LAYERS

Rainy Weather

He lost everything that night.

The rain poured down, adding weight to an already horrible day. It was awfully fitting. Nature cared not for repetition or cliché. Just hard, cruel, real life.

"FUCK," he screamed, voice tearing from his throat and echoing through the streets.

Street lights flickered on one after the other down the road, highlighting the wandering silhouette of a girl. She walked up to a few feet from the man, seemingly unafraid of any potential consequences of confronting a crying stranger.

The girl pulled the hood from her head, revealing light blue hair that was quickly darkening a shade under the fitful drops of rain. "Hey, are you okay?"

The man offered no immediate response, staring blankly at the girl as his mind processed. Without warning, anger bubbled up as a faux replacement for helplessness. Not bothering to think up a more appropriate response, he ended up snarling, "The fuck it means to you?"

Taking a step back in shock, the girl raised her hands placatingly. "Well," she stuttered out. "I noticed you were crying, and—"

"What?" He spat, tears no longer spilling. "Think guys should cry?"

The girl straightened her shoulders defensively. "Jesus fuck. Who the hell broke your heart?" The words left her mouth without prior thought. She didn't have energy to waste on some sad rando yelling at her.

They stood in silence, only three feet away from the other. The man stared ahead, face twisted with hopelessness, and the girl finally understood why he was so upset. Guilt flooded her entire body as tears welled up in the man's eyes once again, and she looked down in shame.

"Hey, I didn't realise. I'm sorry," she offered meekly. "Are you okay?"

He moved to cover the overflowing emotion on his face in an attempt to hide his tears from the strange girl. It was already far too late, but she made no objections.

Eventually, he managed to regain his composure enough to pull his arms away and look into her eyes. A startlingly warm smile spread over her, admittedly, pretty face.

"I just—" He choked on his words. "I loved her, okay?"

The girl didn't yet give a reply, allowing him to catch his breath and continue.

"We were together for so long. I lived with her and her sister, and we had a cat together."

The distance between the figures closed as the girl stepped forward to place a hand on the man's shoulder. She hoped it would comfort him, but the kind gesture only made him cry harder.

"I found out she cheated on me today," he finished, breath hitching.

At that point, he found there was no longer any point in trying to hold back his tears, and began to overtly sob. Unsure of how to react, the girl did the only thing she could think of.

Ever so slowly, she extended her arms to wrap around the boy. There was an unspoken question of consent in a pause before her arms closed, and upon his hands moving to grip at the back of her hoodie, she enveloped him. He buried his face in her shoulder and began to wail. She only hugged him tighter.

The rain didn't seem to have any plans of slowing, pelting the earth with more severity with every moment passing. His cries were muffled by the intense patter of the storm, and he thought that perhaps it was for the best. At long last, he stepped away from the embrace.

He wiped a hand across his face, fruitless in the storm. "I've been walking around for hours," he admitted. "My parents hate me, my brother lives out of state. She took everything, and I have no where to go." The man turned his nose down and shuffled his feet, embarrassed at crying into the arms of a stranger.

The girl, without thinking, spoke up.
"You can come with me. Until you get back on your feet, y'know?"

His head shot up, eyes wide behind his foggy glasses. They didn't even know each other's names.

"But we're complete strangers," he burst out. "I've never seen you a day before in my life. For all you know, I could be an axe murderer."

A scoff escaped the girl. "Well, are you?" she asked, playfully. Something in her chest loosened when he smiled.

"Well, no. I'm not," he said, then shook his head. "But that doesn't mean it's safe."

The girl looked up into the man's green eyes. "I'm sure you're gonna be fine," she said confidently.

Butterflies formed and fluttered in the man's stomach. A girl—a complete stranger—showing him so much hospitality. He didn't know how to feel.

She reached out her hand for the second time that night. Though, this time, as an offer.

"So, come with me," she said, smile and hand firm in their places.

He lost everything that night...

Until he met her.

He took her hand.