The teacher chuckled as he watched Devin go.

But alas! As Devin was heading for home the storm intensified. Rain began flowing more violently. Devin was soaked wet from top to bottom even though he had an umbrella.

"Please rain, don't get worse," he prayed. But none of his prayers reached.

Before even he had realized the storm grew so intense that he couldn't hold onto the umbrella anymore. It slipped out of his hands as it crashed against an electric pole.

*Crash*

"Oh no, it was teacher's umbrella!" He picked it up and ran to the nearest shade he could find.

The park bench entered his eyes. There was a roof over it! And before he realized he ran under that shade.

He was wet from top to bottom that made shivers run though his body but he wasn't worried about that. Rather…

"I have to return the umbrella to the teacher tomorrow. I have to fix this"

Devin sat down and tried his best to straighten the poles that had bent in weird direction from the last crash.

"Ow!" He licked his fingers as they got cut against the sharp metal.

He tried and tried but alas he was never able to make it. That was when he started crying.

*sniff* *sniff*

He was desperate. He was alone. There was no one to help him, no one to call family.

'Teacher would get angry at me'

The one person who had showed him kindness would also lash at him tomorrow when she finds out what he had done with her umbrella.

"I don't want to be left alone again," he cried and wiped his tears as the scene where his teacher would be scolding him played in his head.

"Acho!!" he sneezed. The cold had got the better of him, making him sick.

[Flashback ends]

"Achoo," a sneeze brought Devin back to reality. It seemed like Elena had caught cold like him. Wasn't this the same park with the same bench that he had taken shelter under that day?

'That was probably the last day I had cried… No after that day I didn't allow myself to cry'

Devin saw the teardrop still floating on Elena's cheek. He extended his finger and wiped it off. Somehow he had the wish to make it her last as well.

"Then you must have someone else right? Like other relatives… uncle and stuff," his voice became much softer than usual.

For a moment, Ellena turned towards him blinking several times before looking away.

"I don't know. My father used to say that he indeed had a brother but I have never heard of him."

"Do you really have no one as your family?" Klautz blurted out. Soon he covered his mouth with his hands.

'Damn, now I have done it.'  As it is he was touching her soft spots.

His lips pursed. He wanted to apologize but before he could...

"Sister… I have a little sister."

Devin was regretting his words. But now he had his face brightened up. At least Elena is in a better situation than me. Was what he thought.

'She has a sister!'

"Then you must be returning to your sister shouldn't you? After all, she needs you the most!" Devin exclaimed.

Elena sighed.

"You are right. She needs me… but at the same time I need you."

Devin rolled his eyes as he looked towards the sky again.

'Man, how does it always end up at this?'

But Elena sure had touched his strings. Both of them were similar, but that doesn't mean that they had to be together! They didn't even know about each other, what kind of forced marriage was this?

[Negotiation taking effect…]

'I fear that if we take such a step without thinking, we will regret it later.'

"Elena, we are too young and we are not yet eligible to decide these things." Devin nodded as if he said the right thing.

Elena ducked her head to the side as she poked her own cheek.

"But, haven't you been living alone?"

"Well yes?" he replied making a woozy smile not sure what that was supposed to mean.

"Then haven't you been making all of your decisions yourself despite your age? Then why not this?" Elena said, drawing closer to Devin as she pierced his eyes with her gaze alone.

Never before had Elena appeared so domineering!

"Okay.. fine," Devin raised his hands in the air, "I have decided. And I DON'T want to marry now. So I am rejecting you! Now go back to your sister."

"If that's the case. I am willing to wait…" Elena whispered.

"What?" Ellis gasped. He had question marks on his face.

Her domineering nature disappeared into the air. She looked away shyly as her face turned red.

"I am willing to wait for you till the day you feel like you are ready."

"Ah! God what is this?"

"Then what will you do, if I end up liking a different girl other than you?"

Devin shrugged. For some reason his woozy expression wasn't going away no matter what he did.

Elena bit her lips as she felt everything crumble around her. Their were conflicted emotions on her face. There was a look of longing as she stared towards Elena.

But all she did was shake her head.

"While it would definitely hurt sharing you with some other girl, as long as you accept me as your woman, that would be enough for me."

'Wait what? Okay, I would pretend I didn't hear that.'

But no matter what he thought, somehow those words pulled Devin's heart strings. He could only stare at her in apt surprise and awe. Is she truly in love with him to such an extent?

He was always lonely. How could he let go of such an opportunity to actually be with someone? In fact, Elena was like the ideal girl for him. The only reason he was avoiding him was because of the abruptness of the situation.

***

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