Torrential Downpour
it's only you, beautiful
She could see him through the peephole: his jade-green eyes staring back at her, damp clumps of blonde hair stuck to his forehead. Now wasn’t the time. Lucy didn’t want to see him right now, and although she was hesitant to let him in, she still couldn’t bring herself to turn him away.
“Hey,” Kendall said as he stepped into the small apartment, water dripping from his hair and clothes. “Hope you don’t mind me just dropping by like this, but I needed to see you.”
“No, it’s fine. Wow, you’re really soaked,” she replied. She took his jacket and hung it up by the door, but she could still see his wet clothes clinging to his skin.
“Yeah, it’s really coming down out there.”
“Would you like some coffee? I just made a fresh pot.” Lucy was already halfway to the kitchen when she asked.
“Sure.”
“Two sugars and a cream?” she called from the kitchen.
“Yeah.”
With two coffee mugs in hand, she took a seat beside him on the sofa. She tucked a loose lock of black hair behind her ear as she turned towards him.
“So…what’s up?”
“Nothing, I just wanted to see you.”
“Kendall, it’s storming outside. If you wanted to talk to me, you could’ve just called me or texted me. You didn’t have to walk over here.”
He didn’t have anything to say.
“Come on, tell me what’s going on?”
“It’s nothing, I’ve just had a long day.” He let out a frustrated sigh.
All Lucy could focus on was how cold and miserable he looked.
“I can throw your clothes in the dryer, if you want?”
At first, Kendall looked as if he was going to refuse. “Actually, that would be great.”
She disappeared into the bathroom, returning with one of her plush bathrobes. As he stripped out of his clothes, Lucy kept her head turned, unable to shake the awkwardness of the situation. The two of them had only been dating for two weeks, they hadn’t even slept together yet. She didn’t want to see him like this.
As she carried his wet clothes to the dryer, she kept catching whiffs of his cologne, buried by the fresh scent of the rain.
“Thanks,” he said as she walked back into the room.
“No problem. How was your day?”
“It was okay. “
“I heard that Jo’s back in town. Have you talked to her yet?”
“Not really. I saw her in the lobby the other day and said hey, but that was it.”
Lucy couldn’t tear her eyes away from the muddy boot prints he’d tracked across her carpet.
“James told me that she came over to your apartment the other day.”
“Mhm, she did.”
“Look Kendall, if you want to be with her, I understand. You guys have like, a history together or whatever, and we only just started dating. If that’s how you feel, I’d rather you just tell me now so that I don’t have to find out later that you were sneaking behind my back or something.”
“Trust me, it’s not like that. Jo came over, she wanted to get back together, but I told her that I didn’t feel that way about her anymore. I meant it, Lucy. We broke up for a reason.”
“You broke up because she left. Now she’s back, and…I can’t compete with that. I’m not going to compete with that. Life’s too short.“
Kendall placed his hand on her knee. “You don’t have to compete with her. I like you. I want to be with you. I know we haven’t been together that long, but I like where things are going.”
She laughed a little to herself, but it was mostly because of her nerves. “I like you, too.”
Lucy placed her hand on top of his, giving it a soft squeeze. She wanted to believe him, and she wanted this to work. She could only hope that had what it took to go the distance.
“Hey,” Kendall said as he stepped into the small apartment, water dripping from his hair and clothes. “Hope you don’t mind me just dropping by like this, but I needed to see you.”
“No, it’s fine. Wow, you’re really soaked,” she replied. She took his jacket and hung it up by the door, but she could still see his wet clothes clinging to his skin.
“Yeah, it’s really coming down out there.”
“Would you like some coffee? I just made a fresh pot.” Lucy was already halfway to the kitchen when she asked.
“Sure.”
“Two sugars and a cream?” she called from the kitchen.
“Yeah.”
With two coffee mugs in hand, she took a seat beside him on the sofa. She tucked a loose lock of black hair behind her ear as she turned towards him.
“So…what’s up?”
“Nothing, I just wanted to see you.”
“Kendall, it’s storming outside. If you wanted to talk to me, you could’ve just called me or texted me. You didn’t have to walk over here.”
He didn’t have anything to say.
“Come on, tell me what’s going on?”
“It’s nothing, I’ve just had a long day.” He let out a frustrated sigh.
All Lucy could focus on was how cold and miserable he looked.
“I can throw your clothes in the dryer, if you want?”
At first, Kendall looked as if he was going to refuse. “Actually, that would be great.”
She disappeared into the bathroom, returning with one of her plush bathrobes. As he stripped out of his clothes, Lucy kept her head turned, unable to shake the awkwardness of the situation. The two of them had only been dating for two weeks, they hadn’t even slept together yet. She didn’t want to see him like this.
As she carried his wet clothes to the dryer, she kept catching whiffs of his cologne, buried by the fresh scent of the rain.
“Thanks,” he said as she walked back into the room.
“No problem. How was your day?”
“It was okay. “
“I heard that Jo’s back in town. Have you talked to her yet?”
“Not really. I saw her in the lobby the other day and said hey, but that was it.”
Lucy couldn’t tear her eyes away from the muddy boot prints he’d tracked across her carpet.
“James told me that she came over to your apartment the other day.”
“Mhm, she did.”
“Look Kendall, if you want to be with her, I understand. You guys have like, a history together or whatever, and we only just started dating. If that’s how you feel, I’d rather you just tell me now so that I don’t have to find out later that you were sneaking behind my back or something.”
“Trust me, it’s not like that. Jo came over, she wanted to get back together, but I told her that I didn’t feel that way about her anymore. I meant it, Lucy. We broke up for a reason.”
“You broke up because she left. Now she’s back, and…I can’t compete with that. I’m not going to compete with that. Life’s too short.“
Kendall placed his hand on her knee. “You don’t have to compete with her. I like you. I want to be with you. I know we haven’t been together that long, but I like where things are going.”
She laughed a little to herself, but it was mostly because of her nerves. “I like you, too.”
Lucy placed her hand on top of his, giving it a soft squeeze. She wanted to believe him, and she wanted this to work. She could only hope that had what it took to go the distance.