Please listen to this while reading!  

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~

The door opened with jiggling sounds and in walked a boy in a plain brown sweater and jeans. He made his way to the counter and ordered. "Americano please." 

 

Seunghyun glanced at the boy. He wasn't mature looking, in fact, he looked young. Probably in his early twenties or maybe, even younger. His face features were perfect amd he wore dark eye circles under his two brown eyes. His skin was somehow pale-looking but overall, it made his face features more outstanding and attractive. He had never seen him before.

 

He wondered if he was new here.

 

He also wondered why such a young guy would choose to drink a bitter type of coffee. "Americano?" He confirmed.

 

The boy seemed to have no hesitation as he gave an assuring nod. "Yes, one americano please."

 

"Alright. Please wait a moment." He replied and started making a cup of Americano. He poured the espresso into a cup before adding suitable amout of hot water into it. Turning off the coffee machine, he returned to the counter and handled the drink to the boy, who was waiting patiently.

 

Seunghyun was a barista, working as a part time as he needed to pay for his school fees.  Being a barista wasn't easy, but he managed to pass every assessments to be able to make and serve easy made coffees. 

 

The boy handled him the money and gave a big smile after he thanked him politely. Somehow, Seunghyun found the smile adorable. The smile was cute in way that it reminded him of a smile from a toddler -whom he came across just now-, when she got herself a lollipop. 

 

He returned with a smile as well and watched the boy finding himself a seat. He was so interested in the boy that he had forgotten that there was a customer staring back at him. The customer led out a cough which caught his attention.

 

"Oops... sorry mdm. What would you like to have?"

 

"I will have..." as the woman talked, he kept on looking at the boy, who had just found his seat, near the glass windows. He kept on nodding his head as if he was listening to the lady. 

 

"…that's all...hello?" The woman sounded very irritated with his lack of focus.

 

"Oh, I'm sorry again!" Seunghyun apologised. Luckily, his workmate came over and got the orders ready before he could even ask for a repeat of the orders. 

 

"Do focus next time Seunghyun. If boss see this, he will definitely sack you off soon." 

 

"I'm really very sorry..." he bowed to him lightly and stepped aside to allow his workmate do all the necessary blewing.

 

"Go collect the empty cups." The work mate ordered and Seunghyun went off immediately, feeling unexpectedly happy as he had always hated to clear tables.

 

He slowly made his way around the tables, clearing mess. His gaze never left the boy, who kept on staring outside of the window. He wondered if the boy was waiting for someone. Who's that person? Somehow, he was pretty disappointed upon thinking of all kinds of people the boy might be meeting. 

 

His family members?

 

His relatives?

 

His friends?

 

His crush?

 

His date?

 

His lover?

 

He watched him from a far, keeping his eyes on him whenever he got the chance. The boy still kept his eye contact towards the window, only breaking it off when he wanted to take a sip of the cup of Americano.

 

The boy managed to finish his drink somehow and he stood up. He walked to the door and left. 

 

Just like that.

 

Seunghyun frowned. What is this? Why did the boy just leave like that? Wasn't he waiting for someone? He took his last chance to look at the retreating figure until the latter disappeared off the streets...

 

~~~~~~~~~~

"Americano please." A voice echoed into his ears. He stopped his cup washing and turned to the direction where the voice came from.

 

It was the same boy he met the previous day. Why was he back again? Why did he order Americano again? Questions flew into his mind instantly. He was confused but excited as he got to see the boy once more.

 

A cup of Americano was given to the boy and he immediately found himself a seat near the glass window. And the same action began, he was staring out of the window. 

 

Seunghyun witnessed every of his movements.

 

Sipped.

 

Stared.

 

Sipped.

 

Stared.

 

Sipped.

 

Stared.

 

Sipped.

 

Stared.

 

Sipped.

 

And he stood up again. And left the shop. And again, just like that.

 

Seunghyun got more confused.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

The third day, the boy came in again. But this time, he asked for a plate of cookies. Maybe the boy realised that he shouldn't be drinking too much coffee in a week. Seunghyun thought.

 

This time, the boy went to the same window seat as his first day to the coffee shop. Seunghyun as the same, had his attention on the boy. He was so determined to find out why the boy acted in that manner. And this time he couldn't be any happier as he stared at how adorable the boy was, biting on his cookies, eating like a small little kid.

 

He followed the direction of the boy's eyes and looked out of the window. The sky was getting darker.

 

It's going to rain, he thought before he sulked. How was he supposed to get back home? He had totally forgotten to take his umbrella out from home. This time he would surely be a wet chicken. How he disliked rain in times of this...

 

He then turned to look at the boy, munching off his second last cookie, in a faster way. At this moment, tiny drops of rain started dripping down from the sky. The boy stopped his eating and gazed out of the window. He stood up and Seunghyun was sure he caught the boy smiling to himself.

 

The boy clamped onto the second last cookie with his lips and took the last one with his hand. He then went out of the shop, looking up at the sky as he slowly walked away with a smile as he munched on his second last cookie.

 

Seunghyun got even more confused this time round. 

 

Why was he smiling?

 

And why of all times during rain?

 

From then on, the boy kept on appearing every single day. He would order one food item each time and he would then find a window-seat. After finishing his meal, he would leave with or without a smile. When the weather outside was fine and sunny, he didn't cast any smile. But when it's raining, his teeth will always show up between his thin lips.

 

Seunghyun had managed to observe this pattern. He still hadn't have any ideas to why the boy reacted so differently to the weathers. It was also a relief to him that the boy wasn't actually waiting for anybody and Seunghyun was so sure that he was single.

 

This made him determined to get close to this particular boy. He wanted to know more about him, his actions and of course, his marital status.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

"Oh he is leaving again..." Seunghyun whispered to himself. He put down his apron and excused himself from work, lying to his workmate that he recieved a call that was something cropped up at home and that he was needed to be back home right away.

 

The moment he got the permission to leave the shop, he dashed out and looked around his surroundings, trying to spot the boy.

 

There the boy was, strolling down the walkway towards the direction of a neighborhood park. Seunghyun smiled to himself, feeling great that he didn't miss this opportunity to stalk him. 

 

He followed the boy to the park and he stopped when the boy sat down on a park bench. Seunghyun hid himself behind a tree, debating on whether he should go out there to have a talk with the boy. His heart had  somehow increased it's beating rate and he couldn't help not to ignore his palms from sweating. He felt himself getting nervous. 

 

No Seunghyun, don't be a coward. Be brave and go initiate a conversation! 

 

He mentally slapped himself out from his anxiety as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Alright, Seunghyun, let's do this!

 

He opened his eyes and turned around. "AHHHH!"

 

His eyes widened at the sight of the boy, who was standing in front of him. Those two brown orbs were staring at him as if he was some exhibitions on display. He stood rooted to the ground, having no idea how to respond to such awkward situation. He could only reprimand himself for being a failure at hiding.

 

"Who are you?" The boy asked. He gave a hesitant look before giving a smile, "oh, I recognized you! You are the worker in the coffee shop right?"  Seunghyun  observed the boy's actions, somehow he went into a daze mode while thinking how could this boy be so charming.

 

"Hello? Can you talk?" The boy waved his hands at his face.

 

"Huh? ....o-oh ya... Hi..." Seunghyun stuttered. The boy gave him a smile again before turning and walking  away from him. "You are weird! Don't follow me like a stalker! If there is anything you want to say, just talk to me instead!"

 

Oh . Seunghyun then realized he had actually been found way from the start of the stalking. He broke of his train of thoughts and hurried over to the boy who had settled himself on a park bench, observing young teenagers playing soccer on the field. Cautious enough-He didn't know why he felt that way, he sat down beside the boy.

 

"Why did you do that?"

 

"D-do what?"

 

"You know, following me... secretly?"

 

Seunghyun's mouth formed an 'o' shape. He glanced at the boy. The boy was looking at him, his eyes blinking now and then with curiosity. He sighed to himself, trying to get rid of the strange feeling he got in his chest. He felt himself trapped in a problem now. A problem to do with his own feelings and his courage.

 

How should he reply? 'Because I liked it?' He wanted to sound casual and cool to the boy but this sounded rather rude instead. 'Because you interest me?' Oh god, this sounded so seductive, what if the boy viewed him as some e?

 

He thought hard. How was he suppose to convey what he wanted to say to the boy?

 

"uh...."

 

The boy was staring at him so hard that he felt like his soul will fly out any moment. He shut his eyes and gulped down the stress. 'You have to say what you want to say, Choi Seunghyun. Get your balls out and be a man' was what he chanted. He opened his eyes and replied, "I wanted to know more about you."

 

"Oh, well about what?" The boy seemed fine about it. Seunghyun thought.

 

"About... why you always look out of the window... I thought you are waiting for someone, but it turns out that you are actually waiting for the sky to rain.... why?"

 

 

"Simple, because I love rains." Stated the boy clearly. “How about you... Seunghyun shii."

 

Wait, how did he know my name? Seunghyun was quite astounded. He was about to ask the 'how' when the boy interrupted,  “you name tag."

 

This boy was really something. Seunghyun totally didn't expect him to read off the name tag on his shirt. The older blushed as he couldn't hide his embarrassment. 

 

"Seunghyun shii..."

 

Seunghyun looked at him. He can't deny how he loved the way his name sounded with the boy's voicebox. He hummed in reply and was recieved by the urge of the boy, "you have yet to reply my question. What about you?"

 

"What about me?"

 

The boy gave an annoyed pout. Seunghyum swore that was the cutest move that he had ever seen in his life. “I guess you weren't listening to me!"

 

"Ahh, no. I did listen to you!" Seunghyun clarified. He was so scared to upset the younger one. "You asked me about my opinion on rains right?"

 

The pout disappeared and a smile returned, "yup!" The boy then waited for him to give his answer.

 

"To be honest, I don't really love rains." Seunghyun cast a glance at the boy, who nodded attentively. 

 

"Go on! It's okay!"

 

"Okay... like any other people, I find rains troublesome... despite the fact that they bring about refreshments to the Earth, rains can cause disturbance to our daily lifes..."

 

"I know what you mean! Like when you have everything planned and yet when it rains, everything will have to canceled or rescheduled right?"  

 

Seunghyun nodded. He was actually quite amused that the boy could be so active in a discussion of the bad effects of rain. And then, he carried on, “rain also brings about the feel of gloomy..."

 

"Gloomy?"

 

"Yeh... it makes people depress somehow... sometimes I personally felt it too... so I don't really prefer rainy days." Seunghyun explained. The boy seated beside him went silent awhile, making him suspicious if he had said something that made the boy upset. 

 

"Hey... b-boy..." He called out.

 

"Seungri... my name is Seungri." The boy replied and looked up at Seunghyun with his signature smile. Seungri... I finally got to know his name. Seunghyun was celebrating his happiness inside his mind as he tried not to show out. 

 

"So you don't like rains?" Asked Seungri.

 

"You can put it that way, but I just prefer sunny days over rainy."

 

"Oh... but still, people should love rains." Seungri murmured loud enough for Seunghyun to hear each and every word clearly. He looked up at the cloudy sky. He eyes reflected the fading sunlight among the clouds. Seunghyun found the look in the younger's eyes very attractive and somehow made him feel so enchanted. 

 

"I'm sick..." Seungri suddenly sputtered out.

 

Seunghyun widened his eyes and he unconsciously touched the young's forehead to check if he caught a fever. The younger flinched and that's when Seunghyun realised what he was doing. He quickly shifted away from Seungri, with an apology from his mouth.

 

He thought the boy will probably be angry with him but instead he heard a soft chuckle. He looked at Seungri who was laughing softly as he commented, “Seunghyun shii, you are funny!"

 

"I'm not having a fever, so don't worry. And thanks for your concern anyways!" Seungri exclaimed.Seunghyun lifted his eyebrows in confusion, "but didn't you said you are sick?" 

 

"I am..." Seungri's voice toned down. Seunghyun witnessed the light in Seungri's brown orbs disappeared. He kept in silence and waited for the latter to continue.

 

"I am sick... sick in a way that I need to leave this place."

 

Leave? As in that 'leave'? Seunghyun couldn't believe what he was hearing. "W-what do you mean?"

 

"I lived in Gwangju. My parents took me here so that by the scheduled time, I will go to USA to treat my sickness... hopefully cure too..."

 

Seunghyun nodded quietly. He really didn't expect such things to happen. He could feel that the sickness that Seungri had wasn't an easy one to deal with and he didn't want to ask about the condition. He was scared that it might hurt Seungri and somehow his heart didn't want him to do so. 

 

"So you will leave soon?" 

 

"Yup, real soon... "

 

The atmosphere turned solemn and tense, neither of them mention a word. Seunghyun felt this period of time suffocating. He was already missing Seungri. Even though they just met for the few minutes, it felt as though they had known each other for eternity. Maybe that's why his heart ached in agony.

Now, he realised how much this Seungri means to him.

 

They were more than just strangers whoe became acquaintances. 

 

He let out a soft cough as he had enough of the awkwardness. "Rains... why did you said that all of us should love them?"

 

Seungri was looking at the sky throughout the time. It had turned gloomy now, with dark clouds covering up the sun. "Rains understand me."

 

"Whenever the sky turns dark, it somehow represents how I feel when I'm upset.  It makes me think that I am actually not alone, I don't have to carry the burden all by myself."

 

" The sky is there for me... it makes me realised that my parents are there for me too... and maybe I need to be there for my parents too ... "

 

"and then it rains. It's like telling me, 'seungri ah... it's okay to cry... haneul is here... haneul will cry with you...' but once the rain stops, i must stop too and face everything with a smile. Just like the rainbow in the sky."

 

Seungri smiled to himself as he felt a few drops of rain on his hands. "Raindrops make me feel secure. Seunghyun shii, i feel insecured. Raindrops ceased the insecurities in me from building up... They are the ones that helped me.… every single time... without fail..."

 

And then it started to pour.

 

Their bodies started to drench. Hair was soaked and dripping with water made from rain. Seungri let out a soft chuckle and glanced at Seunghyun, who looked back at him with softened eyes, "it feels nice, isn't it?"

 

Seunghyun nodded silently. He chose not to say anything right now. He just wanted to appreciate and cherish every moment with the person sitting right beside him.

 

"Close your eyes, Seunghyun shii. Hear the rain singing." Seungri guided and he did so himself too.

 

Seunghyun did as he was told and relaxed himself. He could clearly hear the plattering sounds of the rain. They sounded loud to his ears but soft at the same time. He took deep breathes and he could smell the grass, the salty rain. He found each of his breathes trembled. And that was when, he realised he was crying.

 

He was crying.

 

His gulped hardly.

 

Why? Why did he felt this way. The rain washed his face. He didn't know how to react to the things that were happening between him and Seungri. His tears have already mixed with the raindrops on his face. 

He then felt a pair of cold palms on his wet cheeks. He opened his eyes and met Seungri's.

 

Seungri was drenched so badly. His eyes were red and Seunghyun could be so sure that the former cried too. But Seungri was smiling, grinning. This made Seunghyun's heart ached even more. 

 

"It-it's nice isn't it? S-seunghyun shii, this is why I love rainy days." Seungri shouted.

 

Seunghyun could no longer hold his sadness. It's too hard for him to control. 

 

He launched forward to hug the boy. He could feel the cold of the rain and as well the warm that was radiating out from Seungri's body.

 

Both of them were trembling. Neither of them broke away from the hug. Seunghyun allowed his tears to flow freely as he cried himself out silently. Seungri can't see his face so it's okay. He thought.

 

Seungri, on the other hand, cried as well. But he was smiling in happiness. He closed his eyes, resting his head on the broad shoulder of Seunghyun. An obvious teardrop dripped down from the corner of his eye to mix with the raindrops.

 

He felt secured again.

 

And the rain continued to pour.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

It's another day of work. Seunghyun got out of his house, feeling so refreshed from the morning bath. He walked out to the streets slowly, making sure to look around his surroundings.

 

He passed by the bench that brought along nostalgic feelings and he started to wonder how Seungri was doing, on the other side of the planet Earth. He somehow regretted not saying something important to Seungri. That bench was the last time they have met each other. That last time was gone for a few months already and that last time was the thing that made Seunghyun keep his hope of meeting the younger boy again. It was the thing that made Seunghyun vowed to say the three words to Seungri.

 

'I love you.'

 

He walked down the main street, eyeing at the strangers looking at him weirdly, wondering why wasn't him using an umbrella. 

 

It was raining.

 

But he made no effort to shelter himself. He glanced up at the gloomy sky, wondering if Seungri was doing so too. The raindrops dripped on his face and he felt so relief.  Unknowingly, he smiled to himself. 

 

Seungri ah... Rainy days are really very nice.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

The door opened along with jingled sounds. A customer walked in.

 

Seunghyun was humming to himself while he cleaned off a washed cup with a white clothe. It was his turn to wash the dishes and cups. He didn't feel dreadful as somehow he found this chore the easiest of all.

 

His workmate was tending to the customers, greeting each one of them with a polite smile plastered on his face. "Hi, welcome sir. What would you want to have?"

 

"Hello, one cup of Americano please." 

 

"Right away."

 

Americano? Seunghyun stopped his work. His humming stopped as well. That voice sounded so awfully familiar.

 

He then heard that voice once more, "oh, and a plate of cookies too."

 

"Oh! Got it! Sir, you seemed to be in a good mood today. Any good news?" The work mate chatted.

 

"I'm going to meet someone today." A laughter soon followed.

 

"Oh really? I wonder who's the lucky one to be having a meeting with you, sir." 

 

The laughter was so familiar. Seunghyun's  eyes widened. He turned his back and looked at the customer, who was waiting patiently for the food and someone as well.

 

"Seunghyun shii... long time no see..."

 

Seunghyun smiled.

 

The customer smiled too.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

Word count: 3639

Author's note: Yay! Finally the festival! Hello! How was it? To be honest, I spent four days to actually come out with this storyline. While writing, I actually cried cuz it sounded very touching to me. I don't know you guys buy I really put in my feelings inside! Pardon my writing skills though. This is the first time for me to write a melodrama story. So hope you guys have enjoyed it!

Special thanks to justLIKEmagic B2theANG tayforvhh maryfemme for the upvotes.

And of course, not forgetting my lovely subbies! 

Comments are appreciated.