In the Arms of Rain (Ville Valo)

1 - Save Your Happiness For Tomorrow

Nina's PV

It was five minutes after closing time when I asked the last remaining customers to leave. It had been a quiet day in the café, but that didn't mean I was any less eager to lock up, clean up and go home. I shut the door behind them as they left, flipped the sign from 'open' to 'closed' and turned the key. It was pouring with rain outside, so much so that I felt a little guilty about sending those few people away instead of letting them wait inside for the weather to improve.

I took the cloth that had been slung over my shoulder and began to wipe down the few tables that I hadn't already cleaned before stationing myself back behind the bar to finish up. I plugged my phone into the speaker system and let my own playlist play quietly as I began cleaning the espresso machine, singing along to myself. It was then that I noticed I had the chance to redeem my karma; a man in a thick, black woollen coat was hastily approaching the glass front of the shop, peering inside at the warm, glowing lights. His face fell when he noticed the 'closed' sign and was about to continue on his way. I sighed; nowhere would be open at this time and he was wet through. As he was turning away, I jogged over to the window and tapped on it from the other side. He looked back over his shoulder at me flipping the sign again.

As I opened the door, he looked half-appreciative, half-awkward, but I smiled welcomingly.

'You don't have to-' he started to say, but I stepped back from the doorway to invite him in.

'It's no trouble,' I replied, 'I won't be leaving for a while, if this rain keeps up.'

He sighed with relief, letting his apprehension go and smiling back at me. 'Thanks.'

I shut the door behind him and took my position back behind the bar. 'What will it be?'

'Just a regular coffee, please. Black. And strong.'

I turned my back on him to prepare the drink, glancing over my shoulder to ask, 'one of those days?'

The man chuckled. 'Well, it's been long. I probably shouldn't be having this, I could do with getting some sleep.'

'But?' I smirked, placing the cup on the counter in front of him and wiping my hands on my coffee-stained jeans.

'But,' he replied, taking a sip and sighing with satisfaction, 'I'm an addict.'

I smirked again and nodded. 'Take a seat. I just have to finish up everything here.'

He took the cup and settled into one of the worn-in leather armchairs and I got back to work cleaning the machine, absentmindedly humming along again to the Smiths track that was playing. It took me by surprise, to say the least, when the man joined in, singing quietly.

I stopped everything and looked over my shoulder at him again. He also stopped singing, and grinned at me.

'It's a great song.'

I laughed. 'And you have a great voice.'

The man smirked, looking down as though embarrassed. 'Well, I like to think so,' he mumbled, 'I'm a professional singer.'

I raised my eyebrows. 'Well, that would explain it. So, what's a professional singer doing scouring the streets for an open café during a rainstorm?'

He shrugged. 'I just needed to take a little break, clear my head. Bars aren't my scene any more and the weather was actually quite pleasant when I set out.'

I sighed. 'That's British weather for you. Well, that all sounds fair enough, I hope your head gets cleared.'

The man just nodded and smiled at me, before waving in a gesture that I should carry on. 'Thanks for letting me in.'

I smiled again and got back to work, finishing the espresso machine and then starting to count up the till. My playlist hummed out David Bowie, Led Zeppelin and Guns 'n' Roses, distracting me from the boredom of the tasks. Thanks to the quiet day, it didn't take long to count up the day's takings and write down the necesary numbers. However, typically of British summer weather, by the time I had finished, the rain which had been torrential half an hour ago had almost completely stopped. I sighed, unplugged my phone from the speaker system, shoved my apron under the counter and pulled out my satchel. I tugged the elastic band out of my hair and stepped out from behind the bar, disturbing the apparent daydream of the visitor as I unhooked my coat from the stand and put it on.

'Sorry. Time to go.' I giggled. 'But, in case it rains tomorrow, we're open eight til nine.' As he stood up and put his coat back on, and I got a closer look at him, I realised why I was half-flirting, and already hoping he would come back. He was quite good-looking, with mid-length, dark-brown hair that curled perfectly, and bright, sea-green eyes. I couldn't work out his age; his face looked young, in the way that his skin was smooth and glowing, but he looked serious, troubled, almost. His eyes weren't those of a twenty-five year old.

He opened the door for me and smiled as I walked past him, out onto the street.

'So, um, where are you staying?' I asked, not realising until afterwards that my question was potentially a little creepy. 'I mean, maybe we're walking the same way.'

'Oh, just the Mariott Hotel. Anywhere near you?' He pointed in the direction of the hotel, but I knew it already, past the library and next to the train station.

I shook my head. 'The opposite direction.'

'Oh, that's a shame,' he replied, 'then, I suppose this is goodbye.'

I smiled and nodded. 'Goodnight.' I turned away, figuring that this was just a pleasant but brief encounter that I wouldn't dwell on for any length of time.

'It was really nice to meet you...' he interrupted as I went to walk away, frowning and trailing off, realising that we hadn't introduced ourselves.

I looked back at him. 'Nina.'

'It was nice to meet you, Nina. I'm Ville.'