Have You Ever Listened To The Rain At Night?

Chapter 3

When Camille got home that evening, she went straight to her room. For a long time she lay on her bed and stared at the ceiling, letting her thoughts wander until her cell phone beeped. For a moment, Camille stared at the message she had just received and didn't know what to do with it. Then she realized it was a notification from an online dating site she had registered on months ago . . . no success so far. Unlike Jo, who was popular, Camille was the complete opposite. So she had hoped that it might be easier for her to connect with people she didn't know personally – not her best idea. The message informed her that a new user had signed up on the portal, but Camille deleted the message without even looking at the new profile. She was tired of it, couldn't stand all these "normal people" anymore. Her mind wanders to Logan. He was anything but normal, she had felt that, even if she had only faced him for a few minutes. Jo was right, Logan was odd. But that was exactly what Camille found so fascinating about him. She hoped she'd get more chances to talk to him over the next week.

In fact, the opportunity came sooner than expected. One day in the fourth week, Camille worked alone because Jo had an important appointment that day. It was early afternoon and Camille was helping out in the kitchen when Jen approached her. "Ah, here you are. Camille, could you do me a favor?"

"Of course," Camille replied instantly. "What is it?"

"It's about Logan. I was hoping you might give him some company. He needs some distraction after hearing some bad news this morning."

"About his birthday?"

"Yes. He'll have to celebrate it here, so he's a bit depressed. Maybe your visit will cheer him up a bit."

"I'll do my best," Camille promised with a slight sense of anticipation.

Camille knocked on Logan's door but got no answer. Maybe he was sleeping. So she carefully opened the door and quietly entered. This time her eyes immediately fell on the bed, which was empty. She looked the other way and finally spotted him sitting in an armchair by the window, looking out. From his window there was a magnificent view of the park of the private hospital, including a pond and its own small stream. Logan's eyes were focused on the water and once again he didn't seem to notice anything else around him.

"Logan?"

When he didn't respond she continued, "Jen asked me to keep you company, but if you're busy I'll be back later."

Again she got no reaction from him. Disappointment spread through her. "All right, I'll go now." She was almost at the door when she heard him say, "Please close the door and take a seat."

Camille turned around, but Logan didn't look at her, just continued to stare outside the window. Nevertheless, she did what he asked her to do and, after a moment's hesitation, took a seat in the second armchair that stood across from Logan. "Jen told me you got bad news today. Sorry about your birthday."

Instead of responding to the beginning of their conversation, Logan suddenly said, "Have you ever thought about what it would be like if you just floated on the water all day? You would have no other worries and everything would be easy."

"But wouldn't that be pretty lonely?" Camille asked quietly, having no idea what she was getting herself into.

"Water is the driving force of nature. It is mostly quiet and calm, leisurely, peaceful. But at the same time it can also be powerful and unstoppable. So you should never underestimate it. Everything in life has two faces. Never forget that."

Camille was literally speechless. She had never heard anyone talk like that before. Suddenly, Logan turned his head and looked at her. He blinked a few times, then he looked at the door, then back at her. And then the cutest thing Camille had ever seen happened. He blushed. "I'm sorry, Camille. Sometimes I'm . . . I do . . . I say things . . . I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Camille said quickly. She didn't want him to feel bad.

"So . . . Jen thinks I need a distraction because I can't celebrate my birthday at home after all?"

Camille nodded. Logan sighed. "Yes, of course it would have been nicer to be at home on my birthday . . . But on the other hand, this place is my second home, so in a way . . ." Even if he tried not to show it, you could clearly hear how disappointed he was. Camille looked around the room for a change of subject that would cheer Logan up a bit, but she couldn't think of anything better than, "Have you really read all those books?"

Logan nodded. "Yes, more than once. Do you read?" he asked surprisingly. Camille felt caught by this question. She hesitated. "Well . . . No, not really. It's just that I'd rather be outside and do outdoor activities than-" Realizing what she'd just said, Camille stopped abruptly. She felt stupid. "Sorry," she said, a little sheepishly. But Logan smiled softly. "Don't be sorry. I'm actually interested. Tell me what you like to do when you're outside."

"Well, sometimes I go rock climbing or camping with my family. But most of the time I'm at the beach. I think you could say the beach is my second home."

Logan nodded and was silent for a few seconds. Camille was afraid that his thoughts had drifted again, but then . . . "Sunrise or sunset?"

Camille was so perplexed by this unexpected question that she promptly replied, "I would say sunset. 'Cause most of the time I'm still asleep when the sun comes up in the morning."

That statement made Logan laugh. It was the first time Camille heard this sound and she wished at that moment that she could hear it more often.

"What do you prefer?" Camille asked him.

"Hmmm . . . I would say that both have their pros and cons and that makes it difficult to make a decision. I think that both things should be valued equally, because without sunrise there would be no sunset, and without sunset there would be no sunrise."

"I never thought about that," Camille said, impressed. Logan gave her a half smile and then watched her closely. "Could you do me a favor?"

"What kind of favor?"

"This may sound a little weird, but could you take your mask off? I'd like to see your face."

Camille hesitated. "Um, I don't know if I . . . Jen said . . ."

Logan nodded. "I can imagine what Jen said. I promise that my health will remain the same. Don't worry about that."

"Okay," Camille said, taking her mask off her face. Logan leaned forward in his armchair. Concentrated, he seemed to notice every little detail of her face. He even took a good look at her beauty mark above her upper lip. His gaze was so intense that Camille could almost feel it burning on her skin. Neither of them said a word during those seconds. Finally, Logan nodded and leaned back. "Thank you. You can put the mask back on now."

Camille did so, thinking about what sense this action had made to him. What was his motive? Should she ask him about it, or should she just drop it? The decision was made for her by a sudden knock on the door. Moments later, Jen walked into the room. When she saw the two of them sitting in armchairs by the window, she smiled. "Everything alright with you two?"

Logan nodded. "We're fine. Thanks for sending Camille in. She's been a huge help."

"Oh . . ." Camille started embarrassed and stood up. "I don't think I was that helpful . . ."

Logan looked her straight in the eye and smiled softly as he said, "Oh yes, you were. You just don't know it yet."