31

The sun acted all high and mighty throughout the morning, but now, it chose to concede to the army of grumbling, dark clouds.

Exactly like what Adelynn had predicted.

It began with a series of soft taps-like gentle knocks to the door-as the first, small droplets appeared on the window. Seconds turned into minutes, and the pitter-patters grew more furious, mercilessly pounding against anything that it made contact with, as though their knocks went unanswered. Distant buildings slowly vanished in a bulky veil of fog, and trees tried their best to hold on whilst being run over by the wind.

People on the sidewalk frantically pulled their bags or hoodies on top of their heads and scrambled for the nearest shelter. While a myriad of umbrellas started opening up in the vicinity to block the incoming downpour, a few were prepared enough to wear on their raincoats and windbreakers.

Listening to the rain drumming in the background which drowned out both Aly and Adelynn's conversations, I rested my chin on my hand and closed my eyes. While so, a faraway memory decided to pay me a visit; that day was pouring heavily just like this one, but had always made me feel the full of the joys of spring.

***

"Man, when will the rain ever stop?!"

It was all Edward could complain as he placed his hand outside the shelter we were forced to run into, catching drops of water from the skies. Narrowing his eyes, he forcefully flung his basketball away and crossed his arms. "And they said it's gonna be sunny all day. Yeah, sure. Sunny indeed!"

I simply sat there and did nothing. As much as I wanted to say something, the words didn't want to come out of my mouth. It was like something was choking them in.

"This sucks... I wanna hang out with you today so I can teach you how to play basketball." He slumped into the bench and sighed in defeat. "Oh well, it can't be helped."

"I-It's fine, really." Finally, I managed to squeeze my voice out and slid beside him, "I-I just wanna hang out with you..."

What in the world was I saying?

Thankfully, Edward didn't seem to hear me-perhaps because I was way too silent, and I was actually grateful for that. He then stood up and wandered restlessly around the shelter. "Gee, we can't even go out as well..."

Just as he was about to grumble, he stopped when he noticed a garden just beside the basket court; it had a bunch of plants with very wide leaves, probably almost as tall as us. He seemed to be on the same page as he immediately grinned at me-all of the sulking he did vanished in a heartbeat.

Before I could stop him, he was already stepping right into the rain. His hair flattened even with his beanie, and his hoodie darkened, but never was he bothered. He was more focused on snatching the stem of the leaf. He gritted his teeth as he tried yanking it out of the soil, and even as he stumbled backwards, he finally plucked it off.

He instantly strode back to me, completely drenched with water trickling all over his skin. Heck, his legs were shivering from the cold, but that never wiped off his wide smile.

"Let's use this as an umbrella! It's huge enough to fit us in," Edward suggested, his expression sparkling with might as he lent me the giant plant. I firstly looked at it up and down as my fingers fiddled against each other, however, I found myself taking it from him. Then almost as quickly as he came, he ran to the garden.

Well, he was not wrong; the plant itself was so gigantic, it completely covered me. It was kind of flimsy, but at least for a short while, it could shield us from the rain. That was actually so smart of him.

Edward returned with his basketball and another leaf, and now, he was way more drenched than before. Even with the stormy weather wearing down on him, he was still shining brightly like the sun. And that aura of his was so contagious, it made my tummy feeling so odd and my heart flipping.

"Let's just go to my house and play some games!" he said as he gently took my wrist, and I shivered at the touch of his cold fingers. If I remember correctly, he got sick easily, and with him being in the middle of the rain...

"A-Are you okay though?" I murmured as I let him take me anywhere with our natural-made umbrellas. "Y-You're wet all over, y-you're gonna get sick... Let me-"

"Geez, don't worry, Rena! It's just rain, I'll be fine!" He tried to assure me between his chuckles, although his body was clearly shaking so hard.

***

And just like what I had feared back then, his words came back to bite him hard.

Edward not only ended up catching a cold, but also bedridden with a bad case of headaches and fever, just like right now. Adelynn was practically scolding him when we visited him after school, and guilt had devoured me inside out for getting him sick. Never once did he show an ounce of regret. Instead, he threw a feeble grin; both ecstatic of our hangout and that I was all fine.

And without my control, a surge of heat prowled into my reddening cheeks, so I hung my head low. My hands started groping the lump bulging off my bag, the lunch box containing the pastry meant for Edward.

I flashed my phone on, relieved to be met with an empty notification board. Thankfully, I already informed both Mom and Jordan-not that he cared-I would be going home late so that they would not barrage me with their wall of texts. Mom was already aware of it though; she was the one who helped me with preparing the bread.

"Oh, and Seb said he actually tried getting to school yesterday, if not for his parents forcing him to back down," Adelynn announced, pulling me back from my thoughts as she scratched her head. "For the love of God, that guy seriously never gets it. Like, at all."

"Wow, look at how shocked I am. Ain't that a breaking news," Aly added with a deadpan look and shrugged. "I wish I was that passionate with school though."

"Only if he could channel that energy into something healthier..." Adelynn let out one deafening sigh, throwing her hands and shaking her head in defeat. I could only smile helplessly, unable to deny their claims; he always said he was fine, even when he was clearly not. Just like when he was soaked and shivering in the rain that day.

The cascading rain continued thrumming in my ears, showing off its fanatic dance on the roofs of houses as we stepped down at our stop. The thick, tacky air pressed down against my skin; my school's thick blazer was definitely not helping at all. Moreover, I was confined to a merely small space Adelynn's umbrella provided. What was worse, my shoes absorbed the puddles I was stepping on, it felt like a thousand needles pricked me.

Well, at least it was worth it.

Aly and I both found ourselves ogling at Edward's house up and down-and as Naomi had said, built like a mansion-as if we have never been here. Every of its concrete walls were painted a gorgeous white, despite the blemishes from natural causes, with tall windows and small balconies adorning almost every corner. As we silently walked through the driveway, I noted the black sedan parked on it.

"Feel old yet?" Adelynn whispered with a playful hint in her voice, and we nodded with no further words exchanged.

And for someone who would almost always throw a remark in return, Aly was busy scouring around the area, as her softening eyes went adrift in the sea of nostalgia. She was not the only one; streams of sentimentality from this particular house alone flooded into my vision without warning.

During our long, sweltering holidays, Edward would invite us to the pool behind his home, where he hosted his birthday parties. He turned himself into a laughing stock for his friends as he doused flour and cake all over himself. And whenever he brought just me into his home, he taught me countless tips and tricks, not only how to defeat fictional bosses, but our real-life studies as well.

So many memories are made here. I did not bother stopping myself from stretching my lips, even if Adelynn momentarily threw me a glance. With Edward now on our side, would I get to experience those times again?

That unanswered question lingered in the humid air while Edward's mother escorted us in. However, the moment I stepped inside, my breath hitched while my stiffening muscles tried preventing me from going any further. I felt the need to clasp both of my freezing hands together as my nerves tingled with agitation, while the palpitations of my heart rocked hard against my ribs. What the heck, why am I feeling like this? It's not like I visited him for the first time ever.

"It's been so long since you both came over, Alyssa, Rena. I'm happy you've decided to hang out with my son again." As soon as Edward's mother mentioned my name, I snapped up and broke myself off my stupid trance. Meeting with her eyes, they reminded me of the gentle, lush forest in the mountains, softening alongside her tender smile as they hovered over us.

"Ed is resting right now, but he's expecting you. You can come to his room." She beckoned her head upstairs and wiped her hands with a handkerchief. "I'm going to make some hot tea in the kitchen after all of that rain."

"T-Thanks..." My voice faltered while the girls also showed their gratitude, too faint for the others to hear.

At every step on the flight of stairs, my heart felt like it was about to leap out of my chest and I had to hold it in. I didn't even realize I was gripping so hard on the bannister until my knees were rubbery, struggling to maintain its momentum. Most importantly, the pressure thickened as we strolled through the familiar hallway until we all stopped at one particular door.

Come on, stay calm, Rena. It's just Edward. Don't be so jittery! I inhaled a handful of air, exhaling it through my lips. However, my body would not bother listening to my advice; it jolted as soon as Adelynn gave a few knocks.

"Yeah... come in." Edward's disgruntled voice croaked out, and it seriously made me sink.

Only the table lamp on the nightstand illuminated the entire room when we entered, but I could still make out the outline of Edward's figure on the bed, his exhausted gaze wandered towards us. His disheveled hair was all over the place, like he had been changing positions for an infinite amount of times with sweat trickling down his reddened cheeks. He's definitely far from better... has he been sleeping well?

When the Star Wars duvet he buried himself in caught my attention, I quickly investigated his room, where a couple of sci-fi flick posters-albeit much fewer than before-were still decorating its walls, alongside images of Luke Skywalker and his team, the battleships and the villains looming over them. He even still had the blue lightsaber we gifted him for his 11th birthday leaning against his desk.

"Hey, how are you feeling now?" Adelynn greeted as she sat slowly on the mattress.

"As you can tell, I'm all alive and kicking," Edward retorted, giving her a long look.

"You still have the energy to be snarky, huh..." She sighed.

"I would rather say, you looked so green I could have mistaken you for the Grinch," Aly chimed in and shrugged. "I mean, technically you are."

Edward glared at my best friend, but I quickly went rigid-because of course I did-the moment his eye wandered towards me, locking me on the spot. The intensity of his gaze was definitely weaker compared to usual, but it still succeeded in crumbling my thoughts into smithereens.

"That bracelet... looks good on you," he feebly said, shifting in his bed to look at his own sapphire bracelet lying on his nightstand.

"Oh, um... t-thanks, I really liked it too!" I stammered as I instinctively lowered my head down to hide my own flushing face. Edward didn't comment anything else, but he tried to haul himself up and his body instantly recoiled at the sudden movements, and our reflexes drove us to support him.

"Just stay on the bed, Ed," Adelynn warned. "You're not in a good condition right now."

"No, I'm much better, I just wanna ge-"

"You are not going anywhere, Edward!" Adelynn's tone turned up a notch as she shot up, cutting his words and even had both Aly and I flinching. "I heard you tried leaving for school and work. Look, I get it you wanna go back to your duties, but you can barely stand up let alone focus, you are basically inconveniencing literally everyone. So sit your sickly ass down and rest, for heaven's sake."

Edward blinked as he gawked at her, fire burned with might in her eyes. My first thought was that he was going to fight back against her, however, much to everyone's surprise-and Adelynn's relief-he hung his head and slumped himself back to the mattress, right after he forced out several coughs. Adelynn's words seemed to finally get through him... but wow, her motherly traits never ceased to amaze me. She always takes care of everyone.

"Man, oh man... for a cold-hearted jerk, you're still the same ol' kid who never knows how to give up." Aly folded her arms while Adelynn shook her head. "Better listen to her."

Edward could only press his lips in a straight line, knowing that arguing would just not get him anywhere. However, when he was about to roll over to the side, a deafening grumble of his stomach chased away the silence settling in.

"Yikes... you're literally screaming in starvation," my best friend further commented.

"I haven't eaten much today." Edward croaked, his uneven bangs slipping to the side as he helplessly looked at us, but his glances towards me... felt longer than usual. "But my mother's making dinner right now, so I..." He rested his arm on his forehead. "I should be fine."

"...Well then, you're in luck!" Aly exclaimed out of nowhere. "Rena's about to give you something that could fill up your stomach while Lynn and I help your mother out!"

Wait, wait... what?! My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. I was frozen in my spot and could only watch with utter, genuine horror as Aly pulled over a frazzled Adelynn aside. She then whispered something into her ears whilst eyeing at me with a grin-she even had the time to secretly give me a thumbs-up!

My stomach twisted into a thousand knots while my brain chose to shut itself down, preventing it from processing further thoughts on how to respond. I was not even sure if my heart was still inside of me or not. I haven't even got the chance to say anything yet-and to add salt to the wound, it was like I lost my ability to form a proper damn sentence, let alone words.

What in the world is she planning?! What is she do-

"Oh uh... yeah!" Adelynn smacked her fist. "I bet your mother needs a helping hand, so we're gonna leave you with Rena for a moment."

Why are you joining as well?!

The world was spinning around me and I could only see stars. "B-b-but I n-"

"Calm down, Rena! This is your chance," Aly murmured as she grabbed hold of my shivering shoulders. "Besides, it looks like... he wants to talk to you as well."

As much as my scatterbrained mind wanted to disagree, I did notice Edward's blue eye flashed as he stared straight at me. Nothing else distracted him at all, even as the girls promptly left the room before I could even form a single protest or even any objections. However, now that I was the only one here... it was not like I could burst out of his room and run away, especially now that he was waiting for me.

And then you'll ruin everything you have worked hard for, you stupid airhead. Now, don't let awkwardness win this... and go do your plan!

I mentally slapped the heck out of myself, before I hesitantly sat on the edge of the bed with a tight smile; the same exact spot where Adelynn was before.

"You've always loved pink and red, so I got those prizes for you," Edward suddenly said, shifting closer to me. "It's kinda... to return the favor."

I nodded a bit too much, focusing on the Star Wars poster above him rather than my childhood friend himself. The fact that he still remembered those little details that he could have easily forgotten, made my insides worse than it already had, as if those fluttering butterflies morphed into some vicious creatures.

Surreptitiously I took my bag, and with a single spectator observing each and every of my moves, I zipped it open and carefully pulled out the box.

Please, Rena, do not even mess this up.