As he sat precariously on the edge of the bed his entire consciousness was transfixed on the cracked corner of the ceiling. The splintered paint, the mildew stained corners with dense cobweb canopies between verticals and horizontals. The ceiling had the same lived-in feeling that Adam had right now. He felt old when he really wasn’t. He felt like he’d had more than his fair share of cracks in his life, an over-generous scattering of stains on his otherwise perfectly proficient personality and now he felt old. Old like the cobwebs. Like the cobwebs veiled the ceiling Adam felt hidden somehow. He felt like he once knew himself inside-out, knew exactly how he’d react to anything but as his life went on he knew not more but less about himself. Adam had become shrouded in cobwebs.

She would sleep eternally in his eyes, never wake. The sleeping beauty he knew and loved would die the very same. Her purity grabbed out at him, for him, as she lay there - It begged for him, to comfort her in times of desperation to inspire when she lacked it and more than anything just to be there for her, with her. Adam slid his hand lightly across her cheek feeling her warm, tingly, enlightening glow one last time. He turned around, shutting his eyes tight, trying to disengage his emotions. Adam needed to get out of here before he changed his mind. He couldn’t look back; it would be the end of him if he did. His mind leapt from thought to thought, the possible consequences of his actions were flashing through his head. He knew this was the right thing to do. He knew this was the unselfish thing to do. This was best for her. She deserved better than him, and although she didn’t realise it now she would someday, sooner rather than later. She’d disregard him; find someone better, someone worthy of her delicate touch, her true beauty.

He gazed into the corner again, the wind chime dangled loosely, humming from time to time as the light breeze fed in through the window. The one highlight of the otherwise barren landscape of the ceiling was a gift from her. It was fresh, scattering light softly over the room off the metallic cylinders and sent Adam to sleep night after night with the soothing harmonies it effortlessly orchestrated. He stepped forward, his eyes following it until it was blocked out by the rotten door frame. Adam took a slow, deep, fulfilling breath, stepped forward and never looked back.

* * * * *

He was mesmerised by her from the very first fleeting glance. Her eyes were almost closed; her pupils shrouded in reflection. Her face was a moving depiction of misery. A tear slid effortlessly down her rosy cheeks. He felt her presence even when he turned around to walk away, flowers in hand. Adam’s body was tingling, his mind graciously dancing with her emanating glow. He had stopped still, the dampness seeping through his jacket as his thoughts wildly weaved themselves.

She was leaning against a lamp post, the water cascading from the light shell onto her shoulders and hair. Mascara was running down her face, her dark brown hair drenched. The damp black dress hugged her slim figure, accentuating her beautiful feminine curves. Adam was seeing her at her worst, her unhappiest, and he was completely spellbound. Her every movement was traced by his sweeping stare. The rain poured down through his hair, over his face but yet he didn’t move onwards. He didn’t close his eyes, or even squint. He stood, far off, and gazed at her. His grip let loose, the flowers slipping from his hand to the pavement. The roses crumpled into each other, losing their shape. The barrage of water rained down on them, unceasing in its menace, finally laying them to waste.

He walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. The starlight reflected the strange sight on the pavement, of complete strangers sitting together whilst the rain beat down on them. Occasional ripples sent from road middle to edge as cars slid past distorting the otherwise perfect harmony of the two figures. Her elegance contrasted with his raw simplicity. All onlookers could see lovers, not strangers. She looked at Adam, the stars reflected in her eyes and tears, and smiled. Neither of them spoke, they had nothing to say to each other. He took off his jacket and put it around her shoulders, it was damp but drier than her. The air was whistling around the narrow street, wrapping up the clothes around pedestrians’ ice cold bodies. The wind sloshed the water around the pavements, lapping waves against the hard concrete curb and over both her high-heeled shoes and his highly polished loafers.

Her emotions were running high, as they tend to after a dramatic, but much expected, break-up. She was relieved more than anything but nothing can ever prepare anyone for the end of a year-long relationship. Not even her friends, who had told her to split with him since December when it was now February. How right they’d been about him. She felt stupid, demoralised and gutted all in one potent emotional basket. Her head was a mixed bag of feelings. She felt like she had a gaping hole in her life once more, one which could only be filled by a deep and loving relationship. She felt ridiculous at not taking her friends’ advice and annoyed that he had finished with her.

Most of all though she craved the name of the silent sweet-looking guy beside her. She longed for warmth, for affection. She needed compassion, not pity. For once she needed someone more than they needed her. She spent life, day-in day-out being demanded by people at work, relied upon for everything she did and was. Now though, the coin had flipped. A guy who wasn’t the world’s biggest success story, or even exceptionally popular was truly wanted, even needed, by her. He wasn’t exceptional in any ways, he would say. He seemed completely normal. Attractive but normal nonetheless.

“Does she love you?” she broke the silence, wiping a tear from her frosty cheeks.

“Huh?” Adam was confused and taken aback by her break of silence. She peered over at the flowers, then at him. He laughed, realising how stupid he must have seemed. How foolish was his first word to this girl, no, lady.

“Oh, I guess she does yeah. She’s a very special girl but aren’t they all?” Adam felt so comfortable with her already but yet she was so unexplored, so different. He was feeling what he knew he shouldn’t, that he wanted her more than his woman, his fiancé.

“Hannah and you?” she had extended her hand for a rather awkward handshake. With the handshake it rung true that he really had been in a fantasy for the past few minutes of his life. The handshake woke him up to the world, the normality of it destroyed the fantasy of them instantly. His face obviously showed a slight disappointment as she raised an eyebrow.

“I’ve never liked my name either, but never has anyone’s face dropped quite so much when I’ve told them. Thanks all the same though!” she giggled and relit the fire in Adam’s overly-analytical thoughts. He had stumbled into a fantasy and now it was changing into reality. Reality was never how he expected though, so he needed time to adjust.

“Adam. I used to know a Hannah once, she was nothing like you”. Once you know someone with a name, anyone else seems to be an invader and Adam was trying to convey this. He regretted saying it as the words had rolled off his tongue and struggled desperately to avoid a grimace as he realised that he’d uttered another stupid sentence. He had a glowing record for saying stupid things in important situations; this was just the lower limit of his repertoire. He had a dreadful feeling that he’d elevate to new levels pretty soon though.

Hannah for the first time let out a fully fledged smile, with no tears running down her cheeks and no sadness in her eyes.

“You’re funny; do you always look miserable after you say things? Or is it my effect on you? I hope not, ‘cos at this rate you could entertain me all night, and my dress can’t take much more moisture!” The rain was still beating down hard on the pavements, with no sign of it letting up. The sky was black aside from the occasional grey wisp of cloud floating in front of the crescent moon and a handful of stars glowing through the lighter clouds.

Adam excelled himself, “No, I do it when I say stupid stuff, when I mean to say smart stuff. Or when I really want to impress, or when I’m with a beautiful girl on a street corner, in the pouring rain, saying anything that comes to my mind, no matter how stupid. I don’t think before I speak, I just say.” He glanced left to her, she had her lips pressed together in a tight teeth less smile.

“Beau...” she began.

“Yes, beautiful.” He never backed down on something he believed, no matter on the consequences, probably why he had little success with women.

“Do you tell all the girls you bump into on a street corner that?”

“No, just the ones who are drenched to the skin, tearful and needing appreciation for what they are.”

“I mean, not that you’re just beautiful. I… you know what I mean.”

Hannah flicked her hand into the puddle at the edge of the road, spraying some water over his face. He gave her a stern look, ending her wicked laughter and splashing. Her heart fell for a second, her expression showed it. Utter disappointment. Adam, meanwhile lowered his right hand into the water, which was hidden from her, spooning as much water from the puddle as he could. He suddenly, without warning, lifted the hand up, releasing the water which exploded over her shoulders. Her eyes widened suddenly as the icy water dripped down her neck and chest. She looked at him, with complete shock on her face.

“That wasn’t revenge, that was plain cruel,” she exclaimed, with only a smidgen of laughter in her voice, “I really will freeze soon if I don’t get out of these clothes though”

She stood up, releasing more water to collide with pavement and shoot onto her ankles. She put her hand out to help him up, with a stern look on her face, implying if he pulled her down then she would get more than revenge. He took it and stood up. A few seconds of sweeping puddles off their clothes later and they were off. To where? Neither of them knew.