Rain and Coffee

The sound of his heels splashing into a puddle of water resounds in his ears and he's walking faster and faster. He ignores the thunder and in a flash of lightening, he sees the door of his destination. He pushes the door open and a bell rings over his head as the warmth of the place hits his face. He closes his umbrella and puts it in a stand beside the door. The three couples and an old man all turn their heads to him and he scans the small cafe. The aroma of freshly baked pastries and brewed coffee wafts through the air and teases his sense of smell. The cafe is themed a soft cream and dark brown. The corner of his mouth twitches upwards when an elderly woman in an apron approaches him and drapes a woolen shawl on his shoulder. It's almost as warm as her onyx eyes and he finds himself returning her smile.

"I'll bring you a nice hot chocolate. On the house." she says as she ushers him in.

He nodded gratefully and his smile dropped when he saw her. She was sitted at a table beside the large window so he had a view of her side.

Her ebony mane cascaded down to her hips in beautiful waves. Feeling his gaze, she turned and blue grey clashed with hazel eyes. Her small bow lips curved into a soft smile. She lifted a slender, pale hand and beckoned to him. It appeared she had been there for a while because a black overcoat was draped behind the chair she was seated on and she was dressed in a plain navy blue turtleneck, dark jeans and boots.

"Hey."

"Hello, Shaun."

His name, from her lips sent a different kind of warmth through him.

He took the seat opposite her and gestured to her untouched cup of coffee.

"You're not drinking that?"

She looks at the cup and a small smile curves her lips, "I ordered hoping you'll be here early."

Her eyes meet his and he sees the rest of the sentence.

"but you weren't."

She brings the cup to her lips and takes a small sip, "It's cold."

She places the cup back on the saucer and shakes her head with a small smile, "No one likes cold coffee."

"Let me get you another cup."

She shook her head and her ebony curls shook with her. "The barista that made that is off his shift already. I was very specific with my order and I waited on it."

His forehead puckered. "Then, let me have it heated for you."

He raises his hand to signal any of the three waiters.

"It might take a while."

He pins her with an intense look, "Are you willing to wait?"

She bit her lip, "Should I?"

"You should, please. Have a little patience."

She tucks a lock of hair behind her ears and gives him another small smile, "Patience, huh."

"Hi, I'm Susan and I'll be your waiter for today." A young lady with strawberry blonde hair and wide green eyes says.

Clutching a note pad and a pen in her hands, she smiles and asks, "What would you like to order?"

"I would like to have this reheated, please. And a cup of hot chocolate for me."

Susan studied the cup Shaun pointed at and plastered a smile on her face.

"Sure."

"Thank you."

She spins on her heels and returns behind the counter.

Shaun took in the sight before him.

"So, you'll just have it reheated? But it won't be the same as when I ordered it."

"Blasted rain!" the elderly man's gruff voice cut off Shaun reply. Through with his phone call, he slammed the cell on the table. "Going and coming any how it likes. I'm trying to get home here. And I can't walk in the rain."

Another waiter rushed to the old man, trying to soothe his nerves while Susan placed their respective drinks on the table.

"Enjoy." she beamed and scurried away.

Shaun sized Reina up when her soft giggles reached his ears.

"Why are you laughing?"

She took a sip of her steaming coffee and her features brightened. His mouth twitched.

"Thank you."

His eyes darted.

"For the coffee."

"Oh," he made a dismissive wave of his hand, "It's nothing."

She nodded.

"So, why were you laughing?"

She smiled, "I'm humoring the grandpa."

"Oh?" Shaun blew into his cup and took a slurp. "This is nice."

She grinned then her expression dulled. "He is right about the rain, you know?"

They looked at the window beside them and followed the trail the water left behind.

"It's not the rain's fault that down is the only direction it falls. It's all its ever done. It's all it knows. One would think that with how frequent it rains, people would learn to adapt. If it could, it would probably fall in a way that pleases the people. But it can't."

Reina's eyes narrowed, "And the people don't wish anything about the rain would change."

He chuckled but there was nothing humorful about it.

"One moment it's a fun drizzle and the next it's a rainstorm. So, you're not sure what to expect. It's all so..." her gaze trailed to his and in his dark grey blue eyes, she found the perfect word, "...unpredictable."

Shaun shrugged and took another slurp, "A drizzle, a storm. It's all water."

"You could always count on its dynamics though."

"Oh really?" Shaun frowned, "A moment ago, I thought you were complaining about how unpredictable the rain is."

She raised her chin, "It may be unpredictable but there's nothing I would change about it."

He rose his thick brows up and she saw that as a sign to explain her words. She gestured to the window with a nod of her head, "Look at it."

He did.

"The morning was beautiful, the skies were blue and clear and it was a warm day. When the afternoon came, it changed. The wind was a nice chill and the skies a bit darker. The drizzles were nice and comforting through the night and it carried on like that for three days, you know?"

She turns her head to him and he's staring at her already. He nods.

"It was a constant light drizzle over the next two days and people enjoyed the blissful weather, you know? No one paid attention to the rising flood until a child drowned."

"It's not the rain's fault people built on the areas it's supposed to flow into. There's nowhere for it to flow into so it's flooding the city."

Reina nibbled in her bottom lip, "So, it's the people's fault?"

"If they had built better drainage systems the way they were supposed to, there wouldn't be a flood." Shaun looked away, "And the rain wouldn't be a problem."

Reina let out a breath and whispered, "It's not."

She cleared her throat, "Some days, it makes me happy. Other days, I'm not so sure."

"But not everyone likes it. So, they run under the shade and seek shelter till it's passed."

"What about those who walk in the rain?"

"They don't care. They have places to be and they wouldn't let the weather affect them. At least, with umbrellas, the rain knows it's being acknowledged."

"And those who dance in the rain."

"The rain wants them to be happy so it keeps falling for those willing to dance on it."

Reina chuckles, "Not everyone can. But what would the rain know? All it sees are the people dancing. Some have gotten so tired from dancing that they're crying. But the rain doesn't see the tears on their smiling faces."

"Tears?"

Reina shrugged and sipped her coffee, "Tears, rain. It's all water."

Silence ensued and couple let the warmth of their drinks and their company fill them up. The rain decreased and soon, the soft noise of the rain droplets on the windows and roof filled the small cafe.

The elderly man dashed out the door, grumbling and two couples followed a while later.

"I always loved that. Coming home to a cup of hot chocolate. It always made my day better. Made all the dirtiness of the mud puddles and chilliness of the wind fade away."

"Mud puddles?"

Shaun nods, "When there's rain, there are always mud puddles. And the rain is sorry if the dancer falls into one while dancing."

Reina grinned, "She'll fall alright. But, she might take it as a chance to rest."

Shaun grinned back, "And the rain will use that as a opportunity to wash her clean."

"So, the rain wouldn't mind if the dancer walked home?"

"It would be glad to accompany her home."

"Would it keep her company till she slept?"

He laughed and his eyes glistened.

"It always did."

Reina looked into the stormy eyes of her significant other. Maybe taking this break wasn't a bad idea after all. Who knew a talk about the rain would be what they needed to get their marriage back on track?

"Would you like to stay the night?" she mumbled.

There was a vibrant spark in a pair of stormy eyes, "I shouldn't refuse."

"Of course. It's your house as well."

"It's been two months."

"It's still the same."

The couple walked out, each under their umbrella. Their hands in a tight embrace, they walked back to their home, sharing the peaceful environment and their renewed affections.