Steadily » Ari Leff // Lauv

1

The rain thundered down hard on my bare shoulders, the warmth of the water resonating with the cool burn of my skin. I had been stupid to not bring a jacket, but to be fair, I didn't anticipate it to rain mid summer. It also isn't like I was supposed to meet with anyone who could have brought me an umbrella. Glancing behind me, I look at the line of people that had gathered. None of them offered me an umbrella, probably thinking "tough luck" to themselves. Maybe it was a bad idea to go to a concert on my own, but it's not exactly like anyone I knew would go with me.
I fumble with the wet zipper on my bag as I attempt to pull my phone from the pouch. As soon as i grasp onto the object and pull it out of my bag, it slides through my slippery fingers. The thought that it's all over for my phone crosses my mind before a hand reaches into my field of vision and catches it. I release the breath that I didn't even know I was holding and look up at the person who caught my phone. A man stands before me, probably a full head and a half taller than me as I'm only 5'2. His grey eyes look into my own and I shiver as the rain continues to fall. He extends his arm, holding my wet phone in front of me. Hesitantly, I reach up and wrap my fingers around the object, gripping it with such a force so that it wouldn't drop again.
"Thank you," I mumble under my breath, but I'm sure he hears. I continue to look at him, my mind blank. It's obvious who he is, the large blue coat and the hand necklace around his neck say it all, he's the person that I came to see tonight, Lauv, or Ari. Breaking eye contact, I turn my head to look down the line, only to notice everyone looking directly at us. I shiver again.
"Are you cold?" I turn my attention back to Ari, his voice sounding deep yet silvery and comfortable. I was cold, even though the rain was hot, would it make sense to say that I wanted to be cold? I wipe my phone off on my wet jean shorts and put it back in my purse. Self-consciously, I zip my purse up and wrap my arms around myself, I probably looked like a drowned rat.
"A slight bit, it is raining after all." I don't want to look at him as my nerves begin to race, but I just cant will myself to even look away. I had been stacking up my courage to meet him during the VIP session, but let's just say I am far from prepared. The murmurs from the people behind me float to my ears, suddenly making me insecure in the fact that Ari is speaking to me.
"Here, take my coat." My eyes widen as he begins to shrug off his signature jacket. I go to nervously shake my head, but he's quick and is already placing the warm material over my shoulders. I freeze as my skin comes in contact with the coat, his hands brushing my skin as he places it on me.
"Wouldn't want you catching a cold now would we?" Ari steps back and looks down at me. His white shirt begins to look visibly wet as water makes contact with it. I must look like an idiot with a lolly pop stuck in my mouth because the words just don't seem to come out. A soft chuckle escapes his lips.
"You don't have to be nervous, I'm chill, see?" He wraps an arm around me in a sort of wet- smooshed- hug. Finally, I let go of my fears and wrap my arms around his waist. The first thing that I notice is how good he smells, if that sounds weird. The second thing that I notice is how tightly his arms are wrapped around me.
"Hey, want me to take a picture of you two?" A soft voice chimes up from beside me and I look to see a girl with deep red hair and vibrant blue eyes gazing at us. I open my mouth to speak but Ari beats me to it.
"That would be great," one of his arms releases me and I realize that he's reaching into his back pocket and taking out his phone. The girl looks surprised that he does so, and to be fair, so am I. He requests that she take a few and she nods her head, swiping her thumbs across the device. He wraps his arms around me again, bending his head down slightly and pulling me close. The closeness felt all to real even though I am pretty sure this is all just one crazy dream, right? A few moment later, he turns sideways and I follow, preparing for a front facing picture. I know that I probably look terrible, but by now he would have to look just as drenched as me. The girl holds a small smile and passes Ari his phone back. He takes it with a solid 'Thank you' and looks back down at me.
"I'll see you later?" I nod slightly and finally a small smile appears on my lips. He dives a short wave goodbye and then turns back to a blonde haired boy who had been waiting for him, getting wet in the rain. Ari waves the the line of girls and proceeds to head inside, closing the door behind him and leaving me with his jacket and a line of fan girls. Hesitantly, I stick my arms through the arm sleeves and chuckle to myself as I realize that my arms wont fit out the ends of the sleeves as the coat is much to big.
"I'm Regan. " My eyes lift to the girl who stands in front of me, the same one who took the picture. A small frown crosses her face and she steps forward, sheltering me with her umbrella.
"I would have sheltered you from the rain earlier, but I just got back from buying this as you were talking to Ari." She points up at the umbrella and I offer her a small smile.
"Oh, that's alright. Thank you for taking the pictures, I probably looked terrible." Regan licks her lips and smiles.
"You actually looked really adorable, he hugged you so tightly! And you are wearing his coat!" I glance down at the material draped over my shoulders.
"I guess I am." Regan glances around, a smile set like stone on her face.
"Let's go get some McDonalds, my sister will save our spot." She juts a finger to a girl with dyed blue hair, talking to a small group off the the side. Being at the front of the line, I could technically see everyone, which came off as a slight shock if I'm honest. There were so many people in line down the block to get into the sold out show and it was only four o'clock.
"Well uh, alright." In a friendly way, she takes my hand in hers and begins to lead me away from the line where out spot stays immobilized. Despite the rain, the streets are rather crowded, but that's not something I care about. I just made a friend.