A Dazzling Trio

Chapter XXIV: Light in the Downpour

Chapter XXIV: Light in the Downpour

The sound of the city surrounds us as we walk. Even though the signs of life are all around us, the air feels dead. Sunset walks a few feet ahead of me, but my legs can't seem to keep up with her. Maybe it is because I am afraid of her gaze. Admittedly, it wasn't a great idea to spy on her... I should have left her alone to catch up with her friend, but I let my emotions cloud my judgment. There's not much I can do to fix it now... At least it wasn't as bad as the last time I gave in to my urges...

The air carries a level of moisture. In normal cases, this would either mean it is about to rain or it has rained recently. Considering the lack of water on the ground, I am willing to bet it is the former... I'm glad that Sunset brought a coat. All I have are Rarity's spares...

A sprinkle lands on my shoulder just as Sunset leads us over to a pavilion nearby. The sound of the rain gradually picks up after we get under some cover. Some of the yellow streetlights give a warm glow to the rain around us. As a car drives by, Sunset sits down, looking at the downpour.

"I'm glad I decided to stop here. It picked up a lot, didn't it?" Sunset asks me with a slight chuckle. Sitting down beside her, I gently nod. Both of us simply watch as the rain wets the previously dry concrete. Neither of us say another word. Sunset sits in a very relaxed manner, but I can't exactly let the tension in my muscles go. Now that I think about it, I haven't felt relaxed in a while now...

The sound of the water would normally be relaxing, but it's a different situation now. I can't quite get her out of my mind. Even though she's sitting right beside me, I have no idea what is between us...

"I almost feel bad. You didn't eat anything back there," Sunset mentions quietly, the sound of the rain being the only other thing I can focus on. The rest of the city might as well disappear.

"Were you watching me that whole time?" I ask her quietly, unable to hold back my curiosity. "I never saw you look over at me."

"I have my ways," Sunset tells me with a small smile, turning her gaze back towards the falling rain. "Besides, you were watching me as much as possible. That's the only reason you were there, right?" I can't really bring myself to respond to Sunset's question. She nods to herself, presumably taking my silence as my answer. I know I shouldn't have spied on her, but... I guess a part of me doesn't want her to move even further away from me...

To move on...

"I'm sorry," I whisper, watching the rain hit the ground relentlessly. It feels cold. The water draws a parallel to the wet stain on my cheek. The worst part is that I can't stop them. The tears fall in tandem with the water, but not a sound comes from my lips.

"About spying on me?" Sunset asks me before turning to look at me. I can't really bring myself to meet her gaze... I've already seen enough shame from her eyes to last me a lifetime...

"I'm sorry about everything." My words are barely audible at this point. Even though I am trying to talk, the gravity of the situation is really dawning on me. What hurts the most is that I still love her... And even though I thought I had already dealt with the idea that our relationship is over, my heart still aches. I don't want it to be over... "I'm sorry for lying. I'm sorry for keeping you in the dark. I'm sorry for... betraying your trust." As much as I want to make excuses for myself, I can't. I did everything she accused me of. I did lie to her. I have to own up to that.

"There's no point being sorry now. What's done is done. We just have to live with it." Sunset gives a slight shrug with her answer, looking away from me. She plays it cool, but I can't believe she's so callous about it all.