Chapter 5: Rainstrom Night

The plastic bag dropped into the trash can and disappeared into the dark with a dull rustle.

The path ahead was washed in tired yellow streetlight. No footsteps. No voices. The night felt thick, almost sticky, like the air itself had weight.

For a long while, neither of them spoke.

Then Evelyn broke the silence.

“Nate… if there’s something you want to say, just say it. I’m listening.”

Noah exhaled and rubbed the back of his neck, trying to untangle the mess in his head.

“Okay… then I’ll say it. About me and Lila… breaking up. I still don’t know if I did the right thing. Everyone wanted us together…”

“Everyone?” she asked softly.

“Her parents. Mom. Even Dad, when he was still around… he always thought we’d end up together.”

“And you?” Evelyn asked. “Are you included in that ‘everyone’?”

She turned, unscrewed the cap of the water bottle they’d bought earlier, and handed it to him.

Noah took it absentmindedly.

In the small mouth of the bottle, he could see the sky reflected back at him. The deep black night. A spill of stars.

He drank.

“But it was Dad’s wish,” he said quietly. “If I can make everyone satisfied… that’s what I’m supposed to do, right?”

“Nate,” Evelyn called his name gently.

She stood beneath the streetlamp. The light poured down over her white dress, over her skin, making her look almost translucent, like something carved out of glass.

“There are three stages of growing up,” she said.

“The first is learning what’s right and wrong.”

“The second is realizing not everything actually has a clear right or wrong.”

She stepped closer.

She was tall, nearly his height. When she rose slightly on her toes, she could’ve kissed his forehead.

Her eyes curved faintly. Beautiful, sharp, soft all at once.

“And the third,” she whispered, brushing her fingers through his hair, “is knowing something doesn’t have a right or wrong… and still choosing what you believe in. Then taking responsibility for it.”

She smiled at him the way she always did. Warm. Gentle. Dangerous in a way he couldn’t explain.

“Dad also said something else,” she added. “He just wanted you to be happy. That’s all he ever wanted.”

“Evelyn…” Noah’s voice faltered. “But Lila and I… we’ve known each other almost twenty years. That’s so long. I—”

“Do you actually like her?” she asked.

He froze.

Lowered his head.

Thought.

His mouth opened—

But Evelyn’s slender finger pressed lightly against his lips, stopping him.

“If you say you don’t,” she said softly, almost playfully, “then your sister’s going to start chasing you.”

His brain short-circuited.

For a second, the world went completely quiet.

All he could see was her face.

Beautiful. Too beautiful. Close enough to feel her breath.

“Like you said,” she continued, voice calm, “Lila’s the one everyone picked for you. Mom and Dad approved her. I never had the right to compete.”

She looked straight into his eyes.

“But if you don’t like her… Nate… then I want to try. Just once. I want to fight for you.”

His throat tightened.

“S-sis… what are you saying… you… you like… me?”

She didn’t answer directly.

“You already know the answer, don’t you?”

That memory.

That night from years ago.

The one he’d buried.

He’d pretended everything went back to normal. Pretended they were still just siblings.

But maybe that had always been a lie.

She’d seen through him from the very beginning.

Spoiled him. Protected him. Indulged him.

Loved him too much.

But tonight, she wasn’t retreating.

She was stepping closer.

“Nate,” she said quietly, “you’re nervous. Scared. Hesitating. You can’t reject me, because if you did… you wouldn’t know how to face me anymore. You don’t want to hurt me.”

“…Then why are you pushing me?” he asked hoarsely.

She smiled.

“I’m just trying to pursue the boy I like. What’s wrong with that?”

Her voice was low and warm, almost hypnotic.

“Tell me the truth. Do you still like Lila? If you say yes, I’ll pretend I never said any of this. I’ll go back to just being your sister. Nothing changes.”

The wind suddenly felt colder.

Cold enough to numb his thoughts.

“I… I don’t like her,” he said at last. “Not like that. Not as a girl.”

That much, he knew for sure.

Even without the exhaustion, even without all the giving and bending and sacrificing… it wouldn’t have lasted.

She felt comfortable because he kept shrinking himself to fit her world.

Just like Evelyn always did for him.

And to Evelyn…

He had only ever said one thing.

“Sister.”

“…Does it really have to be like this?” he whispered.

“You could be with Lila because of everyone else’s expectations,” she said softly. “So why can’t you try liking me… because of mine?”

He had never thought about it that way.

He’d always avoided it.

Never once tried seeing her as anything other than family.

A drop of water hit his forehead.

Then another.

Rain.

Within seconds, it turned into a steady drizzle.

“Come on,” Evelyn said suddenly, grabbing his hand. “Run.”

They sprinted back toward campus.

By the time they reached the gate, both of them were half soaked.

They ducked under the overhang of the teaching building, breathing hard.

The earlier conversation hung in the air, unfinished.

Her dorm was only a few steps away.

His was across campus.

“You should head back,” Noah said. “I’ll just run to my dorm.”

He was ready to get drenched, take a hot shower, sleep, and throw everything onto tomorrow’s version of himself.

But Evelyn caught the edge of his sleeve.

Her eyes were wet. Rainwater tangled in her long black hair, strands clinging to her cheeks.

She looked smaller like this.

Almost fragile.

“Don’t go,” she said quietly. “Come back with me… stay a little longer. Talk with me… okay?”

It wasn’t really a question.

It never had been.

He nodded.

They ran together toward the faculty housing.

Inside her apartment, she handed him a dry towel, then pulled loose clothes from the closet.

“Go shower first. Wear these.”

The shirt and pants were oversized. Soft. They’d probably fit.

“I’m fine,” Noah said. “You go first. You’ll catch a cold.”

“…Okay. I’ll be quick. Dry yourself off.”

She took her own clothes and went into the bathroom.

Soon the sound of running water filled the room.

Noah absentmindedly looked down at the pile she’d given him.

Then he froze.

Between the shirt and pants… was a pair of black underwear.

Plain. No lace. No patterns. Simple cotton.

Probably the most neutral thing she owned.

Still—

His ears burned.

From where he stood, he could see her blurred silhouette through the frosted glass.

Tall. Slender. Curves faintly outlined by the light.

Beautiful in a way that didn’t feel fair.

Back when they were younger, they used to bump into each other all the time. Lean on each other. Sleep side by side.

He knew how soft she was.

How warm.

During puberty, she had slipped into his dreams more times than he dared admit.

White skin. Long legs. Gentle scent.

Every memory he tried to ignore came back all at once.

And the sound of water just kept running.

—

The moment his fingers brushed the fabric, Noah jerked his hand back like he’d been burned.

The underwear wasn’t new.

It had clearly been worn before. It had rested against Evelyn’s skin. It even seemed to carry the faintest trace of her scent.

His throat tightened.

Heat rushed straight to his face.

He forced the thoughts away, shoving every inappropriate image back into the darkest corner of his mind.

Calm down.

Don’t think about it.

Aside from that one blurred, confusing incident years ago, he’d never gone further than a light kiss with any girl. Even during two full years with Lila, the most they’d ever shared was a cautious, shallow peck.

Part of it was immaturity.

Part of it was restraint.

And part of it… was the invisible chain that memory had wrapped around him.

The bathroom door clicked open.

Evelyn stepped out.

She wore a loose T-shirt and a pair of short lounge shorts, casual and soft, the kind you’d only wear at home. Her damp hair clung to her shoulders as she dried it with a towel.

Her legs were bare.

Long.

Snow-pale.

Slender but toned, every line smooth and elegant.

She didn’t look like a teacher.

She didn’t even look real.

She looked like something painted.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, noticing his stiff posture. “Go shower. Don’t catch a cold.”

“Uh… sis… this…”

He pointed awkwardly at the underwear, ears red.

She blinked, then smiled like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“I don’t exactly keep men’s underwear around. You can’t put your wet clothes back on, can you?”

“I… I’ll just wear the pants. It’s fine.”

Before she could say anything else, he grabbed the clothes and practically fled into the bathroom like a soldier retreating from the front line.

Behind the frosted glass, his blurry silhouette moved as he stripped off his damp clothes.

Evelyn stood outside, watching.

She had watched him grow up.

Every inch.

Every year.

Every change.

Her eyes softened.

Then darkened.

Her gaze lingered on the shadow of his body through the glass, as if the barrier didn’t exist at all.

As if she could see everything.

As if he already belonged to her.

Her slender palm slowly pressed against the door.

So close.

Just one step away.

Mine.

A quiet, possessive thought bloomed in her chest.

My little brother… so cute.

“Sis?” Noah called from inside. “You still there?”

“Mm,” she replied gently. “The floor’s slippery. Don’t fall.”

Outside, the rain exploded without warning.

Sheets of water slammed against the windows like the sky itself had split open. Wind howled through the dark. The glass rattled under the assault.

The temperature dropped fast.

By the time they finished washing up, both of them had already crawled under the blanket.

Like always, they slept on opposite ends of the same bed.

A quiet, practiced distance.

Under the covers, Evelyn’s feet were only inches from his. He could see the faint rise and shift of the blanket whenever she moved.

“Nate,” she whispered in the dark, “cold?”

“I’m fine. It’s warm enough.”

After that, silence returned.

Only the glow of his phone lit his face.

He’d just finished texting his roommates to explain where he was when a message popped up.

Lila: Where are you?

He hesitated.

Then typed back.

Noah: What’s up?

I’m stuck at Building Two. Didn’t bring an umbrella. Come walk me back.

Still the same tone.

Like an order.

Like nothing had changed.

Like they hadn’t broken up.

Even so… childhood friend or not, neighbor or not… he should probably help.

He pushed himself up—

But suddenly a hand pressed him back down.

Evelyn had moved closer at some point.

Now she was lying beside him, facing him, eyes bright even in the dark.

“Where are you going?”

“Lila’s stuck. No umbrella.”

She took his phone, skimmed the message, typed something, and handed it back.

There are public umbrellas at Exit Two.

Two seconds later:

Lila: Noah, are you seriously not coming?

“…Sis…”

“Don’t go,” she said softly.

She wrapped an arm around his neck and gently pulled his face into her chest.

Warm.

Soft.

Her scent surrounded him instantly.

“This isn’t your sister ordering you,” she whispered. “It’s someone chasing you… asking you to stay.”

He could refuse.

Technically.

But the way she held him—

It didn’t feel like something he could walk away from.

The call request tone rang.

Lila.

His thumb hovered between accept and decline.

“You’re not coming?” her voice snapped through the speaker the moment he answered. “Fine. There are umbrellas. I can walk back myself. Last time asking. Are you coming or not?”

She sounded furious.

Like she might smash her phone any second.

Evelyn had already let go.

She simply watched him.

Waiting.

“I’ve got something to do,” he said quietly. “Head back early. It’s late.”

The call cut off instantly.

Silence.

Only rain.

Evelyn smiled faintly.

“So… does that mean I get a chance to chase you now?”

“I haven’t decided,” he muttered. “Sorry. I don’t want to treat your feelings casually.”