After many attempts at insisting to Benny that she pay for her book, Elora was eventually guided out of the shop by Atlas just after five o'clock. As soon as they stepped foot outside of the store, they realised it was raining. The store had no awning, so they were quickly becoming drenched. Hurriedly and without thinking, Atlas grabbed Elora's hand in his and tugged her away from the store. They began jogging down the street until they reached a convenience store a couple shops down that had a small awning attached.
He lead them to a stop, guiding Elora to stand close to the shop front while he stood in front of her, shielding her from the brunt of the rain. After all, he was wearing a jacket while she was only in a knitted sweater. She clutched her tote bag against her chest carefully, hoping to stop her book from being ruined by the water.
He stood with his back to her for a moment, looking out at the rain, as if searching for a way to get them to the bus stop without becoming soaked to the bone. After a few seconds, he turned back to face her. They stood barely two feet away from one another. She stepped back, resting against the glass behind her. With their still connected hands, she gently tugged him closer until they were standing toe-to-toe.
"Come out of the rain," she murmured quietly as she did so and he barely heard her over the rain beating down on the roof of the buildings around them. He stared down at her, knowing that he could easily move to stand beside her, moving them both out of the rain. But it was coming down at a slight angle, so this way, he would get a little wet but she would stay completely unaffected.
He may have also just wanted to stand that close to her.
"How often does your bus come?" He asked her gently, looking down at her.
She stared up at him from beneath her lashes. Water droplets clung to her lashes and the hair framing her face. "Every hour." She replied, her voice just as soft.
He nodded slowly, "Okay, well... It's only just after five. We have almost an hour to wait in the rain. So we could make a run for it now and wait under the cover at the bus stop. Or we could try and wait it out and see if the rain stops before going over. If it doesn't, we'll leave here a little closer to six." He lifted his hand to run his fingers through his hair. His other hand stayed loosely held in hers, "Or you can stay here, I'll run the block to my place and I'll borrow my roommate's car and come back to drop you home."
Her heart burst in her chest. Smiling up at him, she asked, "You'd really run all the way home just to drive me home?"
His brows furrowed slightly at her question, "Of course I would."
Shaking her head slightly, she murmured, "Let's wait it out. You don't have to do that for me."
"Are you sure?" He ducked his head slightly to get a better look at her expression.
"Absolutely. Maybe if I were in worse company I'd take the offer," She smiled up at him a little hesitantly, unable to tear her gaze away from his emerald stare.
His chest inflated slightly at her words. Filling with a feeling he couldn't yet put a name to.
Elora leant her weight back against the shop window behind her, her feet set half a foot in front of the wall. Looking down, she watched as he carefully stepped closer, his feet stepping on either side of hers that rested close together. So if she leaned forward, she would have to be completely pressed against him to stand up straight. A pleasant shiver rolled down her spine.
Atlas noticed, mistaking it for her being cold. Without hesitation, he dropped her hand and shrugged off his jacket, taking a step back slightly into the rain. He held out the jacket to her silently.
"Here," He murmured softly when she didn't make any move to take it. She knew he wouldn't take no for an answer, and she was starting to feel the cold, so she stepped closer, ready to take it from him. Instead, he carefully turned her around and helped her into the jacket.
Once her arms were through the sleeves, he spun her back to face him. With a face full of concentration, he took the ends of the jacket in his hands and zipped it up for her. She had kept her tote bag on the whole time so that it was now securely hidden under the jacket, away from the rain. The jacket was entirely too big for her, but it was warm and waterproof and it smelt like his cologne, so she really had no complaints.
"Thank you," She whispered, this time stepping all the way back so her back was flat against the shop behind her, her heels pressed against the wall as well. He followed her silently, stepping forward until they were once again toe-to-toe. This time, this left her practically nose-to chest with him as well. She tilted her head all the way back so that she could stare up at him. He radiated an unbelievable amount of body heat, so she was very glad to be so close to him. That was the only reason.
He was left only in a long sleeve sweatshirt now, but he didn't seem at all bothered by the rain. He just stared down at her, eyes fixed on the pink apples of her cheeks and the slight dip of her cupid's bow. Her freckles too, he couldn't take his eyes away from those.
"You sure you're not cold?" She asked him softly.
He paused for a second, tempted to just say no. But he thought about it for an extra second and considered the possibilities of her response if he said he was. "A little," He relented, curious, "But it's fine."
The most adorable frown tugged at her lips and with a determined set of her brow, she reached out, stepping impossibly closer and wrapping her arms around his waist. His eyes grew wide at the action, his arms hovering in the air above her body, unsure what to do. Of all the responses he thought he might get, this was not one of them.
She pressed her cheek against his chest and stayed there, holding him to share her body heat with him. He wasn't all that cold, but he wouldn't tell her that. No way would he tell her that if he could have her wrapped around him like this. Slowly, hesitantly, he lowered his arms until they wrapped around her as well.
Tucked away out of the rain, they stayed that way for a few moments in the quiet. Then she adjusted her arms around him slightly, shifting her head to a more comfortable spot on his chest and asked, "Better?"
He didn't think his heart could take this. He was sure she would be able to feel and hear it thumping persistently in his chest. She was too good, too pure, too kind. He couldn't believe she chose to spend her time with him.
Softly, he whispered back, "Much."
~ Pink Flamingo
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