Elena woke to the soft patter of rain against her window. The sky was a dull gray, heavy with clouds that seemed to stretch endlessly. She watched the droplets snake down the glass, blurring the view of the street below. Boston mornings were rarely this somber, but today it felt fitting.
Her phone buzzed, breaking the silence. It was a message from Drew.
Still on for today?
A smile crept onto her lips.
Wouldn't miss it for the world. Pick me up at noon?
His reply was instant.
Perfect. Dress warm, it's going to be chilly.
She tossed her phone onto the bed and stretched, feeling the tightness in her shoulders ease. Today felt promising. The weight of their confessions still lingered, but it had brought them closer. Stronger. She felt it in the way he held her gaze, unflinching and honest.
He had trusted her with his scars, and in return, she trusted him with hers—even the ones she hadn't yet spoken aloud.
---
By noon, the rain had thickened to a steady drizzle. Elena wrapped herself in a soft beige sweater and slipped into her ankle boots, the kind that clicked softly against the pavement. She braided her hair loosely, pulling a wool cap snug over her head.
Drew's car was parked just outside her building, droplets beading along the windshield. He was leaning against the hood, hands shoved deep into his jacket pockets, head tilted back to feel the rain.
When she stepped out, his gaze snapped to her, and the smile that followed was instant. "You look like a winter morning," he said, voice low.
"And you look like you're freezing," she shot back, laughing as she approached him.
He shrugged. "I was waiting for the main attraction."
She rolled her eyes. "Let's go before you turn into a snowman."
---
They drove in comfortable silence, the rain tapping out a gentle rhythm against the roof. The city faded into winding roads, then open fields slick with rain. Elena watched as trees blurred by, their branches reaching skyward like tangled fingers.
"Where are we going?" she asked, curiosity bright in her eyes.
Drew's grip on the wheel tightened just slightly. "Somewhere I used to go when I needed to think."
"Think about what?"
He paused, eyes never leaving the road. "About everything. About my dad. About what I wanted to become. Sometimes… about you."
Her cheeks flushed. "Me?"
He nodded. "Even before we got close. I'd see you at the café sometimes, sketching away, and I'd think… how does someone make silence look beautiful?"
Elena's breath caught in her throat. She turned to the window, hiding her smile. "I had no idea."
"That's because I was good at hiding it."
She watched the rain streak across the glass. "I'm glad you stopped."
"Me too," he said, voice soft.
---
They arrived at the edge of a lake, its waters rippling gently under the rain. Tall pines flanked its edges, their roots dipping into the earth as if seeking comfort. Drew pulled the car to a stop and turned off the engine.
"This is beautiful," she whispered, staring out at the vast expanse of water, mist curling off its surface.
"I used to come here a lot," he admitted, his gaze fixed on the lake. "Especially when things got… hard."
Elena unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out, the cold biting at her cheeks. Drew followed, walking around to meet her by the shoreline. The water lapped quietly at the muddy edge, its surface broken only by the occasional drop of rain.
"I used to think this place was magic," he continued, voice soft. "Like it could wash everything away if you just stayed long enough."
"Did it?" she asked, glancing up at him.
He shook his head. "No. But it helped me breathe. Sometimes that's enough."
They stood there for a long time, the rain falling steadily around them, the lake stretching endlessly into the horizon.
---
They found shelter under the canopy of a pine, its branches thick enough to shield them from the worst of the rain. Drew shrugged off his jacket, laying it across a low-hanging branch, and gestured for her to sit.
"You didn't tell me we were going camping," Elena joked, perching on the makeshift seat.
Drew grinned. "Roughing it out with style." He sat beside her, his hands clasped together. For a moment, they just listened—the rain, the wind, the rustling of leaves.
"Tell me something real," she said suddenly.
He raised a brow. "Something real?"
She nodded. "Something you haven't told me before."
Drew leaned back, exhaling slowly. "Okay… when I was eight, I tried to run away."
Elena's eyes widened. "What? Why?"
He chuckled. "Because my mom wouldn't let me have ice cream before dinner. I packed a backpack with two comic books, an apple, and my cat."
"Your cat?"
"Yeah. Lasted about two hours before I got hungry and came back. My mom had locked the door, so I just sat on the porch and sulked. The cat didn't last ten minutes."
Elena laughed, the sound echoing through the trees. "That's adorable. Poor cat."
"She never forgave me," Drew replied, grinning. "Avoided me for weeks."
Elena looked at him then, her eyes softening. "I like when you talk about your past. It feels like you're sharing pieces of you."
"That's the idea," he said quietly. "I want you to have all of them."
Her smile faltered just slightly. "Even the sharp ones?"
He reached for her hand, threading his fingers through hers. "Especially those."
Her heart twisted, warm and aching. She looked down at their joined hands, feeling the weight of his sincerity. "I've never felt this safe before," she whispered.
Drew's gaze softened. "Me neither."
---
They sat in silence, the rain softening to a drizzle, the lake stretching out before them like a mirror. Time felt still, suspended in the quiet space between heartbeats.
And in that stillness, Elena felt it—a whisper of fear. Not of losing him, but of never getting the chance to tell him everything she held back. The secrets that she had buried beneath her smiles and laughter. The ones that sometimes crept into her dreams, stealing away her breath.
But not today.
Today was for breathing. For living in this moment, unburdened and whole.