The Missing Three Years

3 Years Ago

"Hey Bobbie!"

"Hey Rain!" was the answer she received as she whipped around the corner putting on her apron.

Rain had been working at the diner on the corner of Bleeker and Forrest St. for about 2 years.

The people there had become her family in those years. Both the staff and even some of the regular customers. Rain's parents had passed away years ago, and all Rain was left with in the aftermath was her aunt Talia, who Rain lived with throughout college and even after. After all rent in big cities is always expensive.

She had finished college a year ago, and the people in the diner always made sure that she had what she needed to get through as a broke college student. Even though Rain tried to mostly ignore the help they tried to offer her such as slipping small amounts of money into her tip jar, offering rides, just generally offering assistance for things she could handle doing all on her own.

The diner was always busy on Friday nights. Fridays were her favourite days because her favourite customer was going to be coming in to make her much happier to be working on the busiest day and night of the year. After years of pulling double shifts on Fridays it was always welcome to see her favourite customer.

Hadrian was the son of a wealthy businessman who specialized in technology. He was basically just a spoiled brat who always got what he wanted. He would inherit his empire from his dad before him, just as his father before him and he would be named CEO. In the time before that could happen he was still never in need of anything monetarily in his life.

So why was Rain excited to see Hadrian? Why was he her favourite customer? Well the answer was simple.

Hadrian was sweet to her. He was a spoiled brat, yes. But he had a sweet spot just for her. He was so aloof with practically everyone else, but he allowed himself to let his guard down around her. She got to see him at his best while everyone else only saw him at his worst. So a spoiled brat he was, but somehow around her he was more than a spoiled brat. Sometimes she wondered if what he showed to the world was a persona, just a face and attitude he threw on before walking outside, playing the masses to see what they labeled him as. Either way Rain knew he could very well be the sweetest boy she'd ever known underneath his bad boy spoiled brat persona.

They hadn't always been friends. They didn't grow up together, though with the way they acted an observer might believe they had known each other their entire lives. They had met in the most cliche of places: the movie theater in line for snacks. She hadn't recognized him. He was very unused to this. Usually when he went out he would be recognized everywhere he went. He was generally stalked, adored, and coveted for his money and the empire he was supposed to take over from his father one day. So he was surprised when this short, dark brown haired, brown eyed girl just continues to look through the list of candy options, not screaming, not trying to sneak a picture, not hyperventilating, just being a normal girl on a normal day at the movie theater, picking out snacks.

For him there was nothing more bizarre than this turn of events. He was usually created by at least an awestruck gaze. Without all of the dramatic attention grabbing he took the opportunity to act like he was also a normal boy. A normal boy talking to a normal girl, on a cliche meet cute movie theater addition.

After that first day they became fast friends. It was a few months into them getting to know each other before Rain found of Hadrian was 1. Famous and 2. Filthy rich. Before telling her Hadrian found himself dreading a switch in personality. He was genuinely afraid she might begin to treat him differently.

He was right. She teased him relentlessly about his star filled life. Even after that the had stayed friends ever since. No one could separate them, not that the few trusted people who knew would want to do that anyways.

Whenever they went out they were mistaken as a couple. To keep Rain and her life out of the tabloids and magazines they mostly found secret places to meet or little hole in the wall places in the city. They always met in places where people didn't care who was there, places where people would not care if they saw a celebrity. In the world of social media one can never be too careful.

Finding new places to hand out always ended in wild adventures and stitch busting laughter even after the fact. Thinking about those days always left both with fantastic memories to look back on.

The diner was one place where they were always safe. The only people who go to the dinner were older patrons who know of care about social media, or a random multi million dollar tycoon's son.

So every Friday whether Rain was working or not they would sit in the booth in the corner together and talk about anything and everything, everything and nothing, while Rain took her break. If she wasn't working then they'd sit there for hours discussing the same things.

For years nothing ever changed. They were perfect friends, had perfect lives. And then, it wasn't. Because Rain was gone. And no one knew where she was, or even if she was alive.