She walked through the rain, head bowed, her arms wrapped tightly around her waist. Her hair lay limp, plastered to her skull, little rivulets of water dripping onto her already sodden clothing. In the dark, no-one could see her features and if they could, her tears would be masked by the rain trickling down her face. What couldn't be masked was the way her shoulders shook as the sobs wracked her small frame.

The world was silent except for the steady shhhh of the rain hitting the gold-tinged streets and her hiccupping gasps. She didn't know why she was crying, it wouldn't bring him back.

The world around her ceased to exist as she walked aimlessly. The rain felt good, as though it was eroding the sorrow encompassing her and washing away the mess of thoughts and emotions running through her mind.

She began to focus on the sound and the smell of the rain, they way it made the city around her gleam. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she failed to notice that, even though the rain falling around her was still torrential, she wasn't getting any wetter.

He walked beside her silently, sheltering her from the cold rain, not touching her, unwilling to intrude on her grief.

Soon her sobs subsided and she noticed the tall man keeping pace with her small steps. She moved towards him and felt him shift the umbrella to his other hand. He wrapped his free arm around her shoulders and she sagged against him, her arm automatically wrapping around his waist. He placed a soft kiss against her hair and then steered her towards the warmth of his flat, understanding that she couldn't return to her home and the memory of her last night with Tommy. Not yet.