Author's Note: It's been raining a lot here lately so that sort of inspired this story. This is set in November of Clare's grade 12 year.

Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi, Emily Dickenson's poetry or any other pop culture references in this story.

Clare Edwards had always been a fan of rainy days. She found the gentle thrum of raindrops very relaxing and it was the perfect excuse to cuddle up with a good book. However, it had been raining for six days constantly; hard rain that blew sideways and made you feel damp the entire day. Besides going to school Clare hadn't been out of the house at all if she could avoid it.

She had gotten caught up on all her homework and read three books cover to cover and was starting to feel the affects of cabin fever. Her mom and Glen had weekend plans to visit his parents and Jake was never home lately. It was Saturday morning and the thought of being stuck inside all day was terribly unappealing.

Clare exhaled, turning her head toward the night stand to check the time. It was barely 10:30am and without realizing what she was doing she slammed her hand against the clock flinging it into the wall. She could still hear the clock ticking, almost mocking her. Her hands balled into fists as she tried to slow her breathing.

She needed to relax. It was hard though, she wasn't just frustrated with the lack of sun, she had been having a hard time without Eli.
She cursed herself for letting her thoughts drift to him, it made me chest ache when she thought of him. It was painful how much she missed him being around. He had been working on a short film in school and rarely had time to Skype. He was always exhausted when they would talk on the phone so their calls would end sooner than she wanted them to because she would feel guilty keeping him up.

To be honest calls and Skyping were barely getting her by. She wanted to hang out with him, kiss him, hide away in his embrace. She could remember the feeling of his lips on hers the last time they kissed. The kiss was wistful, soft lips pressing together slowly and she felt as if she was floating. It was a just a shade of the real thing though and she wished she had written down the feeling so she could recall it more accurately.

Tears welled in her eyes as her fingers touched her slightly chapped lips. She could recall the feeling just after they kissed quite well, mostly because she still had that feeling. The longing. She wondered if he longed for her in that way. One night on the phone she had told him that she missed kissing him. They told each other they wouldn't focus on the things they missed when they would chat. They would talk about what was happening in their lives or ask for advice, anything else. So when the words escaped her mouth before she could stop them he was silent for a moment on the line.

"Clare, I could talk to you until dawn about how much I miss just that one aspect of being with you but in the end it would just make it worse. I love you and I don't want to end our phone call with a frown. Just know that when I see you, you will know how much I missed that."

His words had soothed her for a while but he hadn't been able to come home for Thanksgiving because he had gotten the flu. Disappointed was an understatement when his mom called to tell her.

She came back into the present and was determined to get out of this slump. She needed to stop letting her thoughts drift to him. A thought occurred to her, she needed a distraction and a little rain wasn't going to get in her way. Her rain boots and jacket were pulled on over her over-sized cream colored sweater and dark jeans and she grabbed her umbrella a purse before she headed out the door.

The rain was cold and overwhelming but she was determined to get out of this funk she had let herself slip into, even if it was just for a little while. She walked to the nearest bus stop taking care not to step in any large puddles. Luckily she only had to wait a few minutes before the next bus arrived.

There were at least twelve stops before she reached the one she wanted. It was near an old bookstore that she frequented with Eli.

She had avoided going there because she didn't want to think about that time Eli told her he had a book to show her in the back and when she found him he had taken her by surprise. He pressed her against the Science Fiction shelf and kissed her hard, making her body hum. He pulled away all too quickly smirking, knowing he had made her breathless and she punched him in the arm for being so cocky.

The bell rang as she pushed through the door and she took a deep breath trying to focus. She would find a book. An old book that meant the world to the person who owned it before. She wanted the corners to be dog eared and maybe even a page ripped out because it was the previous owners favorite.

The used books section was in the corner near the bathroom and it was so full there were small piles of books starting to gather on the floor.

The first book that caught her eye was a very old red bound book with tattered binding. She skimmed the first page but wasn't really in a war story kind of mood. Her fingers moved across the bindings hoping one would stand out. She reached for a brown book with no title and as she pulled it out a crash of thunder boomed outside startling her. She knocked quite a few books off the shelf and knelt down gathering them up to put back on the shelf. As she placed one book back she saw that there was a book caught in the middle of the shelves. She pulled it out and examined it. It was navy blue and old and the word "Poems" was faded on the front. The pages were yellowed and she opened it to see a note written on the inside cover.

I loved this book all I could and now want someone else to take in it's wonderful words and love it wholeheartedly as I have. -C.C.

She didn't even take the time to read any of the poetry inside. She walked briskly up to the register and paid for the book. She held it close to her chest as she shuffled down the street to the bus stop. The rain was coming down in heavy drops and Clare avoided opening the book so it wouldn't be ruined by the moist air. The bus soon arrived but Clare wasn't heading home. The book remained tucked in her arm the entire ride. She had decided to wait to open it until she got to her destination.

Minutes later she pressed the stop request button and walked off the bus. The park was across the street and she strolled through it with haste. A smile spread across her face as she saw the picnic table under the trees that was home of one of her most treasured memories. She went there many times to think or read.

Eli had told her that he came there often when they were separated and would find what little peace he could in his darker days in the memory surrounding the place. She didn't tell him that she had seen him there once, laying on top of the table with a book over his head. She stayed out of sight not wanting to disturb what seemed like a moment of tranquility for him.

Clare took a seat not caring how wet she would get and held her umbrella handle under her arm so she could open the book. She opened to one of the middle pages and noticed a familiar poem.

My River runs to thee-

My River runs to thee.
Blue sea, wilt thou welcome me?
My river awaits reply.
Oh! Sea, look graciously.
I'll fetch thee brooks
From spotted nooks.
Say, sea,
Take me!

-Emily Dickinson

Her fingers grazed each word on the page and she closed the book relishing in the feeling they gave her. She closed her eyes letting the rain relax her as it had before. When she opened them she shook her head in disbelief.

Eli was standing there smiling with rain drops falling from the ends of his hair and nose. Before she could second guess if he was real or not he pulled her body to a standing position and cupped her face in his wet hands. Clare dropped the umbrella not caring about the downpour and took in his features. He looked the same to her although his hair was longer and his crooked grin that she had missed seeing in person was planted on his face. His green eyes aligned with hers and he kissed her without hesitation.

The feeling of kissing him again was a warm glow that coursed through her veins making her forget was it was like to miss it. His lips moved with hers perfectly and he coaxed her mouth open with his tongue. Her hands gripped tightly onto his soaked shirt. They kissed until their lungs were burning from lack of oxygen. They stayed close though, their heavy breathing mixing together.

"Wh-what are you doing here? How did you know…?" He stopped her from continuing with a gentle kiss and pulled away running his thumb under her bottom lip.

"It's your favorite spot Clare. When you weren't home I knew this is the only place that would be worth the cold you are probably going to get.""He smiled softly and pulled her hands from his shirt, lacing his fingers within them. The rain was less severe now but they were both completely drenched.

"But you're here. I thought you were busy with your latest assignment."

"I wanted to surprise you. You mentioned having the house to yourself this weekend and I was busy with my assignment so I could have the weekend free to spend with you." He gave her a questioning look as if he wasn't sure if this was a pleasant surprise or not and she stopped his worries with a kiss that sent both toward the soggy ground.

He chuckled against her lips but she continued kissing him like there was no tomorrow. His lips were were like a river in the desert. She had been craving them for so long she didn't want to stop. He smiled at her tenacity and pushed at her shoulders.

"Can we go back to your house and continue this? I really don't want to have a cold during the rough part of the semester even though it would totally be worth it." He sat up and they got to their feet. "I brought my car unlike you. I can't believe you walked in this storm." He nudged her with his shoulder, glaring playfully at her.

"I took the bus actually. I didn't feel like driving and now we can ride together instead of driving back separately," she noted.

"Come on Edwards," he breathed pulling her under his arm. "I might be a college man now but I am fucking freezing."
She laughed and they walked swiftly toward his car.

Later

A trail of damp clothes lay around the Edwards/Martin house. Their jackets were on the floor leaving small puddles. Clare's sweater on the staircase railing, both sets of boots and socks were at the bottom of the steps. Shirts were left at the top of the stairs and jeans were laying on the floor next to Clare's bed.

They had been kissing from the moment she unlocked the door and were now clad in underwear tangled together on her bed. There skin felt cool to the touch from being so wet but there was heat radiating from their bodies molding together.

"Can I take these off?" Eli tore his mouth from hers and motioned to Clare's pink lace bra and white jersey underwear. Even though they had had sex many times after their first time which was everything she wanted that Friday afternoon at Hotel Eli, he still always asked permission.

She nodded and he pulled down her straps and undid her bra with ease. His fingers looped through the waistband of her underwear and he pulled them down her creamy thighs. He stood up and reached to pull off his boxers but Clare stilled his hands.

"Let me. You get to do this all the time and it's been so long since I got to." He shook his head at her moving his mouth close to her ear.

"I love you."

His lips pressed against the sensitive spot under her ear as she pulled his boxers down enough so they would fall to the floor.

"And I love you, very much," she said her voice uneven.

Their lips met again and the kisses became heated instantly. His hands moved up her sides with slight friction from her dampened skin. He held her at her ribs and pressed her back until she was laying on her bed beneath him.

There tongues collided and found a slow sensual rhythm. She could feel his hardened length against her thigh and she felt her center aching for contact. He palmed her right breast and his thumb stroked over her tightened nipple.

She moaned into his mouth from the blissful feeling and opened her legs to give him more room. Eli looked into her crystal blue eyes and then pulled back to look at her body. He didn't know if it was because the rain had left her cool and damp or because it had been so long but Clare Edwards had never looked so breathtaking before this moment.

He groaned as her pushed into her, the sensation being one he had thought about often while at school. His body hovered over hers and he began thrusting slowly. It had been almost 3 months since they had made love and she knew she would probably be a little sore later. She wove her hands under his arms and around his shoulders, pulling him closer.

His pace quickened and he pressed himself deeper inside her. She broke away from his mouth and tossed her head to the side, reveling in that old feeling of being with him in this way. Her hips met with his over and over, creating the perfect friction for her.

"Eli, oh…mmhmm."

He pushed himself up so he could have more leverage and began thrusting harder, producing an almost blinding pleasure. Her legs wrapped around his body taking her hips off the bed. He continued thrusting into her, one hand reaching under her small frame, pulling her body against his own. She was writhing under him and knew she would be there soon.

"I am almost there Eli do-don't stop," she said breathlessly.

He always liked how vocal she got when they had sex and he smiled realizing how much he missed her sex ridden voice. He slowed down only slightly and pushed into her hard causing her to bite her lip. God he loved when she did that. Her walls tightened around his pulsing member and she convulsed in absolute pleasure. She chanted his name as she road out her orgasm and he soon released inside her with a throaty moan of her name.

He moved so they were lying next to each other, her resting on his chest and he kissed her forehead.

"I like your bedroom. I don't plan on leaving it anytime soon," he purred into her post coital curls. "After a cup of hot chocolate I will be ready for act two if you are up for that?"

"Hot chocolate? And I thought you were a big college man now…" She tilted her head up at him giving him a small smirk. He acted hurt but then kissed her slowly once more,

"Already giving me a hard time so soon after I just blew your mind sexually?"

Clare rolled her eyes at him but had no time to rebut before he hopped off the bed and dragged her downstairs with him.

A/N Was that okay? Did it give you those eclare feelings? I hope so. Let me know.