One Day In The Rain
By: Matthew Donnellon
Tags: Relationships, Fiction, Short Story, Love, Life

“Are you sure we’re going the right way?”

“Pretty sure,” I said.

“That doesn’t sound super confident.”

“It wasn’t meant to.”

“We’re lost aren’t we?”

“What makes you say that?”

“You’ve been staring at that map for 15 minutes.”

“Maybe I just wanted to spend more time out here with you.”

“I highly doubt that.”

“You don’t think I want to spend time with you.”

“Oh please, I know you can’t get enough of me,” she said smiling, “but I’m pretty sure you’re lost.”

“I can’t be lost. I grew up here.”

“That was twenty years ago.”

“Still.”

“And Patrick said you hardly left the cabin when you came here.”

“Patrick doesn’t know everything,” I said. Although Patrick was right of course. I never spent much time on our grandfather’s grounds. I spent most of it in the lodge playing video games.

“We can’t be that lost. I’m sure if we just walk in any direction we’re bound to hit something.”

“Well, the property sits next to a nature preserve so if we go the wrong way there’s ten thousand acres of unmanaged land. We could be walking for days.”

“Oh.”

“But it’s okay. I’m not lost I promise.”

I was though. I thought I could take a shortcut so we went off the trail. That was turning out to be quite the mistake.

“You’re sure?”

“Oh course, I am. But it might be best to just stay put. Someone will come looking for us eventually.”

“So you are lost.”

“Yes.”

“I knew it.”

“I know.”

“I’m never going to let you live this down.”

“Oh I know, but I think we have bigger problem,” I said as I watched a rain cloud approaching.

“Oh great.”

Before she could say anything else, the skies opened up.

“Come on,” I said. We ran through the woods getting soaked in the process.

Times like this is when I knew she was the one. Anyone else would have been mad, but she basically danced in the rain.

“This feels great,” she said, “When’s the last time you got caught in a rainstorm?”

“Can’t remember,” I said and watched spread her arms and look to the sky letting the drops hit her.

“But we should find a place to wait it out. Hypothermia isn’t nearly as romantic as it sounds.”

“Who thinks hypothermia is romantic?”

“Snowmen probably.”

She laughed and we caught a lucky break. I could see an old barn through the trees.

The barn door barely wanted to move but with enough force I pried it open. Half the room had caved in due to disrepair but there was enough left to give us shelter from the rain. We sat on an old bench.

“Get those clothes off.”

“Excuse me?” she said with a smirk.

“We’ll dry off quicker without them.”

We shrugged out our wet layers and I wrestled a steel barrel into place. Luckily I had a lighter in my pocket and I had a small blaze going to dry us off.

“That’s better,” I said, feeling the fire’s warmth.

She laid her head on my shoulder, “Yeah, this isn’t so bad.”

I rigged up an improvised clothesline so our stuff could dry.

She was close enough to hear my stomach growl.

“I wish we’d had made it back to the cabin,” I said.

“Oh,” she said and picked up the little satchel she carried on our day hike. “I thought an impromptu picnic would be great.”

“I love you.”

“I know.”

We ate quickly since we were both starving.

“This is great,” I said.

“Just wait it gets better,” she said and pulled two small containers of wine from the bag.

“You really do think of everything.”

“What would you do without me?’

“I honestly have no idea.”

“I’ll take that.”

It was starting to get dark and the rain wasn’t letting up. “I don’t think we’re making it back tonight,” I said as we put on our clothes.

“There are worse places to be.”

Luckily, there was enough stuff between old army blankets and some hay bales to rig up a bed.

“Not exactly five stars but it’ll do,” I said.

‘It’s perfect.“

The fire died down and we fell asleep holding each other.

The next morning we awoken to the barn door opening.

“Rise and shine,” a voice called out. I opened my eyes to see my older brother Patrick there.

“Went out looking for ya when you didn’t come back last night. Thought I might find you here.”

“How’d you know we’d be here?” she asked.

“Me and him found this old barn the other day when we were out. Come I got the side by side I’ll give you a ride.”

“You knew where this place was?” she asked looking at me.

I smiled, “I told you I wasn’t lost.”