Chapter 2 — Rainy Day Shelter

The week after Lu Yichen’s transfer passed quietly. He sat by the window every day, head bent over his books, rarely speaking unless a teacher asked him something.

Jiang Rui, however, was anything but quiet.

He was always chatting with classmates, passing notes, helping with decorations for the upcoming autumn festival. But no matter how busy he seemed, his eyes often drifted toward Lu Yichen.

The other boy fascinated him. He was polite, but distant; serious, but never cold in a cruel way. It was as if he’d built invisible walls around himself—not to push people away, but to protect something fragile inside.

Jiang Rui didn’t know why, but he wanted to climb those walls.

That Friday afternoon, dark clouds gathered above the school.

By the time the final bell rang, thunder rolled across the sky.

“Ah, great,” Jiang Rui groaned as he stuffed his books into his bag. “I forgot my umbrella again.”

Most students ran for the gates, umbrellas popping open like flowers. Within minutes, the hallways emptied, and the sound of rain filled the air.

Jiang Rui sighed, leaning against the window. “Guess I’ll wait until it slows down…”

When he turned, he saw Lu Yichen still at his desk, quietly wiping his pen and stacking his notebooks. Not rushing, not worried. Calm as always.

“Hey, you’re not leaving yet?” Jiang Rui asked.

Lu looked up. “It’s raining too hard.”

“Oh, so you forgot your umbrella too?”

“No.” He pointed to the black umbrella leaning against his chair.

Jiang Rui blinked. “Then why—”

“I was waiting,” Lu said simply.

“Waiting? For what?”

Lu looked out the window. “For the rain to get lighter.”

Jiang Rui tilted his head, smiling. “You’re the careful type, huh? I’d already be running through the rain by now.”

Lu didn’t answer, but Jiang Rui could’ve sworn he saw the corners of his mouth twitch—just a little.

Minutes passed. The sound of rain softened from thunder to steady rhythm.

Jiang Rui sighed, slinging his bag over his shoulder. “Okay, I’m going for it. Can’t stay here forever.”

Before he could take a step, Lu’s voice stopped him.

“Wait.”

Jiang Rui turned.

Lu Yichen stood up, umbrella in hand. “We can share.”

Jiang Rui blinked. “What?”

“You don’t have one. It’s fine.”

For a second, Jiang Rui just stared. Then he grinned. “You sure? I walk kinda fast.”

“I’ll keep up,” Lu said.

Outside, the world was wet and gray. Puddles shimmered like mirrors, reflecting the cloudy sky. Lu opened his umbrella—simple, black, and large enough for two if they stood close.

Jiang Rui stepped beside him, the rain drumming softly above.

The distance between them shrank. The scent of rain mixed with the faint smell of soap from Lu’s uniform. Their shoulders brushed slightly as they walked through the school gate.

Jiang Rui laughed quietly. “Wow. You’re actually nice, huh? I thought you didn’t like me.”

Lu looked at him, rainlight flickering in his dark eyes. “I never said that.”

“Then why do you always look like I’m annoying you?”

“I don’t,” Lu said, voice calm. “You just talk too much.”

Jiang Rui gasped, pretending to be offended. “Hey! I’m just trying to make friends.”

Lu didn’t reply, but that tiny, barely-there smile appeared again.

They walked like that for a while—through quiet streets lined with wet trees, puddles rippling under their shoes.

“Do you live far?” Jiang Rui asked.

“Ten minutes,” Lu replied. “And you?”

“Same direction, I think. My house is near the east market.”

Lu nodded slightly. The rain fell softer now, misty and silver under the streetlights.

At a red light, they stopped. Jiang Rui tilted his head up. “You know, I kinda like rain.”

Lu turned to him. “Why?”

“It makes everything feel clean. And quiet. Like… the world’s taking a breath.”

Lu thought about that for a moment. “I don’t like it,” he said softly. “Rain reminds me of leaving.”

Jiang Rui blinked, caught off guard. “Leaving?”

Lu’s eyes stayed on the puddles. “When my parents divorced, it rained for three days straight. I remember because I had to move to my grandmother’s house that week.”

Jiang Rui’s chest tightened. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“It’s fine,” Lu said gently. “It’s been a long time.”

Silence fell between them, but not the awkward kind. The kind that feels heavy with unspoken understanding.

When the light turned green, Jiang Rui walked a little slower than before, careful not to splash water onto Lu’s shoes.

By the time they reached the corner where their paths split, the rain had almost stopped.

“Thanks for sharing,” Jiang Rui said, smiling. “Guess I owe you one.”

Lu handed him the umbrella. “Keep it. You’ll probably forget again next week.”

“Eh? But then what about you?”

“I have another one at home.”

Jiang Rui took the umbrella slowly, touched by the small kindness. “You’re… actually really nice, you know that?”

Lu looked away. “You talk too much.”

Jiang Rui laughed. “That’s just my charm.”

For a moment, Lu’s eyes softened again, something unreadable flickering in them—like the quiet glow of a streetlight after rain.

“See you Monday,” Jiang Rui said, stepping backward toward his street.

Lu hesitated, then nodded. “See you.”

As Jiang Rui turned the corner, he glanced back once more. Lu was still standing there, watching the fading drizzle.

He looked calm, but somehow… less alone than before.

That night, as Jiang Rui sat by his window doing homework, he caught himself smiling. He didn’t know why. Maybe it was the rain still dripping outside. Maybe it was the quiet way Lu had said “we can share.”

At the same time, in another small apartment, Lu Yichen placed his spare umbrella by the door and looked out at the same sky.

The air smelled fresh, washed clean. For the first time in a long while, he didn’t mind the sound of rain.

Somewhere deep in his chest, a tiny warmth stirred—a feeling he didn’t quite understand yet.

But maybe, just maybe… it felt like the beginning of spring.

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