chapter 11

Part 12: The First Rain and Hidden ConfessionsIt was Friday afternoon when the first rain of the season arrived — unannounced, like a secret emotion suddenly slipping out. Riya was at her window, watching the drops race down the glass. The wind carried the scent of wet earth, stirring something in her heart.She didn’t know why, but this rain felt different — like it was carrying a message.A soft ping broke her thoughts. Her phone lit up.Dhirav (4:06 p.m.):“Look outside. The sky’s writing poetry today.”Riya smiled.Riya:“Maybe it’s replying to your silence.”Dhirav:“I never knew silence could be this loud.”Riya:“Maybe it only gets loud when someone listens to it.”A few minutes later, she got another message.Dhirav:“Come outside.”Her heart skipped.She ran to the balcony — and there he was.Standing under a tree across the street, hoodie on, hands in his pockets, smiling up at her.Riya’s mother called from behind, “It’s raining! Don’t get wet!”But Riya just whispered, “I already am.”She slipped on her sandals and rushed downstairs, the rain gently soaking her hair, her sleeves, her heartbeat.When she reached him, they just stood — two people, in the middle of a quiet street, surrounded by the sound of rain and a silence that had meaning.“Crazy,” she said softly, brushing her wet hair back.He shrugged. “Sometimes, it’s okay to be crazy.”They didn’t say much.Just walked slowly down the road, under the grey sky, as if the world had paused just for them.As they reached the corner tea shop, they ducked in, laughing, shaking off the rain.The old man at the shop smiled, “Two teas?”Riya looked at Dhirav. He nodded.When the cups arrived, steam curling into the air, Riya said, “I always liked rains. They make everything feel… new.”Dhirav looked at her, something unreadable in his eyes. “And I’ve started liking things you like.”She looked down, hiding her smile behind the cup.After a moment, he asked, “Do you ever think about… how strange it is? This connection?”She didn’t answer at first.Then slowly said, “Strange, yes. But… not wrong.”Their eyes met.So many things unsaid — but understood.After tea, they stood under the tin roof, watching the rain fall again.Suddenly, Dhirav turned to her and said, “There’s something I wanted to tell you since that day in the library.”Her heart thudded.He continued, “When you looked at me… before you spoke… I felt like… I belonged somewhere.”She blinked, words stuck in her throat.“And since then,” he added, “I’ve stopped searching.”She wanted to say something.Anything.But the rain said it all.A gust of wind blew, and in reflex, she reached for his hand.He didn’t flinch. Didn’t move.He just held it.Gently.Naturally.Like it was meant to be.Time didn’t stop — but they stopped feeling it.In that one moment, nothing loud happened.No declarations.No big scenes.Just a held hand in the rain, and hearts quietly learning how to speak.Later that night, in her room, Riya opened her notebook and wrote:“Not every bond begins with words.Some just begin… with rain.”And in his own room, Dhirav typed something in his drafts — didn’t send it, just saved it:“If she never says anything… even then, I’ll know.”Some feelings don’t need a label.Some moments don’t need a reason.Because sometimes, just standing in the rain is enough to know…You’re no longer alone.