The day had already been bad. Of those who sucked his energy to the bone.

Surprise test, grumpy teacher, group work that you ended up doing alone... and, to top it off, you were still stuck at school until later because of a useless meeting. All you wanted now was your bed.

But the universe seemed determined to test you.

The rain started as a warning - a few strong drops on the glass of the school door - and, in minutes, it turned into a solid, noisy, impenetrable curtain. You could barely run to the awning of a small shop before getting completely soaked.

His cell phone blinked one last time before delivering the spirit: 1%... 0%... erased.

Perfect.

Simply perfect.

You took a deep breath, biting the inside of your cheek to scare away the urge to cry. His only options were:

Wait - and maybe sleep there, because that storm seemed endless.

Running in the rain - and getting home looking like a wounded chick.

Great. It even makes me want to laugh.

That's when you heard the deep rumble of an engine stopping exactly on the curb in front of you. The headlight lit up the awning where you were and the car reduced it, pulling down.

Your heart skipped a beat when you recognized the model.

When he saw who was behind the wheel, then...

Johnny Kavanagh

The captain of the rugby team.

Your biology lab partner.

Educated, fun, kind... and handsome in a way that sometimes distracted you to the point that you even missed the pipette.

But never - never - you would imagine that he would stop there. For you.

His glass went down and his face wet by the rain appeared, molded by the yellow light of the pole. The dark hair was messy, the black T-shirt sticking to the wide chest.

"Hey, princess..."

The voice came out deep, low, a little muffled by the rain drum.

Johnny leaned his body to the passenger side.

"Get in the car."

You blinked.

Was he talking to you?

With you?

The cold gave you a push of reality and you ended up running to the car before he changed his mind. As soon as you entered, the heat of the heated benches enveloped you in such a welcoming wave that it almost made your eyes fill with tears. The car smelled like him: mint, softener and a woody and soft thing, like a clean coat stored in the closet.

You barely closed the door and he was already turning around, pulling something in the back seat - a gray sweatshirt, huge, comfortable.

His sweatshirt.

"Get it." He extended it to you without hesitation. "You'll get the flu if you stay like this."

"Thank you... it's just water..." you murmured, even while you were already holding the warm and soft fabric.

Johnny arched an eyebrow, that crooked smile appearing on the corner of his lip.

"Ahem. And I'm the pope."

He pushed the sweatshirt closer to you. "Dress it, princess."

You put it on. And his smell got even stronger, enveloping you like a hug. The sweatshirt was too big on his shoulders, falling almost to the middle of his thigh.

Johnny watched you a few seconds longer than usual.

And gave that wink - the one that has probably already conquered half of the school.

"I can't risk losing the best laboratory partnership I've ever had."

The engine purred when he started. The rain hitting the glass created a soft soundtrack. The cabin was warm, comfortable, protected from the world outside.

You said your address. He repeated, just to make sure, and then turned the direction, attentive, his jaw marked under the light of the poles.

And, for the first time in the whole day... You felt the tension in your shoulders relieve. The night finally seemed to want to collaborate. The rain kept plummeting, but inside the car, it was as if everything was silently improving.

Because of the heated seats. Because of the sweatshirt. Because of him.

Because of Johnny driving with one hand, the other supported near the gear, always casting a quick look at you as if you were - discreetly - worried.

The storm outside was just a backdrop now.

The real storm was inside the car.