Chapter 22 — The Day the Rain Didn’t Stop

  It was raining the kind of rain that made the world look softer than it really was.

  Gray clouds pressed low against the sky. Water streamed down classroom windows in uneven lines, blurring the outside world into streaks of silver.

  For everyone else, it was just another rainy school day.

  For Noah, it was anything but ordinary.

  He hadn’t slept properly.

  He had gone over the plan again and again in his head — every word he would say, every reaction he imagined, every possible disaster he tried to prepare for. He and Anaya had spent the previous afternoon arranging everything carefully. Chocolates. Flowers. A small teddy bear. Even the timing had been calculated.

  It had to be perfect.

  It had to be worth the risk.

  When Luca and Anaya walked into the classroom that morning, they were laughing at something stupid — something Luca had probably said. Their laughter was light, unguarded, familiar.

  Noah watched them enter.

  Anvi was already sitting beside him.

  He raised his hand dramatically, exaggerating the motion like always.

  Luca immediately mirrored him with equal drama.

  They both grinned.

  For a moment, everything felt normal.

  Safe.

  But under that surface, tension coiled tightly in Noah’s chest.

  Anaya took her seat, and for a split second, their eyes met.

  A small nod.

  Another.

  Tiny signals no one else would understand.

  Except Luca noticed.

  So did Anvi.

  They didn’t say anything — but the rhythm of the group felt slightly off, like a song played just half a beat too fast.

  After a few minutes of forced normal conversation, Noah suddenly stood.

  “Anaya, can you come outside for a minute?”

  All four of them instinctively rose.

  Noah’s jaw tightened.

  “I said Anaya,” he snapped. “Don’t you guys hear properly?”

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  The room went still.

  Luca blinked.

  He gave a hesitant smile, unsure if this was a joke. “Why not us?”

  Noah’s voice lost all warmth.

  “It’s none of your business. Don’t get involved.”

  The words landed heavier than intended.

  For a second — maybe two — nobody moved.

  Luca felt something unfamiliar twist inside his chest. Not anger. Not yet. Just confusion.

  Noah had never spoken like that before.

  Outside, thunder rumbled low across the sky.

  Rain intensified, slamming harder against the windows.

  In the corridor, Anaya grabbed Noah’s wrist the moment they were alone.

  “What was that?” she demanded, keeping her voice low but sharp. “Why did you talk to them like that?”

  Noah exhaled shakily.

  “I didn’t mean to. I just… I panicked.”

  “You didn’t panic. You attacked.”

  He ran a hand through his hair, pacing once. “I didn’t want them interfering. We worked so hard yesterday. If they guessed anything—”

  “They wouldn’t,” she cut in. “And even if they did, that doesn’t give you the right to hurt them.”

  He looked down.

  Guilt crept in quickly.

  “I’ll apologize,” he said quietly. “I promise.”

  Anaya studied him for a moment. His hands were trembling slightly.

  “You’re that nervous?” she asked.

  He gave a small laugh. “Terrified.”

  She softened a little.

  “So tell me,” she said, folding her arms. “How are you planning to confess? Because yelling clearly isn’t working.”

  He groaned. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

  “For someone who planned this for a week?”

  “That was different. Planning is easy. Saying it isn’t.”

  Anaya sighed dramatically. “You’re hopeless.”

  “Help me.”

  There was no pride in his voice. Just honesty.

  She shook her head, but there was a faint smile at the corner of her lips.

  “Fine. You’ll apologize. Then invite all of us to NHR Mall. Say it’s a treat.”

  “A treat? Why would I—”

  “Because,” she interrupted patiently, “you want Anvi, right?”

  Noah nodded.

  “Then follow the plan.”

  He saluted jokingly. “Yes, ma’am.”

  But even as he said it, something unreadable flickered across her face — something he didn’t notice.

  ---

  When they returned to class, Luca and Anvi were quieter than usual.

  Their laughter earlier had faded into something more cautious.

  Noah walked toward them slowly.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice sincere this time. “I didn’t mean to snap.”

  Luca studied him carefully before placing a hand on his shoulder.

  “It’s fine, bro. Everyone can have a bad day.”

  Anvi nodded. “You don’t have to be cheerful 24/7.”

  Anaya added lightly, “We get it.”

  Noah felt relief flood through him — but the guilt didn’t fully disappear.

  “As an apology,” he continued, forcing enthusiasm back into his tone, “NHR Mall. 4:30. My treat.”

  Anvi’s eyes lit up instantly. She leaned toward Luca and whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear, “Free food. Do not deny”

  Luca laughed. “Alright. We’ll come.”

  The tension dissolved.

  On the outside.

  ---

  The day crawled and rushed at the same time.

  Between classes, between whispered jokes, between the constant tapping of rain against glass, Noah’s heartbeat never fully steadied.

  At lunch, he pulled Anaya aside again.

  “What if she says no?”

  “Then she says no,” Anaya replied calmly.

  “And what if it ruins everything?”

  She looked at him for a long second.

  "everything would be fine” she said quietly.

  “Trust me,” she added.

  And he did.

  ---

  At exactly 4:30, Luca, Anvi, and Anaya stood inside NHR Mall.

  The air smelled faintly of coffee and perfume. The glass entrance doors were streaked with rainwater.

  Noah wasn’t there.

  By 4:45, Anvi was pacing.

  By 4:58, Luca checked his watch for the fourth time.

  “He’s the one who set the time,” Luca muttered.

  Anaya tried to keep her voice steady. “Maybe he’s just running late.”

  Then the doors swung open.

  Noah rushed inside, slightly drenched, hair damp against his forehead. He looked like he had run the entire way.

  In one hand, he held an umbrella.

  In the other — a bouquet of flowers, a box of chocolates, and a small teddy bear wrapped in plastic.

  Anaya’s breath caught.

  Luca frowned.

  Anvi tilted her head in confusion.

  Noah stopped in front of them, breathing heavily.

  “You okay?” Luca asked. “You look like you sprinted.”

  “I’m fine,” Noah said, trying to steady himself.

  Anvi gestured at the items. “So… what’s all that?”

  Noah looked at her.

  Then past her.

  Then at Anaya.

  “This isn’t for all of you,” he said quietly.

  “It’s for someone special.”

  Anaya laughed nervously. “Oh really? And who’s that?”

  Noah stepped forward.

  “For you.”

  The world seemed to freeze.

  “For you, Anaya,” he repeated.

  Her smile disappeared instantly.

  Luca felt something drop inside his chest — something heavy and final.

  Noah moved slowly.

  Then he went down on one knee.

  “I like you,” he said. “I’ve liked you for longer than I should have. And I didn’t know how to say it. I didn’t want to lose what we have. But I can’t pretend anymore.”

  Rain hammered violently against the glass behind them.

  Lightning flashed, briefly illuminating their stunned faces.

  Anvi stood speechless.

  Anaya couldn’t breathe.

  And Luca—

  Luca didn’t move.

  His thoughts blurred into static.

  He remembered every laugh.

  Every time she hit his arm playfully.

  Every time she waited for him after class.

  Had he imagined it all?

  Had he been blind?

  Or was he just too late?

  His heartbeat thundered in his ears, louder than the storm outside.

  Noah’s words echoed.

  “I like you.”

  Three simple words.

  And everything shifted.

  Noah remained there, one knee on the cold marble floor, flowers slightly trembling in his hand.

  Anaya stared at him, her mind racing, memories colliding, confusion crashing against something she wasn’t ready to name.

  Luca felt something he had never felt before.

  But he didn’t speak.

  Didn’t shout.

  Didn’t interfere.

  He just stood there.

  Silent.

  The rain didn’t stop.

  And for the first time—

  It felt cold.