The day that I ran into Sean, I was already angry, drenched, and halfway from losing my mind. If I had known that the man I was about to yell at would be the love of my life, I probably would've been a little bit nicer. Or maybe not.
All I knew in that moment was that it was raining, I was late, and someone had just walked straight into me.
The rain had been falling since morning. It was heavy and relentless, the kind that drenched you completely and soaked your mood. Downtown Seattle was a mess. From the honking cars, to the stalled buses, to the people moving up and down with no place to go, a complete blend of chaos formed before my very eyes.
I was late, and I was annoyed. The rain and traffic had ruined my perfectly planned day. The bus crawled past a familiar intersection and I caught a scent I knew too well.
Seriously?
"Why am I smelling his stupid cologne now?" I thought. It had been four months since Markus and I broke up. I was over him. I didn't need reminders, especially not like this.
The bus stopped abruptly. "Last stop. Everyone off," the driver bellowed from the front. Groans followed. A woman snapped at the driver about the rain. He snapped back. Just everyday commuter drama. I shook my head as I stepped into the downpour.
Crossing under the overpass meant puddles that were quickly turning into shallow floods. I clutched my bag tightly, shielding my phone and laptop. I was not dealing with repairs today. For a moment, I considered going home, but the image of my a capella leader's disappointed frown pushed me forward. I ran. At least if Katie saw me panting, maybe she'd take it easy on me.
By the time I had reached campus, my shoes squelched with every step. I flashed my ID at the security guard and hurried inside. The campus was quiet, except for the sound of the rain drumming against rooftops. Faint voices drifted from the auditorium.
Practice had already started. Just great.
I picked up my pace, already rehearsing excuses in my head, I knew wouldn't work. That's when I hit something solid. I stumbled back as my glasses flew off my face, skidding across the pavement. My heart dropped. I blinked uselessly, rain already blurring my vison.
"Oh my God, are you okay?" a voice said. Even without my glasses, I already knew who it was. Sean Adams.
One of the most popular guys in biochem. Student athlete, yet stellar grades, the kind everyone liked. The kind I avoided. He was already crouching, reaching for my glasses. In that moment, soaked, angry, half-blind and late, I snapped.
"You're lucky those didn't break," I said sharply.
His head jerked up. "I'm really sorry, I swear I didn't see you."
"If only you were watching where you were going, or at least, learned how to walk properly, we wouldn't be in this mess now, would we?" I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. The words came out harsher than I meant, but I didn't care.
He stood there, rain dripping down his hair. "Is there any way I can make it up to you?" he asked.
"You could start by leaving me alone." I turned and walked away.
Sean was relentless. He continued following me till I turned back.
"I don't want anything, please, just leave me alone," I said.
"Can I at least get your number?" he pleaded. I stopped, grabbed his phone from his hands and typed it in, and finally shoved it back at him. Anything to make him just disappear. He watched me for a second longer than necessary, like he wanted to say something else. Then he nodded and stepped away.
Later that night, my phone buzzed.
Unknown Number: Hey. It's Sean, from the rain. I just wanted to apologize again.
I rolled my eyes and ignored the message. Another message then followed.
Unknown Number: We're having our end of year party for pre-med majors. You should come.
I scoffed. I had fallen for his type before. Mr. smooth, popular and charming. I paid for it the first time and I was definitely not going to sit down and watch myself royally fuck up again.
Me: Thanks, but I'll pass.
A week later, I stood in a downtown restaurant staring at a girl I could barely recognize. The black dress my best friend, PJ forced on me fit too well. She was right. Ditching my oversized hoodies and vans for a dress that actually hugged me in the right places was a great idea.
A familiar face walked past me. I raised my hand to wave, but he just nodded and continued walking. "Hey," I called out. "It was bad enough that you knocked me over in the rain, and broke my glasses. The least you could do is wave bac k"
Sean turned back abruptly with a shocked expression on his face. "The angry girl from the rain," he said smiling. "You look…, different."
I rolled my eyes. Then, against my will, I smiled back.
We leaned back on the pool table, red solo cups in our hands.
"Wait, so you're telling me that the Sean Adams is actually an introvert?" I laughed. Sean shrugged his arms. "It's the truth. I'm only here because I was coerced to be in the planning committee. I've never really been into stuff like this.
"Interesting," I said, sipping from my cup. Somehow, we ended up being next to each other throughout the party. We laughed at the drunken displays of our classmates, and then at the frat boys losing terribly at beer pong. Minutes turned into hours, and before we knew it, we were already talking about our childhoods.
At one point, he tilted his head and said quietly, "Do you ever feel like you've met someone before… even when you know you haven't?"
"Sometimes," I said, forcing a laugh. "That's just déjà vu." But the way that he looked at me said he didn't believe that.
When the night ended, neither of us wanted to leave. We stood outside as the moon slowly went down and the clouds thinned. Something real settled into us. Something dangerous.
My phone vibrated in my hand. It was a text from my mom
Mom: I just saw a photo on Instagram. Is that Sean Adams with you?
My breath caught. Before I could reply, another message came through.
Mom: You should tell me if you've seen him. There are things you don't remember about that family.
The sunrise suddenly felt cold. For the first time that night I understood. This wasn't a coincidence. Whatever I had just stepped into was already waiting for me.