Inspired by Yiruma's Kiss The Rain
Note: I highly recommend that you listen to the song while reading this chapter for a better experience, but I also respect if you chose not to.
Makoto sat on the bay window in his living room, wearing a long-sleeved shirt, sweatpants, and socks. He was holding a mug full of hot chocolate in his hands, its steam swirling up, making intricate patterns which faded into thin air. It was a gloomy, Saturday morning. Another day to spend alone, another time to reminisce of a love that had been.
He watched as the leaves outside the garden dance as drops of water pelts it, as if thanking the heaven for giving it life. He also watched droplets of rain converge into tiny, ever-shifting rivers on the glass of the window. He set his mug aside in front of him, then sat back on the window and wrapped his arms around his knees, hugging it close to his chest. The air within the apartment brought a shiver to his skin, the cold a glaring reminder of his loneliness, and that he chose to be that way.
He closed his eyes as he listened to the sound of the rain falling on the rooftop. The white noise lulled him into quiet meditation. It was during times like these that bittersweet memories that he had made with Sousuke start playing his mind.
The first memory was the day he got to know Sousuke well. It was also raining on that day, he recalled with a faint smile. Just when he was about to walk away from the convenience store, someone familiar wearing a white uniform ran for cover under the awning of the store. He brushed the water off of his hair and uniform and was as surprised as Makoto when their eyes met. It was unusual to find Sousuke on that side of the town. It was far from his dormitory, Makoto figured that Sousuke would have to take the train back. Makoto offered to walk Sousuke to the train station since the rain showed no sign of letting up. Though hesitating, Sousuke accepted his offer.
They had gotten to know each other better after that event. First, they exchanged numbers and text messages, which lead to them calling each other late at night when everybody else was already asleep. They would then find an excuse of seeking each other during joint practices, exchanging lingering gazes and shy smiles. Eventually, they realized that there was no point in denying the fact that they do feel something for each other.
Makoto fondly remembers their first date. He thought it was ruined by a downpour; they both did not check the weather forecast as they were too excited to bother. They weren't able to go to the places they planned to go to. So they spent the day in a café, drinking coffee while talking about anything and everything under the sun. The scent of roasted coffee beans, the sound of Sousuke's laughter, and the hint of blush on Sousuke's cheek whenever their eyes accidentally meet were memories carefully cataloged in Makoto's heart and mind. Though the rain eventually stopped, they were too enamored with each other to notice.
It was then that Makoto learned how to love the rain.
The rain poured down lightly on the first night he invited Sousuke over to his apartment in Tokyo. Having his own place, the freedom to do what he wants to, all this added up to Makoto's excitement for the new experience. He wants Sousuke to be a part of this new chapter in his life, and Sousuke promised that he would be.
It was also the first time they that made love, the steady pattering of the rain drowned the sounds of their quiet moans. As they lie still in each other's arms, willing their racing hearts and basking in the warmth that their body emitted, they talked about their plans for the future. It was a night filled with hopes and dreams; of the future they had started building with and around each other. It was so easy to dream with Sousuke. When he closed his eyes as sleep slowly crept up on him, he could see himself standing beside Sousuke, with a little home which they bought with their savings working as coaches in Iwatobi, and possibly a child or two running to greet them. Makoto slept with a smile on his face.
The rain poured hard and relentlessly when they had their worst argument. Sousuke suddenly accepted an offer to train athletes in Tokyo, leaving Makoto heartbroken. Sousuke was angry at Makoto for not having an ambition, for Tokyo had so much to offer someone so accomplished. Makoto was angry at Sousuke for breaking his promise. All he wanted was a simple life with Sousuke in the small town, living a dream that seems so distant now. Sousuke left the apartment, slamming the door behind him, not bothering to carry an umbrella.
The day after their fight, Rin came by to pick up Sousuke's belongings. Makoto never saw Sousuke again.
For many nights, it seemed that the heavens had cried with him. The soft pitter-patter of the rain engulfed his anguished sobs. He also blamed the drops of rain that strays from his window into his bedroom for the dampness on his pillow, which seems to happen every night.
It was then that he started hating the rain
Now after 3 years, Makoto was back in Iwatobi, fulfilling a dream the two of them built on his own.
He stepped out of the house and stood under the rain, letting the cool drops wash the hot tears from his eyes. He looked down and cupped his hands together, watching and hoping that the rain would fill his hollow heart in the same way it filled his hands.
As he looked up in the gray sky, he wonders, is it raining where Sousuke is? Did he run for cover to wait for the rain to weaken? Does he have an umbrella? Was it possible that at that very moment, Sousuke was also standing under the rain, looking up at the same sky? Would he be standing alone, or sharing an umbrella with someone new? Someone whom he now shares his new hopes and dreams?
Just like the rain, people come, people stay. It's funny how it's only the rain that never goes away.