Chapter 1 – When the Sky Fell in Cups of Tea
(It is possible for the wrong storm to bring about the right stranger.)
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It wasn't raining that evening.
It attacked.
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It fell in heavy, sideways sheets, flooding the gutters, blurring the headlights, and causing every conversation to have to be made into a shout. The odour of wet dust combined with the metallic smell of the storm and the sky seemed as if it might actually split open.
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Aarav wasn't meant to be there at all; he had taken a wrong turn and as a result his bicycle was now making a hissing sound from the water. In front of him he saw a roadside café that was only half built — it had a tin roof, four concrete pillars and the plastic sheets were flapping violently in the wind — so he turned in to take cover.
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It was then that he spotted her.
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She leaned against one of the pillars, her black jacket wet through, her hair stuck to her cheeks, her fingers holding a paper cup of tea with steam rising and disappearing in the cold air.
She looked at him for less than a second, with a quick glance that was almost an evaluation, before turning back to stare at the rain as if he were just another wet and annoying feature of the landscape.
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She said flatly that you looked as if you could use it, then took a second cup from the ledge next to her and held it out without taking her eyes off the street.
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Aarav accepted it, his eyebrows raised. "Thank you... Do you always give tea to strangers?"
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"No," she said, still not turning to look at him "the vendor didn't have any change, so from now on you'll be the one who disposes of my cup."
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He smirked. “Lucky me.”
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She finally turned her head a little way and gave him a small, nearly sarcastic smile. "Not really, it's not very good."
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For a moment they remained in silence, the sound of the rain beating against the tin roof above them. Aarav had a sip — it was stronger than he had anticipated, nearly bitter. He thought about whether she was the kind of person who drank her tea without sugar.
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"Doesn't it often happen like this?" she asked suddenly, looking at the helmet that he had placed on a ledge.
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"Not quite. I was caught by surprise."
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She gave a weak and rather disinterested nod. "That's what happens if you don't look at the sky before getting out of the house."
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Aarav chuckled and asked, "And what about you? What's your reason for being here?"
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She shrugged. "I like the rain."
It sounded more like a statement intended to close the conversation than like an admission.
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A further flash of lightning flashed onto her face for a moment, highlighting her sharp features, her tired eyes, and a suggestion of something distant. After that she resumed watching the storm as though she had never noticed his presence.
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He didn't know her name and she obviously didn't want to know his.
In her there was something which caused him to believe that their paths would meet again not for the last time.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJksdN8EBRQ
and then Add to home screen.