Meant To Be

Thunder rumbled in the distance, a deep, unsettling sound that pressed against my chest. I tightened my grip on the small package and stepped out of the car, the rain instantly soaking through my sleeves. My cap shielded most of it, but the cold still clung to my skin.

And then, I saw her.

A girl in pastel pajamas, clutching an umbrella too big for her hands, running toward me like she belonged to the rain. The world was gray, the storm looming, but she-she was all warmth, all light.

Something in my chest shifted.

I knew that face.

The glasses perched on her nose, the way her hair stuck to her forehead, and that smile-bright, effortless, untouched by the gloom around her. I had seen it before. Somewhere.

She reached me, breathless, her face hidden from me by the shadow of my cap. She pressed the umbrella into my hands, took the package, and then-three candies, small and colorful, dropped into my palm.

"Thank you," she murmured, her voice soft, fleeting, before she turned and ran back inside.

I stood there, unmoving. My fingers curled around the candies, my heart still catching up.

Warmth. That was all I felt.

Sliding back into the car, I looked down at the candies in my hand. Two for my driver. One... mine. I didn't know why I kept it. Only that I did.

Leaning back, I stared out at the rain, the ghost of her smile lingering in my mind.

I still didn't remember where I had seen her before.

But I knew I wouldn't forget her again.