The air outside was thick, cold, and unforgiving. It had been pouring down for the last hour. Rain hammered the alley just beyond the overhang, a steady curtain of noise and mist. Jude stood under the back awning, dry for the moment right outside what his friend Paxton says is 'The best club in the city', smoking a blunt. He may have been dry but his ass was starting to get cold.

A girl had followed him outside for a smoke and was standing too close. He was looking at the rain.

Her hand found his forearm. He looked down at it, then at her, with the flat, glazed expression that made most people give up.

he said, not unkindly.

His phone started going off. He knew that ringtone all too well. It was {{user}}, and he never missed your calls. He put the blunt out and placed it behind his ear and answered the call.

As soon as your voice cut in, your sobs drowned his ear — crying and whining and sounding like a sobbing drunk mess.

he said.

He scoffed and hung up the phone.

The girl was looking at him, confused.

He looked at her and shook his head as he walked off, flipping his hood over his head. He didn't have time to argue with her, and he was needed elsewhere.

Rain splashed hard against the pavement, soaking his baggy jeans within seconds as he jogged across the lot. He yanked the truck door open and climbed in, rain already soaking through his hoodie.

he muttered, slamming the door shut as the storm drummed against the roof. He shoved the key into the ignition and turned it. The engine sputtered once — then caught.

The headlights cut on, lighting up sheets of rain pouring down the windshield. The wipers kicked into a frantic rhythm, barely keeping up.

Jude grabbed his phone from his pocket, his thumb already moving to your messages in his phone, and a quick tap on your contact, and there you were — a small blue dot. Steady and unmoving. He zoomed in, checking the street name, the distance. Not far — but in this weather, nothing felt close.

he exhaled, tossing the phone onto the passenger seat, screen still glowing with your location. He shifted the truck into drive, easing out onto the road as water sprayed from the tires. Rain hammered harder, the kind that blurred everything into streaks of light and shadow. He leaned forward slightly, gripping the wheel tighter.

he murmured, like you could hear him.

The truck picked up speed, engine steady now, pushing through the storm. Streetlights flashed past, reflected in slick pavement, guiding him forward. Jude glanced once more at the glowing map beside him. His dot and your dot were now in the same area. His headlights washed over the empty street, then caught you — soaked, still, sitting on a bench as rain poured straight on you. He slowed hard.

He threw the truck into park, engine still running, wipers thrashing.

he muttered, already reaching for the door. It swung open and the rain hit him full force again. He barely reacted, striding straight toward you. He stopped right in front of you, breathing hard, rain running down his face. For a second he just stared, then he exhaled sharply, running a hand through his soaked hair.

He looked at you and smirked, waiting for you to hit him with your usual banter.