Love Tastes Like Rain

I opened the front door to my small apartment early on a Sunday morning, reaching into my metal letterbox to get the mail. I nodded at Mr. Jenkins across the hall before turning back inside and closing the door behind me. Tossing the mail on the small coffee table in my living room, I collapsed on the cough, my face pressing into an old pillow. I lay there for a good few minutes, fighting to stay awake. When my vision was clear and I was no longer half asleep, I sat up again and started sifting through my mail. Catalog, junk mail, junk mail, junk mail, bill, bill, junk mail, catalog, coupon… I sighed and threw it back on the table, massaging my temples. I leaned forward and rested on my knees, staring at the floor.

Light glinted off of something on the floor, catching my attention. Curious, I reached down and picked it up. My stomach lurched when I saw I was holding a pack of 5 Gum: the Rain flavor. With shaking hands, I opened it up. The overwhelming scent of spearmint filled my lungs, making my eyes water. It felt like I was having a heart attack. Unable to bear it, I let the pack fall through my fingers to the polyester carpet floor. For the next hour, I sat, curled up on the couch, staring at the pack of gum. My mind was at war, fighting back brutal memories threatening to destroy all the hard work I’d done in the past year.

--

I took a pack of gum from my back pocket. It was my favorite: Rain from 5 Gum. I pulled out a piece and popped it in my mouth, closing my eyes with satisfaction. A finger tapped my shoulder, bringing me back down from my short-lived relaxation. I turned around to see Chase standing behind me, grinning. “Can I have a piece?” he asked slyly, flipping his chocolate brown fringe out of his eyes. I nodded and handed him a piece, smiling. I felt my cheeks burning, and my toes curled inside my old Chucks. “I gotta go, but we should hang out some time. I never get to see you anymore,” he suggested. With that, he leaned forward and gave me a close hug, before hurrying off to his car. As I leaned on the brick wall of our school, I felt like I was flying. I had a grin on my face I just couldn’t wipe away. And all I wanted to do was scream, dance, cry, sing, and skip around like a crazy fool. That’s when I decided that Rain was the flavor of love.

--

I looked down in my lap to see wet spots all over my tan legs. Touching my face lightly, I realized I was crying. I buried my face in the pillow and started sobbing uncontrollably. The memories overtook me, and I found myself being suffocated by bittersweet nostalgia. Gradually, I regained my composure and sat up, taking deep breaths. I once again reached for the gum, clenching my jaw. I pulled out a green foil-covered piece of gum and slowly unwrapped it. Taking another deep breath, I put it in my mouth and started to chew. As the powerful flavor took over my senses, I felt a wave of nausea hit me hard. I spit the gum out in the wrapper, shaking my head. “It was worth a shot,” I nodded to myself.

I picked up the pack and walked to the kitchen, preparing to through it away. I heard a piece of paper fall behind me, and turned around. A folded Post-It note lay behind me, having fallen out of the gum pack. I bent down and opened it, quickly reading the scrawled words. Town commons. Amphitheater. 5 PM. I raised my eyebrows and looked up at the clock. It was 4:30. Swearing under my breath, I ran to my bedroom and exchanged my pajamas for a blue sundress. Slipping my feet into my favorite yellow flats, I pulled my uncombed hair into a messy bun. Grabbing my keys and phone, I made my way to the front door. Pausing, I decided to take the gum as well. I grabbed the pack off the kitchen counter and ran out the front door.

As I walked down the sidewalk, I wondered who had sent the note. And what’s with the gum? I asked myself. My anticipation peaked as I walked into the park, and started making my way to the little amphitheater. I looked around, surprised to see that there was a party. “Hey!” a familiar voice shouted, and Will came running up. Will was my absolute best friend, but right now, I was furious with him. “What the heck are you playing at?” I asked fiercely as he got closer, chucking the pack of gum at his head. He ducked easily, catching it with an agile hand. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Chill. I have a surprise for you,” he said. Before I could protest, he took me by the hand and started dragging me towards a bench. “Sit,” he commanded, tossing the pack of gum on my lap. Confused, but trusting, I sat down and watched as he ran off to God knows where.

I absentmindedly pulled a piece of gum out and put it in my mouth, chewing slowly. “Excuse me, miss,” a voice said from behind me, tapping my shoulder. “Can I have a piece?” I turned around, bewildered. There stood Chase, grinning that grin of his. I stood up and stared at the face I’d dreamed about nearly every day for the past year. “Y-you…wh-what…huh?” I stammered, gulping. Chase walked around the bench and sat down, motioning for me to sit down as well. I joined him, still in a daze. “You wanna dance?” he asked me. I nodded, smiling. He stood up and took my hand in his, leading me out to the group of dancing people. “So how’ve you been?” he asked. I shrugged. “Same, I guess.”

Chase laughed, making my heart melt. “So, what are you here for?” I asked him casually. He smiled down at me. “I moved back here last week,” he told me. It took all my self control to not scream my head off.

“That’s great!” I said. We finished the song in silence, but it was far from awkward. Afterwards, we started walking through the park, away from the party. “I missed you,” he said suddenly. “I know we never really talked…but that’s what made it even worse. Not a day has gone by that I didn’t regret not getting to know you better.” He turned to me, his eyes twinkling. Before I could respond, he leaned forward and kissed me. It was short and sweet, but suddenly, my whole world made sense. “You taste like Rain,” he said softly. We both started laughing, and walked back to the party, hand in hand.