After witnessing Ayaan confess his feelings to Aiden, Liam returned home heartbroken, not wanting to see anything further.
Liam's heart feels heavy as he thinks about the incident. Even before he could confess, everything had come to an end—sudden and unexpected. He kept questioning himself, wondering where his judgment had gone wrong. How had he failed to notice Ayaan's feelings for Aiden?
Dark clouds gathered slowly in the sky, mirroring his mood.
As he stepped inside the house, he noticed his father packing luggage in a hurry.
"Go and change quickly. We're leaving," Mr. Lore said, glancing at him.
Liam frowned, confused. "Where?"
"Your grandmother is in the hospital. She slipped from the stairs… her condition is critical."
"What…?" Liam froze for a second. It felt like everything was going wrong today. "I'll be ready in a moment."
Without wasting another second, he rushed to his room. After changing, Liam was about to leave when his eyes fell on the gift Ayaan had given him.
He stopped.
A wave of anger and sadness surged through him. For a moment, he raised his hand, ready to throw it away—but he couldn't.
In the end, he quietly picked it up and held it tightly.
…
Rain began to pour as they left the house. Sitting by the car window, Liam stared outside, clutching the crystal in his hand. His thoughts drifted back to Ayaan.
Every moment they had shared replayed in his mind, each memory pressing heavier against his chest.
'What if he's waiting for me?' The thought came suddenly.
"Dad…" Liam spoke before he could stop himself.
His father slowed the car. "What is it?"
"Stop the car…"
The car came to a halt by the roadside.
"I—I…" Liam hesitated. He wanted to say it. He wanted to go back—just once—to see Ayaan.
At that moment, through the blurred curtain of rain, he saw two figures walking under an umbrella.
Aiden… and someone beside him.
Because of the heavy rain, he couldn't see the other person's face clearly. But remembering the confession, Liam's heart sank. He assumed it was Ayaan.
"…Nothing," Liam said finally, forcing his voice to stay steady. "I thought I forgot something. But it's not important."
His father looked at him for a moment, then nodded. "Alright."
The car started again.
And just like that, Liam left the village--- not knowing the truth.
…
A few hours passed.
When Ayaan still hadn't returned, Ms. Fiora began to panic. He had never been this late before. Unable to hold back her anxiety any longer, she quickly called Aiden's mother.
"Hello, Mrs. Rain? This is Fiora—Ayaan's aunt," she said, her voice tense.
"Is Ayaan with Aiden?"
"Oh—hello! I'm not sure. Let me check," Mrs. Rain replied and walked toward Aiden's room.
She opened the door without knocking.
"Mom… how many times have I told you to knock before entering?" Aiden complained lightly, drying his hair with a towel.
"Aiden, is Ayaan with you?" she asked, covering the phone. Her eyes scanned the room.
"No… What happened?" His expression shifted immediately. "He hasn't returned to the orphanage yet?"
"Did he mention going anywhere after class?" she asked, concern rising in her voice.
Aiden frowned. "Give me the phone."
Taking it from her, he spoke calmly, "Aunt, it's Aiden."
There was a pause.
"Don't worry. He might be at the library. He told me he needed to return some books," Aiden said, trying to sound reassuring. "Maybe he's waiting for the rain to stop. I'll go check on him."
Without wasting time, he grabbed a raincoat and rushed out into the rain.
The streets were nearly empty, the rain falling harder with each passing minute.
'It's already past seven… where could he be?' Aiden's thoughts raced. 'There's no way Ayaan would stay out in this weather… right?'
He doubts, but knowing Ayaan's character, the possibility can't be ruled out.
The first place he decides to check was Liam's house. He reached the gate and rang the bell, waiting anxiously.
"Who's there?" a voice called out. A beam of torchlight flashed across his face as an elderly man approached. "What are you doing here at this hour?" the man asked.
"This is my friend's house. I came to see him," Aiden replied quickly.
The man shook his head. "Your friend and his family shifted back to their hometown this evening. No one is here."
"What…?" Aiden froze for a second, confusion flashing across his face. "Thank you, sir," he said quickly, before turning and running back into the rain.
…
When he reached the school, the rain had grown heavier.
"Ayaan!" Aiden called out, his voice cutting through the sound of the downpour.
He searched the empty grounds, his heart pounding with each step.
"Ayaan!"
No response. Just as he was about to give up, his eyes caught a faint figure in the distance—someone sitting alone in the rain.
"Ayaan…!" Relief and worry crashed into him at once as he ran toward him.
"What are you doing?" Aiden demanded, breathless. "How long have you been sitting here like this? You're completely drenched. Come on—get up."
Ayaan didn't move.
"He didn't come…" he whispered.
Aiden frowned. "What?"
"Liam… he didn't come."
For a moment, Aiden just stared at him—then frustration took over.
"Are you serious right now?" he snapped. "Who waits like this in the rain for someone? If he wanted to come, he would've been here already! Can't you understand something so simple?"
"But… he said he would…" Ayaan replied stubbornly, his voice trembling.
Aiden clenched his fists, struggling to control himself.
"Stop this, Ayaan," he said, his tone turning harsh. "That bastard just played with your feelings—nothing more."
Ayaan's head lifted slightly.
"If he cared about you even a little," Aiden continued, "wouldn't he have told you he was leaving for his hometown today?"
"What…?" Ayaan's eyes widened.
"He's not coming."
Those words hit harder than the rain. The emotions he had been suppressing with fragile hope finally shattered.
He couldn't understand it—why Liam played such a cruel joke with him. Tears welled up in his eyes, blending with the rain as they fell silently to the ground.
The love that had begun in his heart with the rain… that day ended with it too.