her remedy

4

Valentine's Day, 2009

"Have you ever been inside the Rain Room?" Alex asks me as we walk down the street hand in hand.

"No, but I would love to." I say, secretly hoping he would take me.

"Then allow me to show you one of the most beautiful places in London." He winks and walks me over to the theatre.

We wait in line for a few minutes, and then the door to the room opens. Alex takes my hand and we walk into a dimly-lit room that has rain falling from the ceiling. It's absolutely beautiful.

"This is amazing!" I say, holding out my hands and admiring the fact that everywhere we go, the rain stops. It's like having the ability to control rain. It's something you would think only existed in dreams.

I grab his hand and we run around, laughing like little kids. He stops to catch his breath after a few minutes, which makes me laugh again.

A rush of peace and calm comes over me and I take a deep breath. It's such a peaceful and happy moment that I don't want it to ever end.

Alex suddenly caresses the side of my face and says, "This room is beautiful. But you're more beautiful."

I blush and become uncertain of how to respond.

Before I can, his face starts getting closer and closer, until our lips are only centimeters apart.

And just like that, they're together. It's a mind-blowing kiss. I lose myself in the moment, enjoying the rainfall and the fact that we are dry underneath it all.

"I love you." He says after we kiss for a magical moment.

"I love you too." I almost whisper, then he presses our lips back together.

I don't know what I would do without him.

*

My phone buzzes for the fifteenth time today.

Of course, it's a text from Laura. I haven't talked to her since last week when I met up with her for dinner.

She really didn't do anything wrong, and I shouldn't be acting so sensitive, but I can hold a good grudge when I want to.

And right now, I want to.

Answer me before I personally come over and eat all your food

I type the same response I've typed all day:

I'm sorry for being mad, come over and we'll cry to Titanic together, ok?

And just like I've done all day, I erase the text and never send it.

A sudden knock on the door makes me jump from my place on the couch.

Feeling a bit frightened, I carefully unlock it and only open it an inch.

Of course, it's Laura.

Seeing the confused look on my face, she says, "What? Did you really think I was joking?"

She walks past me into the kitchen and opens the fridge. "Oh, girl. What have you done all week? There's nothing in here."

"I'm-" I don't know what to say or how to feel. I want to laugh but I also want to cry.

Laura understands me more than anyone, so she just closes the fridge and comes over to me.

"I'm sorry for what I said. You have every right to be mad at me, but let's get over it now, alright? I love you too much to go this long without talking to you."

I nod and instead of answering, I just hug her.

"Do you want to talk about anything?" She asks.

I timidly nod, unwilling to open up to someone but also knowing that have to if I want to move on.

"He was the one but it wasn't the right time. That's the problem. And I thought about a memory today when he took me to the Rain Room and we kissed. We were dry in a room full of rain, and I know that's the whole point of the room, but I always believed that he would bring me the same safety everywhere we went. He would always keep me dry in a storm. And there's nobody like him, nobody that will ever love me the way he did." I begin to cry again, feeling nostalgic and vulnerable now that I've said my feelings out loud.

Laura nods, understanding. "I know, Adele. I know. But I'm going to promise you something. Do you know who you are?"

"I don't really know anymore."

"I do. And I know that somewhere inside you, you know just who you are. So here's a polite reminder. You're ADELE LAURIE BLUE ADKINS, you're the girl who is going to rule the music industry and at the same time, you're the most down-to-earth person. You are so beautiful, it's unreal. You need to know that. Never forget it. Someone out there will love you more than you can dream of, I know it."

She hugs me tightly and wipes my tears away. I hug her back, thanking her multiple times. I couldn't be mad at her for longer than a week, even if I tried. She means too much to me.

"I love you." I say to her as she gets into her car.

"Love you too! Don't forget to have food in your fridge the next time, ok?"

I laugh, not because she's joking, but because she is entirely serious.

After she leaves, I walk into my empty house and smile.

It's too beautiful of a night to stay home. I grab my keys and head to the city, feeling carefree and almost happy.

Almost.

As I'm walking down the street, looking into the random stores, I hear a voice from behind me say, "Adele?"

I freeze. I know that voice. It's familiar. It sounds like...

"Simon?"