The rain had soaked through everything — my clothes, my soul. I could barely feel my fingers. Cars moved past , their headlights blinding for an instant, then disappearing into the dark.
One slowed down.
Reversed.
I held my breath.
It stopped directly in front of , engine humming. I stared as the door swung open.
Levi?
He stepped out holding an umbrella, his shirt already damp, his brows pulled together like the sight of was painful to him.
He walked over without saying a thing, holding the umbrella above my head.
"What are you doing here, looking all..." He trailed off. "What happened?"
I didn’t know.
I didn’t know why the tears were coming from my eyes.
But they were.
And he didn’t flinch. He bent down until he could wrap his strong arms around , pulling into a hug as if it did not matter that I was soaked, shaking and broken. "Hey, hey," he murmured, his voice soft, a low rumble against my ear.
He gently pulled tighter, wrapping in a shelter of his arms and the umbrella he curiously held up with one hand. "It’s okay. You’re okay."
His warmth, even though he is wet, felt like a shock to my system.
"It’s okay," he whispered. "I won’t ask. Just cry if you need to."
And so I did.
I cried until my throat ached, hoarse, raspy noises swallowed by the rhythmic pounding of the rain beating against the roof of the shelter.And Levi held steady through it, his grip firm but gentle, his hand on my back rubbing slow, steady circles.
The sll of him, though damp, was clean and grounding. He didn’t say anything else, just let fall apart against him. He held the weight of my wet clothes and my broken sobs.
The crying finally died down, and I was left with shaky breaths and a few gasps. I pulled back, resting my head on his chest for just a mont, feeling completely worn out. The cold air hit again as I finally lifted my head, using the back of my wet hand to wipe my face.
"I’m... I’m sorry," I mumbled, my voice all thick and raspy. "I got you so wet."
He smiled faintly, a sad kind of smile that reached his eyes despite the rain. "Don’t worry about that," he said, still the low, soothing rumble it had been from the beginning. "It’s just rain."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, wrinkled and slightly damp handkerchief. "Here," he said, handing it to . "Dry your face."
I took it. It was a small comfort to offer given the circumstances.
Levi didn’t press. He tucked the umbrella handle more securely in his grip and crouched down a little, his eyes scanning with an intensity that was not judgntal, only concerned. "You’re freezing It was a statent, not a question. He stood back up. "Let’s get you out of this rain. My car’s right here."
I hesitated. Going with Levi... after everything that happened to today... it felt complicated. But then the cold bit deeper, a sharp, painful ache in my bones, and the thought of staying out here alone, shivering at a bus stop, was a terror of its own.
"Co on," He said gently, extending his free hand to .
"Okay," I whispered, barely audible over the rain.
Taking his hand felt like stepping out of the storm and into solid ground. His fingers were warm despite the dampness, a lifeline. I pushed myself up from the cold bench, my legs stiff and protesting.
He held the umbrella above , covering as best he could as I stumbled through the flimsy protection of the shelter and walked toward the car that was waiting.
He opened the passenger door, the do light invitingly warm.
"Get in," he said gently, holding the umbrella high to shield as I awkwardly navigated my freezing, stiff limbs and impractical heels into the seat.
The air in the car felt like a physical comfort. It wasn’t warm yet, but it wasn’t the biting, relentless frost of the storm. He got the door closed quickly, jogged around back to his side of the car, shook off the umbrella quickly, folded it, and threw it in the backseat.
He got in, the air in the small space instantly feeling warr and more intimate. He didn’t start the car right away but just sat there for a second and looked at again.
"You’re soaked through," he said and reached his hand towards the dashboard, fingers grazing a knob. "Let get the heat on."
The vents whirred to life blowing cool air at first then eventually warming up. I bent forward and started trembling uncontrollably once the rain was no longer a threat, feeling the dampness of my cloth sticking uncomfortably to . It was heavy, miserable.
"Here," said Levi pulling a sweatshirt from the back. A soft, thick fleece. "Not much, but dry. Take that wet blouse off." He didn’t even look at and only kept his eyes on the road as he pulled away, going smoothly back the way he ca.
I hesitated for a second and then fumbled with the buttons of my drenched blouse. My fingers were clumsy, stiff with cold. "I... thank you," I mumbled saying as I pulled the wet fabric from my skin.
He just nodded, still looking worried yet patient.
"Just put your wet cloth on the floor," Levi said. "It won’t hurt anything."
I dropped the heavy, damp cloth onto the mat, the sound a soft thud. The cool air hit my damp skin for a second before I pulled the warm sweatshirt over my head. It engulfed , slling faintly of his cologne and sothing clean and outdoorsy. It was oversized and fell beneath my hips, blessed comfort.
He looked at finally with a slight, sympathetic smile. "Better?"
I nodded, burying my cold hands into the deep pocket of the hoodie. "Much. Thank you, Levi. I... I don’t know what I would have done."
"You were at the bus stop," he said, turning the key in the ignition this ti. It purred to life when the engine turned over. The heat was blowing warr now, constant and steady. "Just lucky timing, I guess. I was heading back this way."
"Why were you heading this way?" I asked, imdiately regretting it, feeling it sounded demanding.
He shrugged and put the car in drive. "Had to pick sothing up. Nothing big." He glanced at again. "You don’t have to talk about it, you know. Whatever happened. We can just get you sowhere warm and dry."
The car slowly started moving down the road, with the tires hissing over the wet asphalt. The rain was still pounding outside, but here, inside his car, it was like a different world. Safe. Warm.
"You hungry?" Levi asked after a few monts, his voice soft and gentle, breaking the silence calmly. "I think I’ve a couple of granola bars tucked away in the glove compartnt."
I shook my head mutely. The thought of food made my stomach clench.
"Okay," he said simply. "Just let know."
He drove, focused, occasionally glancing at with that sa concerned frown.
"You’re a bit far from ho," he suddenly said gently, eyes still on the road. "And it’s late. Traffic’s a ss this side of town."
I didn’t say anything. I didn’t have the energy to.
He glanced at once, then back at the windshield.
"There’s a decent hotel not far from here. I was planning to stay the night," he said. His voice was low, careful. "You can too. Just for the night."
I turned my head to the window, watching the rain splatter against the world outside just a blur of blurred shapes, just like the chaotic thoughts racing through my head. Levi was right; I was far from ho and the night felt a little heavy with uncertainty.
I nodded, quietly. "Okay," I said, barely a whisper. It felt more like surrender than acceptance.
For the first ti that day, I felt warm.
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