Jessica’s on her way to her favourite coffee shop when, out of nowhere, the deceptively blue sky splits open and spills with rain. She flings her hood over her head and huddles in on herself, but her thin jacket doesn’t provide much protection against the rain pouring down, hammering against the pavement and filling the potholes into puddles. There aren’t any stores or restaurants nearby, and the closest place of shelter is—a bus stop.

She thinks about making a run for it, but a) she hates running and b) she’s already soaked anyway so a few more seconds in the rain won’t make much difference. The wind slaps at her face and blows her hair into her eyes, and she stumbles into the bus stop, unable to see through the sheets of rain and hair obscuring her vision.

By the time she clears her sopping tresses from her eyes, there’s thunder lashing out, menacingly close and frighteningly loud. At least there’s no lightning yet, at least as far as she can tell, and she hopes it stays that way.

“I hope there won’t be any lightning.”

Jessica almost jumps when she realizes there’s someone else in the bus stop. She doesn’t know how she missed the other person, but then again, she’s not the most observant of people. There’s a girl sitting on the bench with her knees pulled to her chest and her arms wrapped around them, dripping water everywhere and cutting a rather forlorn figure.

“At least we’re not under a tree,” Jessica says.

“That’s true,” the girl says, looking outside. “Doesn’t look like the rain’s going to stop anytime soon, does it?”

Jessica grimaces. “You never know. It started all of a sudden, so it could stop all of a sudden too.”

“That’s true,” she says softly, her legs slipping down until her feet touch the ground, like she doesn’t have the energy to keep holding them up. “Sometimes you just don’t have warning for these things.”

And then suddenly she’s crying, not out loud but with silent, heaving sobs that shake her like she’s caught in a storm of her own. Jessica stares helplessly, having no idea what she’s supposed to do. Should she put a hand on the girl’s shoulder? Say something comforting? Suddenly, going outside into the pouring rain sounds very appealing.

“Are you okay?” Jessica asks lamely, after her sobs have subsided slightly and she’s just sniffling. “Miss?” She feels ridiculous as soon as she says ‘miss,’ but at least it’s better than ‘hey you.’

The girl raises her head and stares at Jessica with eyes darker than the heart of a storm. “Tiffany,” she says. “My name is Tiffany.”

She’s sopping wet from head to toe, her hair as black as pitch against her white sweater, her eyes shining with tears and something else. There’s something about the picture she makes that has Jessica holding her breath for a moment.

“Tiffany,” Jessica repeats. “Are you…okay?”

“No,” Tiffany says simply.

Jessica wasn’t prepared for that answer, even though Tiffany doesn’t look anything close to okay. She’s used to people giving the standard four-lettered answers: okay, good, fine. It’s like people aren’t allowed to say they’re feeling anything else.

“And you?” Tiffany asks.

Jessica blinks. “Uh, I’m fine. Thanks.”

Tiffany’s mouth curves up a little in the ghost of a smile. “No, I mean your name.”

“Oh. It’s Jessica. I mean, I’m Jessica.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Jessica,” Tiffany says sincerely, like she means it and she’s not just saying it. Jessica doesn’t see how it could be nice for her, given that she was crying hard enough to compete with the sky a few minutes ago, but then again, most people are more enthusiastic about meeting others than Jessica.

Jessica means to offer a polite, “You too,” but what comes out instead is, “Even under these circumstances?”

“Hmm?”

“I mean—” Jessica gestures outside at the torrents of rain still coming down with no sign of easing up anytime soon. “It’s not exactly the nicest day out there.”

Tiffany looks out as well, although her gaze is rather distant, like she’s seeing something else in her mind’s eye. “I like the rain,” she says absently. “Do you?”

“Well, not when I’m in it.” Jessica feels like she could wring enough water out of her clothes to fill a kiddie pool. “Same thing with snow. People who’ve never been in it think it’s so nice but it’s one of those things that are nicer as an idea than a reality, you know?”

Tiffany opens as if she’s about to speak, but she just makes an airy sound instead. Jessica can’t tell if she’s drawing in or letting out a breath. “I know,” she says quietly, and for a horrifying moment Jessica thinks she’s going to cry again, but then she just returns her eyes to the world outside the bus stop. She blinks a few times in rapid succession, her lashes dark, her profile shadowed.

Jessica realizes that she’s staring when Tiffany turns to her, and she tries to feign casualness but Tiffany just gives her that phantom smile again. It would be a pretty expression if it didn’t look so hollow.

“Sorry,” Tiffany says. “I zoned out there, didn’t I?”

“It’s okay,” Jessica says. “I’m an expert at that.”

“The rain is one of those things that bring up a lot of memories for me,” Tiffany says idly, almost like she’s talking to herself. “It reminds me of.” She doesn’t break off suddenly, or trail off gradually; she almost sounds like that was all she had to say. Her eyes are glimmering, and Jessica can’t tell if it’s with unshed tears but she hopes not.

“Hey,” Jessica says softly, and Tiffany looks at her like she’s really seeing her. Jessica reaches into her bag, which is as wet as the rest of her, and fumbles for the pack of tissues she keeps there. Miraculously, they’re still mostly dry, and she awkwardly offers Tiffany one.

Tiffany takes it with a polite “thank you” and just holds it in her hand, gently, like she doesn’t want to crumple it.

“The rain will stop,” Jessica says, because she’s an expert when it comes to comforting people. “And the sun will come out again.”

Unexpectedly, Tiffany smiles, actually smiles, an expression that is startlingly bright. “You sound like you’re trying to sing Itsy Bitsy Spider or something.”

“My years of singing nursery rhymes are behind me, thank you.”

When her five- and seven-year-old cousins had come to visit last month, she had spent the whole day singing songs from the Frozen soundtrack with them, and by the end, she was ready to move to a remote island so she’d never have to hear Let It Go again.

“You’re great at this making people feel better business,” Tiffany says. “You should consider a career in counselling.”

“Sorry,” Jessica says contritely, but Tiffany doesn’t look annoyed. Her smile has faded, but at least she isn’t crying again. She’s just looking outside at the rain again with a thoughtful, heavy look in her eyes like she’s remembering another sky, another day. Jessica wonders if it’s a cloudy or sunny one.

Tiffany looks back at her. “No, I mean it. Thank you for the tissue.”

“Do you want another one?” Jessica asks, even though Tiffany hasn’t even used the first one. “Or,” she digs through her bag again. “I have chocolate. Maybe it’s still dry.”

“You have tissues and chocolate. Do you have a survival kit in that bag?”

“A survival kit?”

“Yeah, you know how some people—”

“I know. I’ve just never heard of people putting chocolate in one before.”

“You’ve never met me before,” Tiffany says, her voice cheerful now. Jessica’s getting whiplash from her mood changes, but she has to say, she prefers this Tiffany over the crying one. Vastly.

“Chocolate?” Jessica offers her a Butterfinger bar, and Tiffany accepts it with another murmur of thanks.

“Sorry I don’t have anything to give you,” Tiffany says, “unless you want a cold.”

“Are you sick?” It must have really been an awful day for her.

“I’m pretty sure I will be by tomorrow. Being soaked isn’t good for your health.”

“Chocolate is,” Jessica says solemnly, opening a Twix bar and taking a bite.

Tiffany smiles again and opens the wrapper of hers. Well, she tries, but she just can’t tear it open, her fingers fumbling with the ironically named bar.

“Here,” Jessica says, reaching for it and trying not to laugh at her. She obviously doesn’t succeed because Tiffany gives her a sullen look but passes her the chocolate anyway. Jessica rips it open in one try.

“I like to open mine horizontally,” Tiffany says, staring at the chocolate like it’s a fortune cookie predicting her demise. “It’s neater that way but harder to open.”

“Are you one of those people who pop a chip bag trying to open it that way?”

“…Maybe.”

Jessica smiles around a mouthful of chocolate. “How do you even eat snacks?”

“Someone else usually opens them for me,” Tiffany says, her voice quiet, her eyes dark.

“Is that someone why you were cr—sitting here?”

Tiffany wrings the tissue in her hand, unused but damp just from being in contact with her. “Maybe,” she says again, this time with a different inflection.

“Sorry,” Jessica says, for lack of something better to say but also because she does feel sorry for Tiffany.

Tiffany raises her head and flicks her bangs from her eyes. Jessica gets hit in the eyes with some water and she instinctively flinches away and rubs her hand over them.

“Oh my God, sorry!” Tiffany says, moving closer to her, reaching for her like she’s afraid she hurt her. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.”

“It’s okay.” Jessica moves her hands away from her face only to see that Tiffany’s is only a few inches away and Tiffany’s looking at her with a gaze like the eye of a storm. “It’s okay,” she repeats lamely. “I’m sorry I brought it up. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“You didn’t upset me. You’ve been so nice to me, Jessi.”

Jessi? She has no idea where the nickname came from, but she finds that she doesn’t mind it.

Jessica smiles. “It’ll make good practice for my future career in counselling.”

Tiffany smiles back, even brighter than the last time, like the sun peeking through thunderclouds. “You already have the supplies for it.”

Jessica polishes off her Twix. “Oh,” she realizes, looking outside at the clear, sunny sky. The rain had stopped without her even noticing. “The sun’s out.”

“Like you predicted,” Tiffany says, finally using the tissue to wipe away a smudge of chocolate from the corner of . She doesn’t get it all off, and Jessica smiles at what looks like a mole she had suddenly grown. “What?”

“Nice beauty mark you have there.”

“Oh, I didn’t get it?” Tiffany tries again but misses completely. Jessica smiles and shakes her head. “Don’t just laugh at me, help me.”

“I’m not laughing.” Jessica points to the corner of her own mouth where it is, and Tiffany tries again but still can’t get it. “Here,” she sighs, taking the tissue from Tiffany and carefully wiping the chocolate off her face. She finds her eyes lingering on Tiffany’s face, , and she hurriedly jerks her eyes away but Tiffany’s looking at her with a similar intensity.

Tiffany clears . “Thanks, Jessi.”

“You’re welcome, Tiffa.” As soon as the improvised (and completely ridiculous) nickname leaves , Jessica wishes she could take it back. “Um, that sounds weird.”

Tiffany giggles. “I’ve never been called that before.”

“You’ve never met me before.”

Tiffany holds her eyes and smiles. “I’m glad I did. I’m glad it rained.”

“Me too,” Jessica says and finds herself wishing that the rain lasted longer so she can stay here with Tiffany.

“Where were you going before the rain started?”

“This coffee shop I like nearby.” Jessica had really been craving a caramel macchiato before, but now she isn’t so sure about what she wants.

“Is it Never Too Latte?”

“Yeah, that one.” Jessica perks up. “Do you go there?”

“I’ve passed by but I’ve never actually gone inside. Is it good?”

“It’s my favourite coffee shop.” Jessica looks hesitantly at her. “Do you want to…”

“Yes,” Tiffany blurts out before Jessica even finishes her question. She clears . “I was going to eat a big brunch but…it didn’t happen.” Her eyes drop and her face falls briefly but her expression lifts when she looks back up at Jessica. “Do you think it’s too late to have brunch now?”

“It’s never too latte for brunch,” Jessica says, earning an eye roll and then a laugh from Tiffany.

They step outside the bus stop together, onto the pavement shining from the rain and into the sun.

A/N: I'm not sure how I feel about this fic, to be honest, but it's a decent length and I just wanted to get it out. Next in the works is this kidfic that I have in progress that I'm really excited about. It covers JeTi's relationship from when they meet in kindergarten to the end of high school. (Snippets here and here.) If only I can finish it haha.