I sat on my bed at three in the morning, still obsessively thinking. I was getting anxious, it hasn't rained in two weeks. On top of that, since that last day of rain I hadn't seen Aleks. I had no idea what connection I had with him, but I knew there definitely was one, and it was driving me crazy.
I decided I'd go on a walk regardless. Anything to help me chill the hell out.
It was sunny and warm out, the streets were full of happy people. People laughing, playing with their children, buying from an ice cream truck. It was as if the whole city of Seattle had come alive, but I felt alone. Just as I was about to turn and rush back to my loft, away from the noise, a volleyball smacked me in the face, sending me flailing to the ground like a goddamn animal.
I glared at the person who ran over to scoop up the ball. "Are you shitting me? Watch where you throw that thing."
"It's more hitting than throwing, but maybe I was trying to rope you into a game of dodgeball." He winked and offered a hand to help me up, and to avoid getting trampled by a horde of kids on their bikes, I took it.
"Wanna join us? The weather is beautiful today, not a cloud in sight. I'm James, by the way," he said, cocking his head toward a field where a few people had set up a net.
"I'm Maya, and yeah, don't remind me," I mumbled. "I think I'll pass though."
"Aw c'mon. I'll even let you win to make up for the bump on the side of your face."
"WHAT?" My hand flew up to my face, which felt nothing, and he started cackling. "I was kidding," James said, and I couldn't help smiling. I started
walking towards the field, what did I have to lose?
Apparently I had about four games to
lose, turns out volleyball isn't my forte.
After the last game, I was invited to dinner and I probably would've gone if I hadn't caught sight of a familiar person that was staring at me with a very familiar smirk. He was standing in the shade of the same place I saw him in that first night in the rain. Aleks.
I rushed over to him, absentmindedly leaving James hanging.
"Where the hell have you been?" I said, smiling, but unsure if I was ecstatic that he was here or upset that he'd been gone.
"Didn't necessarily want to come outside with this weather," he paused, looking up at the clear sky, "but I'm glad I did, you were quite a sight out there. You looked completely out of your element." He burst into laughter.
"I'd like to see you do better."
All of a sudden, he stared at me intently and smirked. "I think you've seen that things don't work out too well for you when you challenge me," he said, winking. "I did miss you though. I figured you'd be a nervous wreck with the lack of rain and all."
"I never told you that rain calmed me down."
"Well it wasn't hard to figure out. You're always in the rain. Whenever I see you out there in the downpour, you look free. Weightless. Graceful."
His words, always poetry, never failed to throw me off. He seemed to be able to decipher anything about me, which was both charming and scary.
