Prologue

Yellow, blue, red, and orange, they all glow in streets. They set up the whole city alive. Busy streets and noisy crowds are all I could see and I am walking through it. Smokes from a nearby barbeque place fills the area with mouth-watering aroma. I could see couples happily talking to each other, a woman who's tagging her dog along and squinting to pick it up, chiming of wind chimes as a man entered a store, and so many people who's busy going on with each other's business as the night goes deep.

And here I am just slowly walking, feeling the liveliness of the whole place while hiding both of my hands inside the pockets of my hoody. I continuously walk until a silhouette of a couple caught my attention. I stopped walking and stared at them the whole time.

They are laughing like the world is just about the two of them, like there's no one watching, no one being hurt just by looking at them. The woman wounded up her arms around the man's neck as he gently grabs her waist, she threw her head in laughter when the man tickles her side. They look so perfect together. They're like teenagers who just had their first date upon telling their parents about their relationship, the vibe of being carefree and not being afraid anymore. They are like two lovebirds being set free from a suffocating cage.

Tears trickled down my cheeks when he inched his face to kiss her. In the middle of the busy crowd, their lips touched and it was the most painful scene that I could ever witness, it's like I'm watching a great Hollywood movie that set me into tears because of their great acting.

The difference is that this is isn't a movie and we are not Hollywood stars, there are no directors that are telling them to act that scene; it was their pure freewill. They kiss, hug, and love each other because they want to.

I looked down the pavement then suddenly the rain started to pour, the people are quickly running to find a place to protect themselves from the rain but the two couples just laughed as they embrace the coldness of the rain. Maybe, they didn't feel the coldness because all I can see on them are pure warmth like a fire in every hearth.

And me? Well, I'm here, under the rain— watching them.

The good thing about rain is no one will ever know I'm crying. I'm free to cry when it rains. I don't need to hold back my tears.

I am standing there the whole time, waiting for myself to be soaked with rain. The laughter from the distance suddenly dies down as the couple notices me. They walk up to me.

"Miss, I think you should take cover. It's raining and you're already soaking," the woman called out from the rain. The man was halted when he saw me.

"G-grace,"

I look at him and smiled sadly. "I will never love again," I murmured under my breath. I walk again, under the rain and with my heart broken, I left the place as the darkness of the night covers me from their sight.