Right as Rain

He didn't look anything like she expected. She had expected to find the boy she had left behind all those years ago: the short, scrawny boy with hair that jutted out at odd angles, with the nose he hadn't quite grown into and his trademark bedroom eyes. But this boy, it was more man really - this man wasn't like anyone she had left behind. He was tall, toned, tan, his nose fit him perfectly, but yet, he still had those bedroom eyes that he always had had. It was really the only was she recognized him. He was walking further down the street and she increased her pace a bit. His long, lean legs were no match for her short ones. It had started to sprinkle a bit, but she didn't have an umbrella. She pulled her lacy white camisole tighter around her body, and decided to call out to him.

"Taylor! Tay!" As she closed the gap between herself and the boy she had grown up with, a car drove through the street, and by the time the car had passed so had he. She sighed and put her arm down and walked into the safety of the nearest building. Natalia was pleasantly surprised to see that it was a warm and cozy cafe. The smell of the roasting coffee and the fresh baked pastries made her feel instantly better. She walked up to the counter and was met at the register by a plump, middle aged woman, with kind eyes.

"What can I get for you, my dear?" Her Canadian accent, barely detectable unless you were looking for it, made her seem even kinder.

Natalia surveyed the menu boards for a few moments before deciding to stick with an old stand-by, "I'll just have a small mocha."

"Not from around here, are you?" She asked as she began to make Natalia's coffee. The rest of the place was empty, the impending rain seemed to have kept the Vancouver crowds at bay.

"How could you tell?"

"You don't have an accent, and you're not prepared for the rain. When you've here in Vancouver, even for a bit, you'll learn to always keep a sweater or an umbrella with you," she topped the drink off with a flourish of whipped cream and handed her the warm cup, "what'll you have to eat?"

"Oh- I don't have much money on me, so I-"

"It's on the house, now just pick anything you'd like out,"

She stared down at the display of freshly baked goods and her eyes settled on a croissant drizzled with chocolate, "I'll have one of the croissants."

The woman took out a plate and carefully placed the croissant upon and passed it over to Natalia.

"Thank you so much," she took her things and sat down at the bar next to the coffee grinders.

"What brings you here?"

"Pardon?"

"I mean, what brings you to Vancouver?"

"Oh," she smiled a little at her own silliness, "I've come looking for a friend. I-I miss him and decided that it was time to see him again."

"He's a special one, eh? You like him then," Natalia's cheeks burned up a bit and she stared down at her croissant intently.

"We've been friends for a long time, practically our whole lives, and I-"

"It's alright, dear. You don't have to explain it to me," she smiled and then turned to wipe down some of the counters, causing a small smile to creep onto Natalia's face as she thought about being with Taylor again.

∞∞∞∞∞

Several days had passed since Natalia had caught the brief glimpses of Taylor. Everywhere she went, she kept her eyes peeled for his tall form, but, Vancouver being a big city, she had little luck. Although she had had left Hudsonville, the town where they both had grown up, simply to find Taylor, she realized her efforts may have been in vain. It had been almost four years since they had seen each other and he probably had no time to spare her. Heck, he probably wouldn't even recognize her. Something had told her to go and seek him out.

For months now she had been dreaming of Taylor, of being with him and telling him how she had felt about him practically their whole lives. Everywhere she seemed to go, she'd see him; except it was never him. After the haunting and the taunting, and being told it was a sign from the heavens by her grandmother, Natalia had called Taylor's parents and asked where he was and set out to find him. Now, it seemed a wasted effort.

Thinking about everything, Natalia sighed as she placed the book she had taken off the shelf, Wuthering Heights, one of her favorites, back on the self, filling the empty gap. Taylor's like Wuthering Heights, she thought, he could fill the gap. The northern Vancouver's Barnes and Noble had little that seemed to hold her interest. She figured the day was about spent and decided to go back to her hotel. As she turned to walk out of the classics sections, she bumped into someone and hit the ground. She groaned a bit and was about to get up when she saw a hand outstretched to help her up. She gladly accepted and was instantly face to face with none other than Taylor Lautner.

"T-taylor!" Natalia almost screamed his name out as he pulled her up to her feet. He looked at her for a second before a confused look crossed his face. Natalia frowned when she realized he didn't remember. Her eyes started to sting a bit, as she felt warmth build up behind her eyes.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" He looked down at the upset girl and she bit her lip and shook her head.

"No, you don't," her voice got a little higher and she started to rush away, "I'm sorry I bumped into you."

Natalia rushed out of the bookstore as she set the tears stream down her face, blending in with the rain. She couldn't believe that her best friend didn't remember her.

∞∞∞∞∞

Natalia decided to stay in Vancouver for the duration of the her plane ticket. She had expected things to go a lot smoother than they did, so she had bought a ticket for three weeks from her arrival. She still had a week to kill. Ever since her accident in the bookstore she had stayed in her hotel room, ordering room service to her heart's delight, and watching mindless television shows.

A few days into her self imposed isolation, there was a knock at her door. She didn't remember ordering any room service, frowned and opened the door, "what?"

"Natalia. I can't it took me this long to recognize you," Taylor had her wrapped up in his arms, Natalia being barely able to breathe.

"Taylor!"

"I thought it was you at the bookstore the other day, but you said you didn't know me! I called your parents and they said you were here and then I realized it was you and boy, it took me forever to track you down, but here I am and here you are!" His words came out in one long breath, as Natalia's face stretched into a huge grin.

"I can't believe you did all that just to find me," she felt the stinging again, but this time, it was a good thing.

"What about you?! You came to Canada just to see me!"

"I-I've been having these weird dreams and stuff and it was like I had to come," she relieved.

"Dreams about what?"

"It's silly, you'll laugh,"

"I'm your best friend...I was at least until I felt-"

"You'll always be my best friend,"

"So you can tell me what you were dreaming about,"

"Do I have to?"

"Yes," he grinned a bit.

"They were about you. And me telling you how I felt about you," her cheeks turned slowly redder and redder.

"And how is that?" Taylor asked and she hesitated a bit. She bit her lip and wondered what to say, "is it like this?"

He leaned down and kissed her softly, on the lips. It was a kiss that held thousands of promises. It was one of those kisses you wait all your life for.

"Yes," she breathed, mind-blown by his kiss, "just like that."

And he kissed her again. And she didn't mind one bit.

Maybe it was just like her grandmother said: a sign from the heavens.

Sometimes going after what you want is the best thing to do.