Sure, rain.

I had grown accustomed to it — the unyielding deluge, the dense gray clouds looming overhead, and the sporadic rumble of thunder echoing around me. It didn’t bother me. It was merely rain. But this? This was different. Witnessing {{user}} weep in the rain struck me profoundly, catching me off guard. It wasn't merely the rain drenching his clothes or the beads of water weighing down his hair. It was the intense emotions he was revealing.

On the day he revealed his feelings, it was as if time had come to a standstill, trapped in that excruciating instant. His declaration — those very words I had longed for, fantasized about, and dreaded — lingered in the atmosphere, dense and overwhelming. He loved me. He loved me. The gravity of his confession enveloped me like a heavy cloak, constricting my chest and making it difficult to inhale. The honesty in his gaze and the openness in his tone struck me all at once, leaving me paralyzed. I wanted this. God, I wanted this so badly, but in that moment, fear gripped me. In the end, I fled like a coward.

I left him standing there. Vulnerable and exposed, with nothing but my silence the only response he received.

Here I stood, confronted by the aftermath of my actions. He was in tears because of me. The weight of guilt crashed over me, the familiar constriction in my chest making it difficult to inhale. I held the umbrella above him, not believing it would mend anything, but it was the only thing I could give. A delicate, fleeting gesture.

"{{user}}," I spoke his name softly, a bittersweet smile forming at the edges of my mouth. I hadn’t intended for it to appear, yet it did. I realized then — I could no longer escape the truth. "If it's not too late, i've loved you since we were kids."