight so hard for me?"
She froze.
For a moment, the only sound was the rain.
"I… I don't know," she whispered. "Maybe because I couldn't stand seeing you hurt. Maybe because—" she hesitated, her voice trembling, "—because you mean something to me now."
Ethan's gaze softened. He stood, taking a slow step toward her. "You don't have to say it," he murmured. "I already know."
They stood there, barely a breath apart — close enough that she could feel the warmth of his skin despite the rain.
Then, without thinking, Aria reached up and brushed a drop of rain from his cheek. He caught her wrist gently, his thumb grazing her skin.
"Your hands are cold," he whispered.
"So are yours," she replied, her voice barely above a breath.
The tension between them grew heavy — unspoken but undeniable. His eyes flicked to her lips, then back to her eyes, and for a heartbeat, the world seemed to stop.
But instead of closing the space between them, Ethan stepped back. "I should go," he said softly.
Aria blinked, surprised. "Now? It's still raining."
He smiled faintly. "I'll be fine. I just… needed to see you."
And just like that, he left — leaving behind the sound of the rain, the smell of wet air, and a girl who finally realized what her heart was trying to tell her all along.