Drabble: Water
Author's Note: prompt from spn_30snapshots theme 1 (Elemental).
***
The umbrella appeared above her head like a space ship. She wouldn't have believed its presence if she didn't literally feel the rain stop falling on her even while the rain in front of her kept submitting to gravity.
She turned her face up to the membrane bubble of the umbrella and found a guy practically breathing down her neck. She jumped, brushing against his chest.
"Hi," he said. She nearly jumped again as she felt the rumble of his voice through the part of her back that was still touching him. She edged forward a bit.
The guy continued, "just thought you needed an umbrella."
"Thanks," she replied. "I was overly optimistic about the weather today."
Silence puddled between them like rainwater.
"How was your day?" she asked at last.
He sniffed. "It was as alright as it could be. How was your day?"
"It was okay too," she said. Then added, "it would have been better if it was dryer."
He made a noise of agreement, she thought, until he clipped her shoulder as he rushed a palm to his face, "hk'zxxghhh! hh!-hk!'zkxXGH!"
"Sorry," he sighed and sniffled. "I woke up with a cold this morning."
"I'm sorry to hear that," she said, thinking of all the cold paraphenalia she didn't have on her person.
Silence pooled again except for the guy's sniffles, which punctured the silence like raindrops. It sounded like the guy was smelling her hair.
"hh'zxxkhh!"
Except when he was sneezing.
She smiled to see her bus pull to the curb.
"Thank you," she said, "I hope you feel better soon." She frowned as the guy bobbed forward with another sneeze.
"HK!-gXXH!"
"Good thing you had an umbrella with you today," she said as she boarded the bus.
On the bus she thought of the trails of water tunnelling beneath her hair, connecting and diverging.
***
The umbrella appeared above her head like a space ship. She wouldn't have believed its presence if she didn't literally feel the rain stop falling on her even while the rain in front of her kept submitting to gravity.
She turned her face up to the membrane bubble of the umbrella and found a guy practically breathing down her neck. She jumped, brushing against his chest.
"Hi," he said. She nearly jumped again as she felt the rumble of his voice through the part of her back that was still touching him. She edged forward a bit.
The guy continued, "just thought you needed an umbrella."
"Thanks," she replied. "I was overly optimistic about the weather today."
Silence puddled between them like rainwater.
"How was your day?" she asked at last.
He sniffed. "It was as alright as it could be. How was your day?"
"It was okay too," she said. Then added, "it would have been better if it was dryer."
He made a noise of agreement, she thought, until he clipped her shoulder as he rushed a palm to his face, "hk'zxxghhh! hh!-hk!'zkxXGH!"
"Sorry," he sighed and sniffled. "I woke up with a cold this morning."
"I'm sorry to hear that," she said, thinking of all the cold paraphenalia she didn't have on her person.
Silence pooled again except for the guy's sniffles, which punctured the silence like raindrops. It sounded like the guy was smelling her hair.
"hh'zxxkhh!"
Except when he was sneezing.
She smiled to see her bus pull to the curb.
"Thank you," she said, "I hope you feel better soon." She frowned as the guy bobbed forward with another sneeze.
"HK!-gXXH!"
"Good thing you had an umbrella with you today," she said as she boarded the bus.
On the bus she thought of the trails of water tunnelling beneath her hair, connecting and diverging.