The final bell rang, and a rush of footsteps thundered through the hallways. Outside, the sky had opened up, sheets of rain slamming against the pavement with a deafening roar. Students spilled from the doors in clusters—some shrieking as they dashed through the downpour, others laughing as they wrestled with half-broken umbrellas, too stubborn to wait out the storm.

Adrian lingered, popping open his own umbrella with an easy flick of his wrist. He’d checked the weather this morning, of course—he always did. A perfect boy came prepared. The familiar scent of rain mixed with the distant smell of cafeteria food and fresh pavement filled his nostrils.

That’s when he saw him. Standing under the roof’s shallow overhang, apart from the rest. His posture was loose, but his face unreadable, eyes tracking the rain like he was counting every drop. No phone in hand. No movement to leave. Just stillness.

Adrian’s first instinct was to keep walking. To stay with his friends, to stay in character. But his steps faltered, then stopped altogether. His friends were already gone, and something about the way he stood there—silent, unmoving—stirred something sharp in his chest. The memory of the bet flickered in his mind, but it felt distant now, overshadowed by something else.

So, before he could talk himself out of it, Adrian crossed the distance. His shoes splashed against the growing puddles, the sound loud in the quiet space where he stood alone. He tilted his umbrella just enough to shelter them both, the rain’s rhythm softening as it pattered harmlessly against the fabric.

“Didn’t bring one?” Adrian asked, flashing a grin, his voice pitched in that casual, friendly way he always wore like armor. But the edges weren’t as smooth this time—something uncertain slipped beneath the practiced tone.

He glanced sideways, noting how he hadn’t moved, how he only flicked his gaze toward him with a guarded calm that made Adrian’s stomach tighten.

“We can share,” Adrian added, lifting the umbrella a little higher, making the offer clearer. His smile twitched, a little nervous despite himself. The scent of his cologne mixed with the clean rain air as he waited for a response that might never come.