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It started as a normal day.
Rain clouds lingered low in the sky, heavy and silver, making the world outside look like an old photograph. Ariana walked into school with her hoodie up and her heart doing that thing again—fluttering like it hadn't figured out how to stay calm around him.
Rowan.
She hadn't seen him yet, but she knew she would. And that thought alone was enough to light her chest with a soft, glowing ache.
She hasn't felt like this before ,all of this felt strange to her. Never had she imagined her self crushing on a guy. - - -….—-
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By third period, the rain had turned to a steady downpour, drumming against the windows like nature's own soundtrack. Ariana sat in the computer lab, finishing a chart for their project while Rowan sat beside her, scrolling through online resources.
He leaned in close, his shoulder brushing hers, his voice low in her ear. "Do you ever get tired of being this smart?"
She rolled her eyes, but the corner of her mouth tugged into a smile. "Do you ever get tired of being annoying?"
He grinned. "Nope. I'm great at it."
Their laughter was soft, shared between just the two of them, a private bubble no one else could enter.
But the moment was shattered—by the blaring scream of the fire alarm.
Students jolted to their feet. Teachers started calling orders. Lights flashed red. Panic wasn't quite the word, but there was confusion—voices rising, chairs scraping, bags snatched off the floor.
"Let's go," Rowan said, grabbing her hand without thinking.
Ariana's breath caught—but she didn't pull away.
They followed the flow of students into the hallway, down the stairs, and out through the back exit doors. But the moment they stepped outside, the rain hit them like a wall.
Cold. Loud. Unforgiving.
It was pouring harder than before, soaking them instantly.
"Great," Rowan muttered, pushing his wet hair out of his eyes. "And of course, no umbrellas."
Ariana shivered. Her hoodie clung to her skin, and her shoes squelched against the concrete as they ran toward the far side of the courtyard.
Everyone else was gathering under the front overhang, but they ducked the other way—behind the gym, where the crowd thinned, and the noise dulled. Rowan pulled her under the edge of an old maintenance shed, barely enough space for two.
They were drenched.
Ariana laughed—a breathy, shocked laugh that escaped before she could stop. Rowan looked at her like it was the first time he was really seeing her.
And maybe it was.
Her hair was wet, sticking to her cheeks. Her hoodie darkened from the rain, her cheeks flushed with cold. But her eyes… her eyes were bright, and her smile was real, and she looked alive.
"You're laughing," he said, amazed.
She shrugged, teeth chattering. "It's ridiculous."
He nodded, dripping and breathless. "Kind of is."
Then the moment slowed.
They were inches apart. The sound of the rain softened around them like a secret. His hand reached up—hesitated—then gently tucked a soaked strand of hair behind her ear.
"You have no idea how beautiful you are, do you?" he said.
Ariana's breath caught.
He was looking at her like she was the only thing that mattered in the world. Not just because she was cute, or smart, or quiet. But because she was her.
And before she could respond, before doubt could creep in, before either of them could think—
He kissed her.
Slow. Gentle. Like asking a question.same time expressing all your feelings.The kiss was slow and tender.
And Ariana kissed him back.
Not because she planned to. Not because it was the right moment.
But because she wanted to.
Because something in her had been waiting for this—quietly, desperately, invisibly—until now.
When they finally pulled apart, both blinking, breathless and stunned, Rowan rested his forehead against hers.
"I've wanted to do that since the library," he whispered.
Ariana smiled, cheeks burning.
"Me too," she whispered back.
And just like that, under the storm, hidden behind an old building and soaked to
the bone—they weren't just a project anymore.
They were something else.
Something real.