It rained again three days later maybe the same clouds that never left I was sitting by the library window pretending to study but really just watching the drops slide down the glass I had my notebook open to a page that said physics formulas but my brain was full of something else something that sounded like a yellow umbrella

The chair across from me scraped against the floor and when I looked up it was him Ethan same messy hair same quiet smile He said guess I found you again and I said or maybe you were following the weather He laughed a little and sat down across from me without asking

He placed a book on the table but didn’t open it I noticed his sleeves were still damp and the smell of rain clung to his jacket He said I didn’t think you’d be here this early I said I come here when it rains He said that’s convenient then He leaned back in the chair like he belonged there and I tried not to stare too obviously

For a while we didn’t talk He drew circles on the edge of his notebook I copied lines from a chapter I didn’t care about The silence wasn’t uncomfortable just steady like the sound of rain outside

After maybe twenty minutes he said do you ever feel like school is a place people go just to pretend they know what they’re doing I said every day He smiled said good I thought I was the only one

We ended up whispering about teachers and assignments and small stupid things like how cafeteria fries never taste like real potatoes He asked what I wanted to do after graduation I said I didn’t know yet He said same maybe that’s fine maybe we don’t have to know everything all at once I said maybe you’re right He said maybe I just don’t like thinking too far ahead

A librarian walked by and shushed us but neither of us could stop smiling after that The rain outside softened to mist and I realized I didn’t care about the time anymore

When the bell finally rang he said I have to go to practice but you can keep the book if you want He slid it across the table It was a thin paperback about short films something about light and reflection I asked if he liked movies He said not really I just like how light hits things differently when you pay attention

After he left I opened the book there were notes in the margins small messy handwriting arrows pointing to lines that said things like find beauty in accidents and every shadow has its reason On the last page there was a small doodle of an umbrella and below it he’d written see you next rain

I didn’t know if it was old or if he’d just written it but it made my chest feel strange warm and nervous at the same time

That evening when I left the library the sky was still gray but the rain had stopped The pavement was slick shining with leftover light I walked home slower than usual half expecting to see a flash of yellow somewhere in the distance but there was nothing only the smell of wet asphalt and the echo of his voice in my head

At home I left the umbrella from last time near the door it was still broken but I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away Every time I looked at it I remembered his hand holding it steady while the world around us fell apart

I opened the book again before bed the pages slightly curled from humidity I traced the doodle with my finger and whispered the words out loud see you next rain and somehow it felt like a promise