Jude's legs flew down the four flights of stairs, arriving at the bottom lobby and bursting through the front door of her building onto the sidewalk. The street was quiet and the rain was coming down harder now. But she didn't care. Her eyes immediately raced around the street, turning from one side to the next trying to detect the figure she was looking for.

The thunder sounded above as she walked a little towards one side, hearing the sound of voices. She rushed towards it, but a couple emerged around the corner, holding hands and laughing under an umbrella. She sighed in defeat and then turned around to see someone walking towards the end of her block. She sprinted forward, spotting his brown hair and broad shoulders. As she approached, she reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Tommy—"

But the man turned around to reveal a face she didn't recognize.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were…I'm sorry," she said softly, flustered, and backing away. The man gave her a quick nod and kept walking.

As he walked along, she looked around in panic, the tears starting to fill her eyes once more. It was 3am now as the cars raced by her, standing on the street corner covered in a sheet of rain and feeling a pit in her stomach. Feeling hopeless, she leaned back against a building, running her fingers through her now soaked hair.

Her mind was calling for her to head home, change into something dry, and deal with him in the morning. He had clearly left the area and probably wouldn't even want to talk to her so soon after how they had left things before.

But she couldn't go home. She had to resolve it tonight. She had to find him. Before she lost her courage, she had to find him and tell him. And something told her to keep looking.

She wiped her eyes to glance up and down the street, not seeing a sign of anyone, and began thinking how she could find him. He had mentioned staying with his friend Kevin, but she had no clue where Kevin lived. She didn't even know Kevin's last name. And not having her cell phone on her, she couldn't call him.

With renewed determination, she continued walking. She didn't know where she was going, but she began walking down the street, further away from her apartment, the rain completing soaking her through.

She paused at the streetlight watching the cars race by her and waiting for the light to change. Her eyes drifted around the intersection, wishing to see Tommy standing across the street as he had been months before. But there was no one there. Just an empty sidewalk covered in rain.

The light turned and she crossed the intersection, her eyes cast downwards trying to think of ways to find him. As she stepped foot on the other side of the street, her eyes shifted upwards, suddenly being drawn to a flashing light down the block.

Walking a little closer, she immediately recognized the sign, a blinking yellow light reading, 'Open 24 Hours." Her heart quickened at the realization that this wasn't just any place—it was the diner where she and Tommy had gone after their reunion. It was where they had decided to start over, where she had let him back into her life and where both of their lives had changed.

She slowly walked closer to the sign, seeing shadows and vague reflections of people in the window. She took a deep breath and stepped forward a little more, peering around the corner of the window into the restaurant.

She scanned the faces of the patrons inside, standing so that only half of her body was visible through the glass. She watched a couple in a booth arguing and an older man reading a newspaper at the counter. She saw two students with their laptops and books spread out all over the table. Her eyes fell upon a waitress who rushed a pot of coffee over to the students, refilling their mugs before continuing on towards the back, filling up another mug of coffee for a customer sitting alone in the back booth.

She watched as the patron in the back booth paid no attention to the fresh cup of coffee, not moving from his position as it was refilled. His head hung low against his hands so that his face was not visible, staring down at the white tiled table.

She started to shift her attention away from the man but her eyes suddenly caught sight of something on the other side of his booth—a leather jacket. A black, faded leather jacket. With zippers around the pockets. And frayed edges along the sleeves.

Her mouth gaped open and her eyes widened at the sight of it. She knew that leather jacket anywhere.

It was him. Sitting alone in that booth with his head in his hands, staring at the table.

She couldn't budge at the sight of him. Her breath caught in the back of her throat, watching him shift so that he was holding his head up with one hand and grabbed the fresh cup of coffee with the other. He slid the coffee in front of him and stared blankly into it.

Watching him move, she couldn't help but think that he looked so…sad. Almost…wounded.

He wasn't even drinking his coffee. He was just staring into it vacantly, as though he wanted to dive in and disappear.

The guilt crept up on her, watching as he put a spoon into the mug of coffee and stirred it around aimlessly. It had been her reaction that had made him so depressed. He put everything on the line for her and she had let him walk away.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and stepped away from the window, composing herself. She knew what she had to do. It was her time. Her choice. It was now or never.

So she stepped forward, crossing the window and opening the front door. Feeling the warmth of the diner infiltrate her wet clothes, she nervously stepped foot inside the restaurant.

Hearing her heart pounding loudly in her chest, she quickly wrung out her wet hair before taking another step inside, keeping her eyes focused on his still form towards the back. Wordlessly, she walked through the restaurant, feeling the eyes of the college students and the arguing couple on her, not caring that her wet clothes were tracking throughout the restaurant.

She paused about four feet away from the table, eyeing him closely and bit her lip in nervousness. His head still rested on his hands, staring down. She felt as though her heart could leap out of her chest, but she took another deep breath and slowly, cautiously, took a few steps to approach his table.

Reaching her destination, she quietly picked up his leather jacket and moved it further into the booth, sliding in to take a seat across from him without a sound. She kept her eyes focused on him the whole time, although he didn't budge once or notice her presence in his booth.

She sat still for a moment, until the waitress came over, eyeing her sopping wet hair and dripping sweat pants.

"Can I get you something, honey?" the waitress asked brusquely.

Jude watched as he shifted ever so slightly at the sound of the waitress' voice, coming out of his daze.

Watching as his head gently began to lift, she softly replied, "Just coffee."

At the sound of her words, his head picked up all the way, his eyes meeting hers across the table. His jaw fell open, leaning back to take in the sight of her sitting before him. He stared at her blankly, seeing her soaked clothes and damp hair, rendered speechless at her sudden appearance.

She saw his confusion and kept her eyes focused on his, her lips turning upwards into a small, subtle smile.

"Hi," she said quietly.

Unable to take his eyes off her, Tommy ever so gently replied, "Hi."