I was so caught up in this surreal moment that I hadn't even noticed when the rain started.

It wasn't until Kim grabbed my hand and yanked me from my seat, forcing me to very unwillingly advert my eyes from him, that I even felt the cool drizzle tickling my suddenly enflamed skin.

And then the downpour started.

I was being pulled through the frantic crowd-some people obviously disappointed, and others laughing good-naturedlly while they ran to their cars-my mind far, far behind me. I felt a sense of emptiness as we manuvered our way through the dispersing crowd, as though I had left my body back at the log, and it was just a ghost of myself that was being drug away from the beach. The rain pelted down from the sky, putting out the magnificent fire in a long, angry hiss, as well as the rest our short night.

A small part of me noted sadly that there wouldn't be any fireworks tonight.

"Do you remember where you parked?" Kim called from underneath the hood of her rain jacket; I made a mental note to start carrying one wherever I went now, as all the locals seem to. She was practically yelling over the howl of the wind, and even then I had to strain to hear her.

"Yeah." I called back, pulling my hand out of her slippery grasp. "I'll see you later!"

She waved back, ducked under Jared's arm, and took off to the other side of the parking lot.

I ran, carefully but quickly, straight up the hill and towards my car. People were laughing loudly and yelling to each other around me, and I was thankful for the passing headlights that lit up the darkness as I searched for the key to my door. I was soaked to the bone now, my dress stuck to my body and my wet hair whipping around my chilled face. Despite the light, I fumbled with the wet metal for several moments, before groaning and looking up into the storm clouds in exhasperation.

Really? I thought to myself as the rain streamed down my face. I needed to keep a grasp on my concentration, but it was hard when that face kept popping into my mind every other second. And the rain storm wasn't making things much better.

I felt the entire back of my body warm up, as if someone had placed a heater directly behind me, and then an oddly calming voice sounded a few inches behind my upturned head.

"Need some help with that?"

I whipped around almost painfully fast, and found myself face to face with the man from my dream.

Only this time, it wasn't a dream. He was here, smiling down at me as if we weren't both being pelted by the angry storm, and offering to help me get into my car. I gave a short laugh at the normality for the situation. He seemed like he wanted to laugh, too, though I was sure that he would think I was crazy if he could see into my mind at that moment.

"Um, yeah, that'd be great." I handed him my car keys without a second thought and moved to the side to let him have at it. He smiled at me before stepping up to the door. He was standing very close to me, at an awkward angle. I noticed that his enormous body was blocking most of the wind and rain that was blowing my way, and I found myself ducking closer to him for more shelter.

He noticed this too, and shrugged out of his black rain coat, handing it to me with an expression I could only take as hopeful.

"Here, it'll keep you warmer. I can't promise that it'll keep you any dryer, though." He was eyeing my dress, looking me up and down for a split second. With any other guy, I would have been put off by the action. But with him, it wasn't creepy; it was more like he was taking me in than checking me out.

"Oh," I took the jacket, still surprised by the blantant kindness of this complete stranger. "Thank you very much."

He was right about it keeping me warm. As soon as I pulled it over my shoulders-it kept sliding off though, because of the size, and the sleeves were way too long for me-I felt as though I had just stepped into a comfortablly warm oven. I stood next to him easily, watching him as he worked.

He was exactly as I had seen him. Although my subconcious had previously blocked him from my memory, the glass had been removed and I could now easily compare the man from my dream to the man standing in the pouring rain to unlock my car for me.

He was huge, towering above my five foot three by a foot and at least a few more inches. Muscles rippled his arms, long and sleak, the rain making them glisten in a way that made my cheeks flame up. The same dark hair and dark eyes I remembered, though even more beautiful now that I was really seeing them this time.

Those eyes met mine suddenly, shimmering with the same emotion I had seen from across the fire. He had worked more quickly than I had for sure, holding the car door opened for me and waiting for me to climb in. I did as I was expected, taking my keys from him in the process. I hesitated with one foot out of the car, a part of me wanting to hold on to this man for a little longer.

"Thank you so much. You really just saved me." I said, my tone joking but my face serious. I felt oddly at ease around this stranger, but something was spiking my attention more than usual.

"I'm happy to be of service. I'm Embry, by the way."

"Allie," I answered him, sticking out a hand. He met mine with one of his, and took it into his massive grasp. The heat of his skin overwhelmed my palm, but I didn't complain. The contact made my heart flutter, and since he made no immediate move to pull away, neither did I.

"I hope to see you around, Allie." Embry tilted his head to the side slightly and furrowed his brows, as if thinking deeply of something. I smiled at his sincere tone.

"I really do, too." I answered back, surprisingly honest. We were still standing, hand in hand, in the unyielding storm, staring at each other with secrets and questions lurking in both our eyes.

There was a small sound, something I hardly heard over the screech of the wind, and suddenly my hand was without its new partner. Embry took a few steps back, seeming unwilling to leave for whatever reason he had to go, before turning completely away and jogging off into the rain.

I stared after him for a second, wondering why he was heading towards the beach rather than his car, before realizing I still had on his jacket.

"Wait!" I called after him, with no avail. He was far gone, just a shadow against the curtain of rain now.

I climbed into my car, and turned on the heater. In this small space free of rain, I could smell the delightfully musky scent lingering on the too-big coat. I smiled to myself. I cranked the car and pulled easily out onto the main road, praying silently to myself that this wasn't just another dream.