Every Single Day (A Fall Like Rain story)

Fight # n

It started with a fight.

Another one. Not that Mark and Rain fought often; they were, as far as he was concerned, pretty chill because they know each other so well – eleven years of knowing each other gave them a better understanding of each other, so they often called out the annoyances ahead of time. But there were times when it felt unavoidable, especially when one of them gets stressed about something. This time, it was Rain's turn. Well, it had been Rain's turn for a while now, for the last four weeks, ever since she started leading this big project at work.

But it was okay. Mark was used to this, with his girlfriend's workaholic tendencies, especially when the stakes were high. She had always been the perfectionist type back in college, refusing to rest until all details were attended to, making sure that all bases were covered. He found this quite endearing, because it meant she saw things that a lot of people would miss or brush off.

But sometimes, this trait had its faults, too, because Mark knew that sometimes Rain would throw herself in work to escape things, when she didn't want to deal with something else in her life. This was why she did twelve-plus-hour work days when she was avoiding him before they officially got together, choosing to focus on work than talk to him. That was his fault, though – he should've been braver then, he should've spoken up sooner and been clearer with his intentions. And he's learned that, the same way that Rain was learning to stop using work as a shield from uncomfortable situations.

Still, sometimes, like now, Mark couldn't help but worry if he had done something to make her do that again. The last time he had a proper date with her was three weeks ago. Sure, they called each other every night, and chatted with each other the whole day, but if Rain wasn't tired from a long day at work, she was still mulling about something she needed to do tomorrow at work. It wasn't quite the quality time they used to have before this project started, and he missed her.

But she could be really just busy. And he knew busy, too. So he shouldn't worry.

Right?

"Hey, Mark. Sorry, I was in a meeting earlier." Rain's words tumbled out in a rush when she finally answered her phone on his third call. She sounded breathless, as if she had just finished running, and maybe she just did. They did occupy the whole thirty-seventh floor of this building. "Why are you calling?"

"I'm here. I sent you a message."

"Here? Where?"

"I'm waiting for you downstairs," he answered, getting even more confused. Mark glanced at the clock that hung behind the building's reception desk. It was quarter to seven in the evening. Rain usually got out at six. "Did you forget that we're meeting tonight?"

"What? But I texted you this afternoon." She muttered something unintelligible over the line, then her voice sounded distant, like she pulled her phone away from her ear. Mark waited patiently, like he always did, listening to the muffled sounds and occasional voices that would get louder as they passed by. He leaned back on his seat, his sneakered feet tapping absently on the marble floor.

He heard Rain curse, then her voice was loud and clear on the line again. "Crap, my message didn't send. I'm so sorry, Mark," she said. "We had a call with our client earlier today and they didn't like what we have so far so we have to fix it before we meet them again. It feels like we're doing everything over. I meant to text you that I have to stay late tonight, but I didn't press send. I'm so sorry."

"Oh." It was all he could say. What else could be the proper reaction to this? Mark knew how it felt, as he dealt with clients directly in his own business all the time, too. Rain's work was no different, except she was in corporate, and he had more control with his time because he was his own boss. While he sympathized with her situation, he also couldn't help but feel disappointed. Rain told him, after they made up from an argument last week when she canceled on their date, that they just needed to get through their first client checkpoint today, then things would be less hectic. Mark had been looking forward to tonight the whole week, and he had booked them both for a massage, then dinner at their favorite restaurant. He didn't expect to lose his girlfriend to her job again.