The rain hammered down in relentless sheets, blurring the world around us as we walked side by side. Every step felt like a small defiance against the storm, but neither of us spoke. The sound of the downpour drowned out anything else, leaving a heavy silence that seemed to pull at the air, charging it with something unspoken, something neither of us had the words for.

It had been years since I last saw her, but at this moment, the years didn't seem to matter. What mattered was how she looked—drenched, unguarded. Her coat clung to her, the black dress beneath soaked, yet she carried herself with a grace that took my breath away.