Chapter 55: The Heartthrob
Rain finally exhaled deeply after Alexander left, feeling the tension drain from her body. She slumped onto the sofa, overwhelmed by the whirlwind of emotions that had just swept through her apartment.
"Come out now, Clifford. I know you’ve been eavesdropping," she called out, her voice a mix of exhaustion and amusement.
Clifford emerged from his room and settled beside her on the sofa. "So, what’s going on? How come no one told me you got married?" His tone was a mix of concern and frustration. "Something huge must have happened while I was gone."
Rain gave him an awkward smile. "I’m sorry. It all happened so fast. Honestly, I’m still trying to wrap my head around everything. But don’t worry, I can handle it..."
Clifford’s expression grew more serious, his usual light-hearted demeanour replaced with a stern look Rain wasn’t used to seeing. "What happened, Rain?"
Rain blinked, taken aback by his intensity. "Hmm, what’s with that look? Since when did you become this intimidating? You’ve only been away for two months, and now you’re acting like this?" she joked, trying to defuse the tension.
But Clifford didn’t budge. "Did you forget your promise? I let you intervene with my life in exchange for letting me intervene in yours. So, tell me what happened while I was gone."
Rain sighed, realizing she couldn’t avoid the conversation any longer. Clifford had been her friend since high school, someone she had confided in from the moment they met.
Rain still vividly remembered that day—the first time she encountered Clifford on the rooftop. It was an afternoon that had stayed with her, etched in her memory like a scar. She had been just twelve years old, a girl who found solace in the quiet corners of the school building during lunch breaks, trying to steal a few moments of rest from her exhausting routine. But that day, the rooftop wasn’t quiet.