I should have walked away.
That would have been the normal thing to do.
Thank him for the umbrella. Smile politely. Disappear into the crowd and forget about the handsome stranger who happened to rescue me from a rainstorm.
Instead...
I stayed.
We stood near the entrance of the building for a moment, watching the chaos outside as students rushed past us, dripping wet and laughing.
The rain hadn't slowed at all.
It came down in thick sheets, turning the campus into a blur of gray and motion.
"You came alone?" he asked.
His voice was casual, but there was something underneath it.
Curiosity.
Interest.
I nodded. "My friends ditched me for food."
A small smile tugged at his mouth.
"Tragic."
"I know. I might never recover."
He chuckled softly.
The sound did something strange to my chest.
God, why does everything feel so... intense?
We barely knew each other.
Actually - we didn't know each other at all.
And yet standing next to him felt comfortable in a way that didn't make sense.
Like my body had skipped past the awkward stranger phase entirely.
"So," I said, glancing up at him, "are you always rescuing random girls in the rain, or am I special?"
One eyebrow lifted slightly.
"That depends."
"On what?"
"If you're planning to fall again."
I laughed, surprised.
"Oh wow. Confidence."
He shrugged lightly.
"Preparedness."
Our eyes met again.
And there it was.
That pull.
That strange, magnetic awareness.
Like there was an invisible thread connecting us.
My stomach fluttered.
Okay. This is dangerous.
We moved further inside together as the crowd shifted, still talking - about school, classes, the ridiculous weather, the terrible food vendors outside.
Nothing important.
But somehow it felt important.
Because every time he looked at me, my pulse jumped.
And every time I caught him watching me when I wasn't speaking...
Something warm spread through my chest.
At one point our hands brushed accidentally.
Neither of us pulled away immediately.
Electricity shot up my arm.
Did he feel that too?
His jaw tightened slightly.
Yep.
Definitely felt it.
"Are you new here?" he asked after a moment.
"First year," I said. "You?"
"Second."
That explained the confidence.
"And what are you studying?"
I told him.
He nodded, listening in a way that made me feel like what I was saying actually mattered.
Which was ridiculous.
We had known each other for maybe ten minutes.
Still...
I liked it.
I liked him.
The realization hit me suddenly and without permission.
And it scared me a little.
Because attraction was normal.
This?
This felt bigger.
Deeper.
Like the beginning of something I couldn't control.
Voices called his name again from across the hall.
He glanced over briefly, then back at me.
And for a split second...
I had the strangest thought.
He doesn't want to leave either.
The idea sent warmth through me.
But moments like this don't last forever.
Eventually reality pushes in.
People find their friends.
Schedules happen.
Life moves.
"I should probably find mine," I said softly.
Something flickered in his expression.
Disappointment?
Or was I imagining it?
"Yeah," he said. "I should too."
Neither of us moved.
Why is this suddenly hard?
I smiled awkwardly.
"Well... thanks again. For the umbrella."
"Anytime."
Our eyes held.
One second.
Two.
Three.
Say something.
Ask for his number.
But the words stuck in my throat.
Fear.
Shyness.
Timing.
I wasn't sure which one stopped me.
So instead, I gave a small wave and turned to leave.
I didn't look back.
If I had...
I would have seen him still standing there, watching me walk away.
⸻
I didn't know it then.
But that moment would stay with me for years.
Because sometimes...
The people who change your life forever start out as strangers you almost didn't talk to.
