Through the thunder of my heart, I heard the splish and splash of heavy raindrops on the pavement and my downed umbrella. My own ragged breathing filtered in next, along with the harsh breathing of my puddle partner.

I yanked my camera out of my sweater and carefully examined it. No cracks to the lens or anything. Thank God. I didn’t have the money to replace it.

With one arm, I tried to leverage myself up, but I slipped and landed back on my savior’s lap… hard.

I whipped my head around to face him, and he stared at me. Raindrops clung to his dark, sooty lashes. His wavy hair was plastered to his head. I tried to make my mouth move, but nothing happened, almost as if the command had gotten lost in the cataloguing of his features.

Wide gray eyes that smoldered. Midnight black hair. Full lips that looked like they were on the verge of smiling. Straight Roman nose, and a square jaw. He was beautiful. I wanted him on a canvas, just like he was now, his brow lightly furrowed and his eyes concerned. There was something so familiar about him.

“Are you all right?”

I blinked, tried to form the words, and failed. Then I tried again. “Um, yeah. I think so. Th-thank you.”

A blond guy stood nearby, holding an umbrella over the two of us. Finally Gray Eyes stood, pulling me with him. His hand was firm and warm, despite the chilly rain. “You have to make sure to look both ways okay?”

Again, my brain stuttered as the whiskey-smooth texture of his voice rolled over me. I could listen to him talk forever. Quickly, I tugged my hand free of his. “Um. I—uh.” Mortified, I covered my face. “Yeah. Thanks. I'll be careful.”

He studied me with a quizzical expression then whispered, “Okay. Cheers.”

After quickly checking my camera for damage again, I stepped to the curb once more. Careful to look both ways–twice–I crossed the street to the opposing row houses. As I muttered the numbers to myself, tension slowly ebbed out of me.

I stopped in front of the address Faith had texted. Before I could even knock, Sophie yanked the door open with a squeal.

“Oh, my god, oh my god, oh my god. You’re actually here. I can’t believe it. Yay!”

The hugging came next. I held my camera away from my body as Sophie wrapped her arms around me and attempted to squeeze the air out of my lungs. Sophie was a big-time hugger. Me, not so much.

“Hey, Sophie, you think you could actually let me in? The back of my pants are soaked.”

“Oh, of course. Sorry, babes. I was just so excited.” She stopped trying to administer the reverse Heimlich maneuver and dragged me through an elegantly lit foyer with recessed lights and a slate floor. “What happened to you anyway? You look like hell.”