The streets of Paris glistened under the evening rain, the city alive with the soft glow of streetlights reflecting off wet cobblestones. Isabelle hurried down the narrow alleyway, her umbrella doing little to protect her from the steady downpour. She was late, and her heart pounded with a mix of excitement and nerves.
She reached the small café at the corner, its warm light spilling out onto the street, and paused to catch her breath. Through the fogged-up window, she saw him—Étienne, sitting at their usual table, a single rose lying beside his coffee cup.
Isabelle hesitated for a moment, smoothing down her damp hair. She had met Étienne six months ago, under equally unexpected circumstances. She had been lost in the city, a tourist with a broken French phrasebook, when he had offered to help. What began as a casual conversation over coffee had blossomed into something deeper, something neither of them had anticipated.
Taking a deep breath, Isabelle pushed open the door. A bell jingled overhead, and Étienne looked up, his eyes lighting up as she approached.
"You’re soaked," he said with a smile, rising to greet her.
"It’s just a little rain," she replied, though her heart was racing. She couldn’t shake the feeling that tonight was special, that something was about to change.
They talked for hours, the rain continuing to fall outside, cocooning them in their own little world. Eventually, the café began to empty, and the waiter politely informed them that it was closing time. Étienne paid the bill, and they stepped back out into the rain, which had softened to a gentle drizzle.
They walked in silence, the streets now deserted. When they reached the bridge over the Seine, Étienne stopped and turned to her, his expression suddenly serious.
"I have to tell you something," he began, his voice almost lost in the rain. "I’ve been offered a job in New York. I leave next week."
Isabelle’s heart sank, the words hitting her like a cold gust of wind. She had known this day might come, but she hadn’t expected it so soon.
"I don’t want to go without knowing if…if there’s something between us worth staying for," Étienne continued, his eyes searching hers.
For a moment, the world stood still. The rain fell around them, a soft patter on the river below. Isabelle felt the words rising in her throat, but they wouldn’t come. Instead, she stepped closer, closing the distance between them.
Without a word, she kissed him, her hands gently resting on his rain-soaked cheeks. The kiss was tender, filled with all the emotions she couldn’t express in words. When they finally pulled apart, she saw the answer in his eyes.
Étienne smiled, pulling her close. "I guess that’s a reason to stay."
They stood there, in the rain, holding each other as the city around them faded into the background. It was just the two of them, and in that moment, nothing else mattered.
The rain had brought them together, and now it sealed their fate.
