A special thank you to my three reviewers for my last story: Tee and Biscuits, TwilightPercyJacksonSWAC and southernchristiangirl! This is dedicated to you guys. :)
Disclaimer: Characters aren't mine!
Sonny loves the rain. Often she falls asleep listening to the soft pitter patter it makes as it hits the window, soothing like a lullaby. Somehow, it makes the inside of her apartment feel more cozy and warm.
It is her day off, the first in nearly five weeks, and she plans on doing absolutely nothing for the next several hours. Maybe she'll read a book, or watch a movie. One thing is for sure: she does not want to move from her couch.
"Are we just going to sit here all day?" Chad complains from his spot on the lounge chair next to the couch. Sonny rolls her eyes and pulls her blanket tighter around herself.
"You don't have to stay." She says, but does not mean it. She very much wishes he will stay. "I'm just glad to finally have a day to myself, you know? We've been working non-stop for weeks."
Chad sighs and sits back in his chair. She can tell he's bored, that he would like nothing more than to get out of the cramped apartment and do something more exciting. She knows he won't leave her though—she's sure of it.
After a moment, he sits forward again. "Well what do you plan on doing, then?"
"I don't know," she admits to him. "I kind of want to watch a movie, something sappy and girly." He makes a face, and she laughs. "I'm kidding, relax. Why don't you choose a movie? They're all in there." She points to the cabinet that sits beside the TV, and he glances at it.
"I have a better idea… Let's go somewhere. I don't care where. I don't want to be stuck in here all day."
She ignores his adorable puppy dog face. She has grown accustomed to it. "Can we watch a movie first?" She smiles sweetly, hoping he'll be pulled in. She really doesn't want to go anywhere.
He smiles too, stands up and places himself in front of her. "Come on," he holds his hands out to her, and she feels her resistance slipping. "We can go for a walk. Or a drive. Whatever you want."
She resists the urge to go along with it. "It's pouring rain," she feels the need to remind him. They both look through the window at the gloomy weather outside, then back at each other. His blue eyes are pleading, and the last of her willpower fades away. Why must he be so cute?
Reluctantly, she frees her arms from her blanket and lets him pull her up. He laces their fingers together and pulls her closer; so close she can feel his breath on her lips as he speaks.
"Thank you" he says softly. He stays close to her for a moment, holding her gaze, and she wonders if this is it, if he's finally going to kiss her the way she's been waiting for. But then he pulls back and walks to the door, leaving her alone in the living room flustered and frustrated. She sighs and follows him.
"I don't feel like getting soaked," she informs him, slipping into her flip flops and grabbing her purse. He already has his shoes on and is holding the door open for her, waiting. He just smiles.
They go down the elevator and out into the parking lot. The rain is falling heavily, but the air is warm. They head for his car, Sonny ducking her head down and trying to shield her hair with her arms, and Chad seeming not even to notice the water soaking him. Sonny is surprised that he doesn't appear to be worried about ruining his hair.
They climb into the car, Chad in the driver's seat, and buckle their seatbelts.
"Where do you want to go?" Chad asks Sonny as he pulls out of the apartment parking lot. He makes a right turn and heads for the highway.
"I don't know. Somewhere far away from the studio."
He laughs and agrees, and they continue driving down the highway. The windshield wipers are going at full strength but the road ahead is still hard to see.
"Where are we going?" Sonny asks a little while later as he pulls off the highway. It's not really a road that they end up on, but a pathway that winds through a thickening forest of trees.
"You'll see when we get there," he does not elaborate, and Sonny feels her frustration growing. Why can't she have just stayed in her warm, dry apartment? She makes a mental note to learn how to say no to her adorable, very convincing, annoying boyfriend.
He pulls to a stop about five minutes away from the highway, and shuts off the car. The forest has thinned out a little, and Sonny can still see rain falling heavily around them. But that's all she sees— rain falling, and trees. There is nothing else.
"You have got to be kidding me."
He smiles again and climbs out of the car. She clenches her teeth together and climbs out, too.
"Chad. I don't know if you're aware of this, but it's pouring rain." She speaks slowly, as if worried he won't understand her.
"I know, Sonny," he says easily, walking around to meet her at her side of the car. He grabs her hand and pulls her forward along the narrowing path, further into the trees. "Just trust me. Okay?"
She narrows her eyes at him as he leads her forward. She's starting to get the sense that he has something up his sleeve—that this is some elaborate plan to do… something. She doesn't know what or why. So, instead of fighting him, she goes along with it out of pure curiosity.
A short while later, they reach a break in the trees. It's just a small grassy field, nothing really special, but for some reason it feels special. Chad stops walking and lets go of her hand, turning to face her. Raindrops slide down his face, soaking his hair and all of his clothes thoroughly; he doesn't seem to mind. Sonny thinks he looks like he just came out of a pool.
"What is this, Chad?" She asks him, examining the wide space they stoodin.
"It's a clearing in the forest. What did you think it was?" At her annoyed glare, he laughs. "I used to picnic here with my mom when I was little, before she…" he hesitates, then seems to change his mind. "Anyway, I just kind of felt like coming here today with you." He's nervous now, avoiding her eyes. "I don't know why, I just thought… well, we're here. I don't know what to do now."
Sonny can't help but smile at his obvious embarrassment. She rarely sees him like this.
"Chad," she begins, taking his hands again. "I'm glad we came here. I mean it," she promises at his skeptical look. "This is sweet. You know, minus the rain."
He smiles now, tracing circles on the backs of her hands. "You're lying," he says, "but I appreciate the effort. I honestly don't know why I brought you here. Just an impulse, I guess."
She lets him fiddle with her hands a moment longer, watches his thumbs go back and forth over hers, then looks back up at him. Quietly, she asks him, "What now?"
"I don't know," he murmurs in response, holding her gaze again. She finds herself stuck, not for the first time, locked in the sea of blue that are his eyes. She can't look away—nor does she want to. And before she has a chance to straighten out her thoughts, his lips are on hers, incredibly gentle but definitely there, and she is frozen, taken completely by surprise. He pulls back and looks at her, apparently as surprised as she is.
He starts apologizing, but she doesn't let him finish—she drops his hands and reaches up, pulls him closer to her and tells him, very quietly: "I have been waiting for you to do that for weeks."
He smiles again, obviously relieved, and kisses her again, longer this time. And this time, she kisses him back with everything she has in her. The rain pounds down on them but neither seems to notice or care. She wishes this moment would last forever— their first kiss, in the pouring rain. This is the stuff fairy tales are made of.
When they pull away this time, Sonny's eyes stay closed as she tries to register what just happened, and Chad watches her, obviously pleased. When she's able to catch her breath, and her eyes flutter open. Neither of them seems to know what to say.
"So," Chad starts stepping back slightly. "Want to go watch that movie now?" He smiles sheepishly, and Sonny laughs.
"Okay," she agrees, and they head back towards his car, soaking wet and hand in hand.