When the Rain Falls

nulli secundus

9.

{for kenyourbuttnot for her hilarious comments}

Aiden has not been out with friends in over a month. Or so they tell him the moment he slides into the car. ("Hey Aiden, long time no see!" "How's things?" "Been a bit odd without you, man.")

And then there is Maria who shyly looks up at him from under her lashes, murmuring a small, "Hi, Aiden." (He'd tripped over his own feet and face-planted directly into the concrete the moment he saw her - much to the enjoyment of his 'friends'.)

He feels positively miserable. She is not supposed to be here. They'd told him she wouldn't be here.

Yet, here they are.

Rather than make up an elaborate excuse and back out of their lunch plans (which he very much wants to do), he swallows his misery and masks it with a small smile. Noel, who sits in the front beside Maria, turns to give Aiden an apologetic look. He scoffs, as if that'll help.

Nora leans across her boyfriend who currently sits between them to give Aiden a small hug. "We missed you." She tells him before settling back into her seat.

Hunter, the aforementioned boyfriend, hums in affirmation. "Yeah, it was weird without you."

The vehicle slips into an awkward silence.

Hunter, never one to stand silence (he's been this way since he was a kid, Aiden recalls), clears his throat. "So," he begins, "how've you been?"

It's not meant to be a loaded question but Aiden's suffocating under the pressure. He squirms uncomfortably, trying not to glance at Maria and pretending he can't feel her concerned gaze on him.

"I love this song!" Noel suddenly blasts the music while belting the lyrics to a song Aiden knows he hates.

But then Hunter's joining in, followed by Nora and the tension dissipates in a mere second. The joy doesn't lull for a moment after and Aiden waits until no one's looking before he mouths a small 'Thank you' to Noel, which he sees through the rear view mirror and returns with a small shrug.

*****

Lunch is much easier for Aiden, now that the stifling aura previously surrounding them has departed. It's not long before the five of them (even Maria) are joking and talking as if they haven't been apart a day.

But they have been apart, Aiden can't help but notice, for exactly one month and twenty-two days.

"Remember that, Aiden?" Nora nudges him, smiling, and he's brought back to the present by questions about the past.

He smiles sheepishly, "Sorry, uh, what were we talking about?"

"That time we all broke into Sanderson's building and-"

Aiden cuts her off here, finishing, "He chased us up to the roof and we locked ourselves up there until the cops came." He smiles fondly. They were up there for hours but it was one of the most enjoyable times he'd ever had.

Hunter chimes in, now. "Do you remember the look on his face when we saw him with Katrina? And he wasn't going to do anything until he saw us taking pictures and do you - do you," he has to stop a second because he's trying not to laugh. "Do you remember how his pants fell and...and," now he's laughing, clutching onto Aiden's shoulder, trying to catch his breath.

Noel finishes his sentence for him, a smile playing at his lips. "And he tripped chasing us around the building."

It's not until Maria finally wraps up the story that they all burst out guffawing. "Let's not forget when he literally ran into Mrs. James, pants off and all, and she thought he was trying to molest her and she gave him F's for the rest of the semester."