EIGHT

I opened my eyes upon feeling something cool and pleasant on my cheek and realized that it was the raindrops. Soon, many raindrops fell on my face, waking me up completely.

It seemed I had left the window open before going to sleep as the rain was calming down then but now, it was again getting heavier. I leaned closer to the window to allow more raindrops to hit my face when it thundered with lightning, making me smile.

Unpopular opinion, but I loved this kind of weather: the sound of rain was so soothing, pleasant, refreshing and most of all, calming. I was aware of the irony of it, but it was the truth.

My pleasant moments were interrupted by a movement that was loud enough for me to hear it. I tilted my head to see what the sound was since waking Elijah up by making an unnecessary sound was the last thing I wanted to do. But, to my surprise, he was already awake and was staring at me since God knows when. He was staring at me.

At. me.

Me.

Instantly, I felt the stupid nervousness flooding back to me, but I tried my best and masked it. Soon after, I found myself trying to give him a confusing smile but trust me when I say this, I wasn't a very good actress.

"I'm sorry I was staring but I couldn't help but feel familiar with it. Don't you think rainy days have become one of the most dreaded days for many of us? And me, as a person who loves the rain, finds it hard to swallow that it's dreaded by people. Then I saw you when I opened my eyes, clearly visible that you also love the rain similarly which makes me feel less lonely about it." He grinned. The mysterious aura around him disappeared for the third time, his freckles standing out in the morning light. How beautiful.

I smiled back unknowingly but that seemed to have alerted him, as if he realized not to put his guards down and the mysterious aura reappeared.

It would be a lie if I say it did not disappoint me.

"I'm glad I finally found someone who is in the boat," I reply, trying to sound unaffected.

He smiled again but not the smile that I yearned to see.

Wait, wh–what the actual fuck. 'Yearned? Seriously Summer?' I chided myself in the head because I was done feeling foreign things. It was starting to irritate me how I couldn't make out what I was feeling but I was sure about strongly feeling it.

Before I could think further, he started speaking again, "Do you have any idea when we are going to reach?"

I shook my head.

"Oh cool," He got up. "I'm going to go ask them."

I nodded before turning back to the window to get back to my rain when I realized something; instantly, I glanced at my side where Yvonne and Romeo were perching on their seats — both asleep, with her head on his shoulders. I wondered if any progress had been made or possibly good news on the way but those in this position surely couldn't mean bad news.

I smiled at them, happy that she was happy and finally turned back to my rain outside. The gray skies were still lovely, somehow indicating to me that a good thing was going to occur when I heard the sound of someone beside me — it was Elijah.

"Hey, Mr. Moore says there's still an hour of it,"

"Really? Well, that's good. It gives me more time to enjoy the weather while I still can,"

"Yeah, sure. I'm glad that we still have an hour because I'm feeling sleepy again. Please do wake me up when we reach if you aren't sleeping."

I nodded, trying to hide the fact that he depended on me; I knew that this was a teeny - tiny thing but I was still glad of it. Do not dare ask me why because I didn't know why. Every word he spoke made my cheeks go red and my whole body could feel the shock that every word of his could send warm chills down my spine. I hated it. I hated it. I hated it.

I hated how he made me question so much about everything.

He was off to sleep already but I was still stuck with those stupid things. I concluded on referring to whatever I felt around him as to "those". To distract myself from those ridiculous things, I again turned back to the rain and tried to focus on it instead. Except that I couldn't. Not anymore.

My mind was somewhere else – somewhere thinking about how I was sure those things were something serious since I had never felt like this in any way before. I kept on reminding myself that he could not be who I would eventually fall for, because it would be nothing but uncertainties, my feelings for him being the only exception. But, when it comes to a war between your head and your heart, your heart inevitably wins.

He never seemed like someone to avoid except for the mysterious aura always around him. He seemed... nice, sweet, innocent but most of all, someone pure. Perhaps he showed himself to be someone to avoid but for some reason, I knew, I just knew somehow that there was more to him than what meets the eye.

His guards were always up as well, supporting my previous assumption. It was almost as if something or someone caused him to be like this, molded him this way. Molded him to become what he was now. But what or who? Wait - perhaps it's what and who. That caused him a deadly scar which compelled him to be the way he was now, just so, just so he could protect himself further.

A part of me knew none of it was my business and I should stop trying to be a detective. Yet, there was something – something about him which pulled me to him like a magnet and made me want to find out why. I couldn't find a reason to not assume there was more to him because something told me there was, and I wanted to know why.