𝙸𝙽 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙴𝙽𝙳 || Original Story

thirty-nine | rain part i

A few days later, I found myself out in the rain again. Work had been quiet and had been for a while, so as the darkness of the premature evening closed in I shut up the shop a little earlier than usual and headed home.

A few people were rushing through the village square in order to get out of the rain. Two children squealed with joy as they jumped through puddles and off round the corner down the street until they disappeared.

Now it was quiet.

But I didn't realise that I wasn't the only person in the square until I glanced up from watching the rain ripple the puddles beneath my feet.

Edgar was stood besides the fountain, one hand holding a pint of milk and the other tucked in the pocket of his drenched coat. His hair was sodden, turned darker by the rain, and clung to his forehead. But he didn't seem to mind. In fact, he appeared to be rather relaxed, at ease with the silence of his surroundings and the tranquil pattering of the rain.

"Ed?" I called as I walked towards him, avoiding even more puddles in process.

He turned to face me and smiled softly. "H-Hey. You alright?"

"I'm fine, compared to you, anyway," I replied, stretching up with my umbrella so that he was sheltered from the downpour.

"D-Don't worry about m-me, Kate" Edgar insisted. "It's j-just rain. I'll d-dry."

"Funnily enough, I do worry about you. Especially when you're stood out in the rain without a decent coat or brolly. You'll get a cold if you're not careful."

"I l-like it, though. It's p-peaceful. Here-"

He took the umbrella from my grasp, holding it above us with plenty of space to keep dry.

"And n-now it's even b-better b-because you're here."

Linking Edgar's free arm, not caring about the fact it felt cold and wet against my own arm, I said, "it's always better when we're together. However, it'd be even better if we were warm and dry with a hot cup of tea."

"If th-that's what you want, th-then that's okay with m-me. Come on."

• • • • • • • • • •

Old Farm was so wonderfully cosy. The heating was on and as we stepped inside, I felt instantly better. I kicked off my boots and placed my umbrella in the shelter of the porch, watching Edgar take off his own sodden boots and coat as I did so.

"See?" I laughed. "Much better than being outside."

With a smile, he shrugged. "I g-guess you're right. Th-Then again, you always are."

"Is that a complaint or compliment, Mr Bailey?"

"The l-latter, M-Miss Mayhew. It's q-quite incredible how you d-do it."

"Oh, it's a special skill of mine," I said with a chuckle before watching him take the pint of milk towards the kitchen before heading upstairs to the bathroom and grabbing two towels.

When I came back down, Edgar was now on the sofa, his hands in his hair so it was out of his face and his his feet resting on the coffee table; he'd also lit the fire, which was emitting a pleasant warmth. He looked up at me when I entered the room and thanked me when I handed him a towel.

Draping my own towel around my neck, I asked, "Shall I make some tea?"

Edgar nodded, then began to rub his hair dry, creating a damp, dull, fiery mess atop his head.

I left him to stay warm by the fire and made my way to the kitchen. Felix greeted me with a soft purr and I bent down to stroke him behind the ears. Content and relaxed, his purring grew louder and I smiled before heading over to the kettle to fill it up.