The empty streets of St. Canard were dark and stained with rain. Neon lights from the city reflected off the large puddles of water. Love is a sham, Bud always said. It wasn't real. People were too cruel to ever actually love another. It was all a scam, so companies could sell cards and flowers. Make a profit. That's all it was good for.

Yet here he stood in the pouring rain. The cold , freezing rain. A bouquet of sunflowers in his hand and his heart in the other. He pushed through the downpour to see Kimbra. Had to park a few blocks down, but he didn't mind (or so he said).

Because he wanted to see her. He promised. Swore that he wouldn't miss it. When she asked him if he wanted to have dinner with her tonight at her place, he promised to be there.

He could not miss it.

A flash of lightning lit the dark night, startling the businessman.

The weather report promised a day of sunshine and welcoming weather. That turned out to be far from the truth. Dan Gander missed the mark this time, which was on par for the man. He'd say it'd be sunny, but then it would rain all day. Bud didn't know why the guy was still on the air. People usually watched Tom Lockjaw on Channel 3 anyway.

Bud's pace through GraStone Village remained slow as he looked for Kimbra's apartment number. Bland wooden doors lined each side of the hallway. Three large black numbers were on the front of each door. The further he walked, the higher the number.

380

385

His wet shoes squeaked as he walked down the hall. The sound irritated him, but he couldn't do much about it.

390

The grip on the bouquet tightened, as Bud worried what Kimbra's reaction would be to him being soaking wet from head to toe. She wouldn't appreciate him tracking water all over her floor. Maybe she'd make a snarky remark about him being too cheap to buy an umbrella. Or that he didn't have to shower with his clothes on.

395

Almost there.

402

Bud stopped in front of the door. He knocked twice as water dripped from his body and clothes. He wished he had brought an umbrella. By the time he realized the rain wouldn't let up, it was already too late. He had to push through it and hope for the best.

The sound of footsteps approached the door and stopped. A voice on the other side was muttering while fiddling with the lock. The door opened, and Kimbra popped her head out. Her expression started out as joyful, but then turned to horror when she saw how drenched her boyfriend was.

"Bud! You're soaking wet! Come in and let me get you a towel before you catch a cold." The Samoyed swung the door open wider before disappearing into the apartment.

Bud brushed the raindrops from his jacket before stepping in. He shut the door behind him and grimaced at the water getting all over the floor. Thankfully, Kimbra soon emerged from the hallway.

A towel in hand, she took the flowers from the salesman. "Here's a towel. You can leave your coat on the rack."

"Uh…" Bud accepted the towel and began drying his hair. "What about the rest of my clothes, I don't want to ruin your floor or anything."

She thought for a moment. "Take them off."

Bud stopped drying his hair, still holding it against his head. "What?" His posture stiffened, not knowing what Kimbra meant by that.

"Take them off, I have clothes you can wear."

Oh. He swallowed and took a deep breath.

"I doubt that."

She set the flowers down on the small table in front of the couch. "I have one of my brother's old flannel pants and a t-shirt, it'll fit you."

"You just steal their clothes or something?"

"No, Adam comes to visit me often, so he just leaves pajamas here. He's forgetful."

Kimbra excused herself and disappeared into the hallway to one of the rooms.

The hound finally dried most of his hair, which was now a mess. He did his best to comb it out with his fingers, but eventually gave up on fixing it. He glanced at his reflection in a mirror on the wall, seeing how much of a mess he looked.

He wished he hadn't.

"Here they are!" Kimbra called out, stepping out from the hall holding a gray t-shirt and a pair of green flannel pajama bottoms.

Bud took the shirt, inspecting it. "This is a Condors shirt."

"So?"

"Kimbra, I'm not wearing this."

"It's just a shirt."

"It's a Condors shirt!"

"Oh right," she placed a hand on her cheek, as if she had just remembered something. "You're a Jackals fan."

Bud tried giving it back to her. "So we can agree, I can't wear this."

But she refused to take it. "Buddy, you need to get out of that wet shirt. Just wear it. I won't tell anyone."

A pathetic whine escaped his mouth. "I don't want to wear it."

"You can wear them until your shirt and pants dry."

"Fine." It was not said happily.

Bud took off his jacket and hung it on the coat rack. Muttering, he headed for the hall and into the bathroom to change. He had never been in her bathroom before. Part of him wanted to be nosey and look through everything.

Which was wrong.

The salesman shut the bathroom door behind him and slipped out of his wet shirt and pants, and put on the dry ones. He still hated the shirt, but at least it was warm and dry.

His hand reached for the doorknob, but the thought of looking through the bathroom intrigued him. Sure, maybe it was creepy. Maybe it was an invasion of privacy, and Kimbra would possibly punch him in the ribs if she found out.

But as they say, curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.

He opened the mirror over the sink, revealing a small medicine cabinet behind it. It held the usual things you'd find. A toothbrush, toothpaste, small perfumes, vitamins, and other small bottles. Nothing interesting. Bud pulled out one of the bottles, his eyes scanning over the label.

KIMBRA D. WULFE

FLUOXETINE 20MG

TAKE ONE CAPSULE BY MOUTH EVERY DAY

QTY: 30

He rotated the bottle to the back, trying to see what it was for.

MAY CAUSE DROWSINESS.

It gave no other information for what it was, so he shrugged and set it back in its place. He gently closed the cabinet. After a few minutes, he came back into the living room, wearing the shirt and flannel bottoms. He didn't look happy, much like a stubborn child who didn't get his way.

"Aw, you look so cute." Kimbra clasped her hands together, smiling. She made no comment on how long he took, so he assumed she didn't consider he would snoop through her things.

That or she didn't care.

The hound only responded with a grumble as he sat beside her on the couch, resting his arm behind her.

"I made lasagna, by the way," she handed him one of the two plates on the table. This morning on the phone, she pressed that she would be cooking, so he better not eat anything before he came over.

"Thanks," He started to prod at the food with a fork. The earlier mention of Kimbra's brothers kept lingering in his mind. So, he had to ask. "How many brothers do you have again?"

"Four." Kimbra answered, already having eaten half of her food.

She probably stuffed her face while he was in the bathroom. He tried not to smile at the thought. Even if he asked, she'd deny it.

"Please tell me you're the oldest."

She laughed. "No, I'm the baby of the family."

He groaned. "Oh god."

"What?" She continued eating, attempting to speak with a mouthful of lasagna.

"They're going to be terribly overprotective of you."

She swallowed, and let out another laugh. "They are."

"Should I be worried?"

"As long as you don't break my heart or anything, you'll be fine."

He snorted. "Thanks for the reassurance."

"You're welcome."

Bud looked into her eyes. There was something gentle in those deep blue depths. For a moment, he looked as if he wanted to say something more. But he moved the conversation onto something else. They chatted as they finished eating. Mostly about work or how Bud's water bottling company was doing.

Afterwards, he helped Kimbra clean and found a vase to put the flowers in. It was getting late, but he heard the rain still hammering down on the streets of St. Canard. Bud leaned over the kitchen counter, and saw the pouring rain that the wind was driving into the window. It refused to let up, so he might as well be here for a while. Not that he was complaining. He enjoyed Kimbra's company.

Watching a few of the raindrops slowly slide down the glass of the window, he followed Kimbra back to the couch. He sat down, while she lingered close by, glancing at the window and back to Bud.

"You'll probably be here for a bit longer if you're waiting for the rain to stop."

He shrugged. "I don't mind." Which he didn't, it gave him an excuse to stay longer.

That made the corner of the scientist's mouth curl up into a smile. "Want to watch a movie while you wait for that to clear up?"

"Sure."

She grabbed the remote from the table, flicking through the various channels before stopping on a cheesy looking movie. "Oh hey, here's the Attack of the Rabid Earthworm."

"What's it about?"

"A nasty mutated earthworm grows huge and keeps eating people in a small town."

"That sounds so dorky," he draped his arm on the back of the couch.

Kimbra sat close to the hound, cuddling against him. "It is. It's one of those old movies. The kind with bad effects, but I like it. I think they're funny."

Bud smiled, letting his arm slide down to wrap around Kimbra's waist, pulling her closer. She rested her head on his chest, playing with the collar of the Condors t-shirt he still had on. Neither of them were even paying attention to the movie. Bud tried his best, really he did. But all his mind could focus on was how close Kimbra was to him. Her chest pressed against him, rising and falling gently as she breathed. Her small hands continued to play with the collar of the shirt, brushing against his chest.

He gave up on fake watching the movie after several minutes and spoke. "I never really figured you to be this cuddly."

Kimbra looked up at him, and gently traced his face with her fingertips. "It's because you spent the last seven months tormenting me. You were on my bad side. That's why you didn't know I'm really a sweetheart."

Closing his eyes against the gentle touch, Bud replied. "You started it."

"I beg to differ."

"No, no, if I can recall you're the one who was awfully mean to me."

"Because you're a capitalist and stand for everything that I'm against."

He opened his dark eyes, letting out a huff. "I did nothing wrong."

"You hit on me at Ainsley's birthday party."

"I just thought you were pretty."

"I am," her finger trailed down to the corner of his mouth. "But I didn't need to hear it from some sleazy businessman."

She leaned towards him, and Bud thought she was going to kiss him. He even leaned forward to meet her halfway.

But she stood up from his arms.

Kimbra walked over to the window and peered out. "The rain still isn't letting up."

He tried not to let his disappointment show. "Yeah, I guess it's not."

"It's going to be a pain to drive in."

A snort left Bud's mouth. "It will be." He didn't look forward to going back out in that mess. Much less attempt to drive in it.

Kimbra said nothing, watching as a car drove by. It splashed water as it crossed through a large puddle. She couldn't let him go out in that. Sure, he was a grown man. Bud Flud could take care of himself. He could also catch a cold going back out there.

Maybe she was just thinking of any excuse for him to stay just a little longer.

"You could stay the night." She finally asked it quietly and at first wasn't sure that he'd heard, but his slow intake of breath as he pondered the question told her otherwise.

Her tone made Bud's brow arch. "I didn't take you for that kind of girl."

Heat rose in her face. She knew he was only pestering her because he thought it was funny. So, she didn't give him the satisfaction of scolding him. "I'm not insinuating anything. It's just so you don't have to go out in that mess."

All she could hear was the pounding of rain as a reply.

"Come here," he held his arms open, still sitting comfortably on the couch.

She looked back at him, and raised an eyebrow. She almost made the remark that she didn't take him for that kind of guy.

Bud let out a small impatient huff. "We both know I'm irresistible, so come here."

Kimbra just barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes. Yet, she walked over to him anyway.

She then settled herself on his lap, pressing a gentle kiss onto his lips. "You're awful."

His hands rested on her hips. "Awfully wonderful?"

"You have such a massive ego." Arms locked around his neck, she kissed him again. She pulled away for a moment. "Have I told you that I love you?"

Bud wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. "You have. But you can say it again."

"I love you."

"Again," He kissed her a little firmer this time.

"I love you."

"Again."

"Bud," she laughed, moving her face away from his. "I think twice is enough." A light blush slipped over her face.

"I'm never going to get sick of hearing you say it." He pulled her in for another kiss—slower, more tenderly.

The rain fell harder, but they barely noticed.

Kimbra whispered, brushing her lips against his. "You can stay a little longer, at least until your clothes dry."

"I wouldn't wanna be a bother." He said, caressing her cheek with his thumb.

"Trust me, you aren't a bother," she leaned into his hand. "You did all that in the last seven months."

"Cute," he smirked. "Still not letting that go, huh?"

"Never."

"It wasn't that bad."

"Your stupid billboard with your face on it is still outside my office window."

"See? Not bad. You get to see me, even when you're at work."

He thought that would make her mad. That she'd yell at him or kick him out. In fact, a laugh escaped her lips. He still had to get used to their newfound relationship.

She kissed him. "You're so full of yourself."

Heavy rain pelted the glass window panes, still not letting up. There was something peaceful about it.

Bud's hands tangled in her hair as he deepened the kiss.

It wouldn't hurt to stay a little longer.