Yana was telling me about her accomplishments for the day as we tread the campus grounds on our way home. I could see how proud she was for having that kind of experience and it made me happy seeing her that way.

The conversation I had overheard from earlier was still poking my curiosity, but somehow I couldn’t get to ask her about that guy. What if she really knows him? I asked myself.

I thought she would’ve told me if he was someone important anyway, so I just tried to shake those thoughts off my head. She was with me now and I got to see her radiating aura that could brighten any day, even that with the gloomiest sky ahead.

And when I say gloomy, it indeed looked like it was going to rain anytime soon.

“Good thing I always bring my umbrella with me,” I said when I learned she had forgotten hers at home.

We hadn’t gone quite far yet from the school gate when droplets started falling to the ground. Yana and I ran toward the service shed to wait for the outburst to pass.

While waiting, she sat on the ledge and took her handkerchief to wipe the rain off of her head. I was standing next to her thinking if I should help her when I spotted a mini bus park near the school’s entrance, just enough for the would-be passengers to board without getting drenched.

I watched as the boys from Winston’s basketball team emerged from the gate and got on the bus one by one. The last one was the injured player who was now using crunches instead of the wheelchair earlier. He was having a hard time getting on the bus so he had to take another vehicle.

While waiting for his service, I wasn’t expecting that the guy would glance in our direction. I didn’t make eye contact with him but I could sense he had recognized Yana from a distance.

I looked at the girl beside me and was relieved to see that she was busy making sure her books didn’t get wet. I moved in front of her and offered to help dry her hair, completely blocking her front view.

I couldn’t believe how satisfying it was to be the one she could see whenever she looked up. To be the one close to her. To be the one helping her get comfortable.

“It has mellowed down now,” I softly said as the rain had turned into tiny sprinkles. “Let’s go?”

I opened my umbrella and placed it over her head even before she got to stand. She smiled and thanked me for sharing it with her.

I laughed. “Of course, I would. Silly.”

She insisted on holding the umbrella for the two of us, but I told her that I was taller so I should be the one holding it. She got pouty for a while but gave in eventually which made me smile.

She ended up holding my arm instead as we walked close to each other. And I leaned the umbrella towards her, making sure she was safely covered.