In the Rain (Prequel to Rain Again)

Chapter Four: His Chaos

Taking his breath away, she left.

Like the wind, the woman sailed past, caressing him briefly while doing so.

And he was left spellbound — dazed by the mind-numbing, exquisite sensation she had provided him, confused by the state of his heart, almost believing he was having sort of a heart attack.

Along with her, she also took away the rain, drenching him mildly. The clouds still growled, but they'd moved far away into the distance.

Maya's not-so-silent entrance through the balcony doors, the very next minute, shook him out of the trance. Stout heels clicked against the floor. Her familiar, rich perfume filled the air around him. As she had pushed open the door fully, plenty of light was now flooding the balcony.

The spell was broken.

Alex still stood at the railing.

He blinked as the sudden onslaught of light pricked his eyes. And for the first time in his lifetime, he wished to retreat into the dark—to go back in time. Which made him quite angry, for that could not provide him any financial profit or ensure any future benefits.

For a person valuing each moment of his waking hours, he was going against his own characteristic by wanting to go back into the past to re-experience some useless stuff.

He had never been a slave to emotions or bodily pleasures. He had always been in control of himself, until now.

Maya approached him in a short and expensive party dress. Her long straight hair added to her beauty. However, her nose seemed a bit straighter than before and Alex wondered if she had had a nose job!

"I was stuck in traffic like forever. There was an awful car crash," she huffed and came up to stand before him. Without any hesitance, she then stood on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek with a smile.

He frowned. Familiarity had never felt so odd.

The difference was stark.

He couldn't help but think of the anonymous woman. He realized no woman had ever made him feel this much in such a short span of time. It was like he had had the taste of sweet without warning after never knowing it in a lifetime. And now he didn't wish to go back to the usual blandness.

He walked out with Maya's slender arm hooked at the crook of his stiff arm. His eyes scanned around a bit desperately. However, there was no one on this floor.

He didn't like the feeling of frustration that hit him.

"How was your shoot?" He asked, stuffing his free hand in his pocket, trying hard to clear his mind and concentrate on the woman beside him.

"Excellent as always, but they're in a hurry to pack up around the year-end," she smiled. "They were not happy giving me three days off in a row. It's a miracle I could convince them." She paused for a second as they reached the stairs to the ground floor — music, laughter, and buzz of people beneath them. "I'm looking forward to spending time with you."

Sometimes, her tone and choice of words made him wonder if she had still accepted their break-up.

Wait. Wasn't she mad at him anymore?

But he could swear he had heard the angry edge in her voice earlier.

"Yes," he said, leaning towards the railing, looking at the women downstairs. No formals in sight. All sparkles, drat it.

"Surely we will," she confirmed.

Either she was faking to be cool and ignorant, or she was really an angel. Whatever the case, he didn't have any interest in demystifying it. He remembered he was here for business purposes first and foremost. Way too much time had gone into tending to his ex-girlfriend who was now his friend, kissing a complete stranger and trying to discreetly locate her again.