" Sunflowers in the Rain "
(The First Meeting)
Kai stood at the bus stop, soaked to the bone, holding a drenched bouquet of sunflowers meant for someone who never showed up.
He had confessed today.
A confession he'd spent months rehearsing - only to be met with soft pity and a "you're sweet, but no." The kind of rejection that tries to be kind, but still slices deep.
Now, summer rain drenched him as much as it did the flowers. His shoes were squelching, his pride crumbling. He stood in the rain.
"You look like a drowned sunflower," a voice said beside him, Kai turned, only to see a man running. And with the blink of an eye he found himself being dragged, they both ran until they took shelter under the bus stop.
There, as they stopped catching thier breath, Ren looked at him and laughed, Kai did the same. Under the battered shelter, stood someone he had never seen before - Messy hair, leather jacket clinging to a lean frame, black jeans soaked at the cuffs. His umbrella was flipped inside out, entirely useless, but he smiled like the rain had never touched him.
"Oh, I didn't introduce myself..I'm Ren," the guy added, holding out a hand. Kai blinked, taken aback by the calm voice, the kind smile.
"Kai," he managed.
They stood there, chatting about the rain, about how public transport never showed when you needed it, about sunflowers. Nothing earth-shattering. Just words.
Kai couldn't help but admire his features, the way the rain drops from before trickled down Ren's neck, and so much more. But most importantly, he noticed how Ren didn't ask him about why He was standing alone in the rain, why he had those drenched sunflowers in his hand - Nothing, Just a smile and no judging, this is what Kai really needed at that time.
They stayed together, long after the rain stopped, as if they lost track of time. As Ren got a call, he had to leave, so he smiled and said, "Hope to see you around more often, Kai".
And with that, they parted ways.
Kai found himself thinking: I want to see him again.
And that night, he did.