The deluge came hard and fast. Georgina had stepped out to pick up a handful of groceries at the corner store when the torrents of rain began to pummel down onto the bare street. She eyed the slanted waves through the window of the store as she paid the cashier. The rain was expected but she figured she could slip out without an umbrella as the skies had been threatening all day and not a single drop had fallen.
She stood at the open doorway of the store, beneath the vinyl overhang, waiting for the rain to let up. She glanced over at the Chinese cashier.
“Umbrella. 10 dollar,” he chimed, pointing to the white plastic bucket of cheap black umbrellas.
She smiled politely at him just as she felt someone brush against her.
“Excuse me,” he said.
Georgina looked up. It was him. Her heart pulsated. They exchanged quick, awkward glances like they always did when they passed each other. She never had the nerve to say anything and he typically seemed to be in a rush.
“It’s okay,” she told him casually, trying to come off as friendly but not openly flirtatious.
He smiled intently at her and continued on into the store.
Georgina looked back out to the street, watching strangers flee for cover as the rain hammered down on the black pavement and sputtered up into a heavy wet mist. Maybe she should just make a run for it, she thought. It’s only rain.
She glanced furtively at the mysterious man who was now at the cashier paying. She saw that he was buying a bottle of champagne and was suddenly intrigued. Who buys a bottle of champagne in the middle of the day during a rain storm? When she looked up from the green bottle to his face, he was glaring back at her. Georgina smiled again politely, suddenly feeling like she got caught checking him out and wanting to make it seem more innocent than that.
He was wearing a sleek tan raincoat and gray dress pants that were wet at the cuffs. His dark blue eyes matched the color of his collar poking through the open slit of his coat. His dark brown hair was moist from the rain. He picked up the bottle of champagne that had been wrapped in a brown paper bag and headed toward her. When he was a few feet away, she glanced up at him and their eyes met once again.
“No umbrella?” His voice was firm and inviting.
“No…I just ran out for a few things. Left it at home.”
He nodded up and down.
“Nice day, isn’t it? I like the heavy rain.”
They exchanged looks again. She was attracted to him in a strange, carnal way. It was just there immediately.
“Are you celebrating something?” she asked him, glancing down at the bottle.
He smiled mischievously.
“Not yet.”
She didn’t know what he meant.
“Not yet?”
“Well we just met. I don’t even know your name.”
He was confident in his ploys. She was completely turned on just by talking to him.
“Georgina.”
“Philip.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.”
“How far away do you live?” he asked her.
“Not far. A few blocks.”
He nodded up and down. They both looked out at the thick streams of rain coming down hard on the street. The sudden storm had picked up in intensity and the sound of it drummed through the air. They exchanged looks again. Each of them knew there was an undeniable attraction.
