Fly High | ✅

16 | November rain

◈A D R I A N◈

November rain had never looked more beautiful.

Not just that, everything looked better now. The usual earth-toned buildings looked more vibrant and bursting in technicolor. Almost like those Instagram filters. Even the dogs seemed friendlier when a couple of border collies wagged their tails at me with their tongues lolling as I skipped over puddles of water.

Maybe that's what they meant by rose-tinted glasses, my inner demon chirped in helpfully.

Oh shut up!

I pulled my overcoat tighter against my body to conserve as much body heat as possible, the hem was slightly damp from the splashing puddles as cars cruised by. The umbrella wasn't exactly effective when you have to combat for spaces with fellow umbrella users on a busy street.

"Strawberries, dear boy? They're in season and taste sweet as honey," an older woman stopped me in my tracks with her hand placed at the crook of my arm.

My gaze dropped to the small wicker basket hung on her spindly arm. The raindrops were glistening on the berries, creating an alluring sheen on the surface. The older woman continued staring at me, subtly nudging the wicker basket towards me.

Seeing how her teeth chattered behind her wobbly smile, the unforgiving bite of autumn rain proved to be too harsh on her. Her yellow poncho hardly sheltered her from the rain.

"How much?" I asked while shoving my cold hands into the pocket for my wallet.

"Seven dollars, dear boy," her words could be barely heard from the honking of impatient drivers.

"Here. Keep the change," I replied and handed her a crinkly ten-dollar bill along with the umbrella. She beamed at me and squeezed my hand gratefully before looping the wicker basket on my arm.

"God bless your soul, sweet child," she thanked me once more before trudging away. 

As if on cue, fatter raindrops splashed on my cheeks, urging me to take cover. I quickened my steps and squeezed through the crowd, occasionally taking respite underneath passing umbrellas. 

Once I saw the familiar junction leading to Logan's apartment, I dashed across the street, earning a few irritated honks from passing cars. The veil of raindrops limited my vision as I ran blindly to what I assumed was the right path to the workshop.

The rain had switched from drizzling mode to pouring mode as soon as I stepped into the threshold. A near miss. Bless that old lady for blessing my soul.

"Can I help you?" an unfamiliar voice called out.

I wiped the moisture from my eyes and took a better look at the caller. He was a gangly man, a couple of years older than me from the lack of crow's feet at the corner of his eyes.

He shifted his weight awkwardly, his left hand shoved into the pocket of a greasy coverall.

"I'm looking for Logan," I replied almost apologetically for the delayed response.

The man smiled, a single dimple appeared on his left cheek. 

"Logan went back to his apartment. He has company," he replied.

I couldn't help with the slight disappointment I felt when I heard that.

"Right. I....um...I'll leave then," I mumbled and turned to leave. The rain was still pouring outside, forming almost like a barricade to stop me from leaving.

"Wait, take this," the man called out and placed a crumpled raincoat in my hands. "You're going to get pneumonia if you leave like this."

I thanked him and shrugged into the raincoat. It smelled faintly of diesel and pinewood. The rain didn't let up, each drop hammering down on the hood of the raincoat as my feet carried me to the front of his apartment.

I stood there contemplating for a good fifteen minutes, struggling with the inner battle whether I should drop by. In the end, the urge to see him won the battle and I walked to the lift lobby. The elevator car brought me to the fifth floor and I took slow steps to Logan's unit.

I heard voices from within when I stopped in front of his unit and my curiosity got the better of me as I leaned closer and pressed my ears against the timber door.

"—missed you so much," a female voice spoke.

I pressed harder against the door, trying to listen to Logan's response but his voice was too low-pitched that I couldn't make out his words.

"— for such a long time—" she continued.

I'd only managed to catch fragments of their conversation. Logan's voice was too soft and I was dying to know what he said. Then, I heard shuffling footsteps. Before I could react, the door opened and a woman shrieked in surprise. She was pretty with honeyed curls and almond eyes. Logan was standing behind her with a raised brow, puzzled by my unannounced presence.

I waved limply at them, drops of rainwater ran down my arm to join the puddle of water pooling beneath me. The woman quickly recovered and a smile slid into her face.

"Hi," she greeted as she extended her right hand for a shake. "I'm Kara."

After a moment of hesitation, I shook her hand briefly with my damp ones and said, "Adrian."

She hummed in acknowledgement and turned, smiling warmly at Logan.

"I'll call you," she said. Logan only gave a grunt. She swiveled back to me and waved goodbye. As her heels tapped along the hallway, I caught a discreet movement when she wiped her wet hand against her faded jeans. Hypocrite, my inner demon sneered.

"What're you doing here? It's not the weekends yet," his tone was slightly harsh but he stepped aside to let me in.

Lost for words, I held up the wicker basket containing the berries for him to see.

"Repayment," I told him. "I paid ten bucks for this."

He narrowed his gaze and took the basket from my hands before placing it on the countertop. I shrugged off the dripping raincoat and let it fall to the floor at the entrance. I followed him and took a seat on the stool in the kitchen. Logan disappeared into his room for awhile only to reemerge with a towel in hand. He flung the towel to me and it landed on my head.

"You're going to catch pneumonia," he said gruffly.

"'Tis the second time I heard that line," I mumbled.

"What did you say?" Logan asked.

"Nothing," I feigned ignorance and used the towel to dry my wet hair.

He dismissed it with a shake of his head and went to the sink to boil some water. Meanwhile, I picked one of the strawberries and wiped it gently with my sleeves.

"So...you have a girlfriend now?" I asked cautiously before taking a bite of the strawberry.

Logan plugged the electric kettle on and turned to stand opposite of me, the black countertop separating us. 

"Ex-wife," he corrected with a wry smile.

My heart squeezed at that. I didn't know if it was his statement or the in season strawberry that left a sour taste in my mouth.

✈

Author's notes

Dun dun dunnnnn. Here comes the ex-wife.

Fun fact: I wrote this chapter after chapter three. So yeah. I'm a hot mess 😓

How can you name a chapter November Rain and not have the song November Rain by Guns N Roses? Though, this is a cover song😶

{Song: November Rain by Sandi Thom}