our troubled love ᵒˡᵈ ˢᵗᵒʳʸ

+~one~+

I strolled through the street, the sound of rain calming me. It was sunny when I'd decided to go for a walk, but I liked the rain anyway. There was something so soothing about the raindrops falling from the sky. It made me feel less lonely, the sounds of the rain breaking the silence.

Lonely, I thought, letting out a sigh. I hadn't talked to anyone in ages. After my mom passed away when I was sixteen, I shut everyone out. The day she died, I started seeing the world differently. She was my spark of hope. Even when I thought I was hopeless, she would remind me that things could get better. But when she was gone, I felt hopeless all over again.

For a few weeks after her death, I would cry, even scream my lungs out asking her to come back, even though I knew she couldn't. I created a little coping mechanism in which I say words that describe my feelings or surroundings and it helps calm me. For the past six years, it's been my only way of stopping myself from breaking down.

I quickly dismissed the thought. At this point, I was numb to any pain, so I knew I wouldn't cry. But I still didn't want to show any sign of grief. I continued to walk, sticking my hand out from under my umbrella to feel the little droplets of rain. Calm, serene, tranquil, I said to myself.

I came to a stop when I saw a young man (probably around my age, in his early twenties) sitting alone on a bench with no umbrella to stop the rain from soaking him. I hesitated, but the sight tugged at my heart. I had to do something.

I approached the man and stood in front of him, expecting him to greet me. But he just stared right through me, as if he didn't see me. That's when I realized he was blind.

Instead of saying anything, I just held out my umbrella over him. He noticed and reached up and smiled brightly when he felt the umbrella.

"Hello!", he said, his voice soft and deep. His contentment at the small gesture warmed my heart. I allowed myself to smile slightly.

"Hi," I replied kindly. It was as if he could feel my presence because he moved over to make space for me on the bench. I sat next to him and held the umbrella over us. I found it strange that I was interested in talking to him. I hadn't really had an actual conversation in a while because I preferred to be alone. But something about him was so intriguing... I just didn't know what.

"What's your name?", he asked, his curiosity apparent. His smile radiated joy. I honestly didn't think that it was possible for someone to be this happy about talking to me.

"I'm Jia. What's your name?"

"I'm Aiden. Why did you come here? Did you need something?"

"Oh, no. I just saw you didn't have an umbrella so..."

"Oh, right. I forgot to bring mine and I was scared of walking home while it was raining," he laughed timidly. We hadn't talked much, but I could already tell that he had a shy but sociable personality.

"Hey, I don't mean to be rude but... I'm just really curious...", I trailed off, afraid that I would offend him.

"It's okay," he replied kindly. " Ask me anything, I have no secrets." I paused, wondering whether my question was appropriate. He waited patiently, not saying a word until I made up my mind.

"Are... are you blind?", I asked, trying to be as respectful as possible. He let out a nervous laugh, but didn't hesitate to reply.

"Yes, I was born without eyesight. I've seen several doctors but no one's ever been able to figure out why."

"Oh." I couldn't imagine how it would feel to live life without the ability to see all the beautiful things the world has to offer. I sighed at the thought. It was sad, but I was intrigued for some reason. I wanted to know more about the stranger.

I was so caught up in the conversation that I'd barely noticed that it stopped raining. I closed the umbrella and got up from the bench. He noticed and got up from his seat too, picking up his cane. (I recognized it as a white cane, which blind people use to feel their path while walking. I'd seen people using this when I went to visit my mom in the hospital a few years back.)

"Are you able to get home?", I asked, concerned. I knew I'd feel guilty if I just left him there without knowing. "Do you have any friends or family to take you?"

His smile immediately faded and was replaced with a fake one. "Yes, I know my way home well. I go by myself every day. But no, I don't have any friends or family"

His words broke my heart, but I was also more interested in getting to know his story. I usually hated forming a relationship with anyone. I was too scared to lose someone else after my mom died. But we were both lonely and it felt right. I promised myself I wouldn't get too attached to be safe.

"Well, I have to go but... maybe we can meet here again another day." His face lit up once again, and his eyes widened in surprise. I could tell it had been a while since he'd had a friend, if he ever had any at all.

"Y-yes! I walk here every day. You can come meet me whenever you want!" He grinned, showing his perfect white teeth and widening his big brown eyes. I couldn't help but smile at his excitement. Cute, sweet, friendly, I thought.

We finally said our goodbyes and parted ways. I was already looking forward to seeing Aiden again. His friendliness and his adorable personality had completely made me forget my worry. The way he smiled genuinely at my company was enough to shift my mood.

I still didn't have any idea why I was so interested in him. But I had yet to realize... someone made their way into my heart again.