Angel under the rain

The first day I met him, I flipped. Honestly, one look at him and I became a lunatic. It's his eyes. Something in his eyes. They're brown, and framed in the blackness of his lashes, they're dazzling. Absolutely breathtaking. His hair is long, too, like he just rolled out of bed. He has it tied back with a white ribbon. I have never seen someone so beautiful. Then again, I'm not even sure that there's anyone more beautiful than him, but whatever. The point still stands.

It was raining on the first day of my senior year. I had been walking home from school when I saw him. He was standing under an umbrella, looking up at the sky. Raindrops were splattering against the fabric of his shirt. The sleeves were pushed to his elbows, exposing his toned forearms and the light pink scars that marred them. My heart fluttered. What kind of luck was this? A guy who looks like this must be an angel! He looked up as if sensing my presence and smiled, making his way over to me.

He walked slowly, giving me plenty of time to take in the sight of him. As we came closer, his smile grew wider. He stopped, right in front of me. He tilted his head, and for the first time since I'd known him, he looked directly into my eyes. His gaze held mine captive, and I felt like I was drowning. I could hear the rain hitting the umbrella above us.

Our faces were inches apart.

I opened my mouth slightly, but nothing came out. My heart thumped wildly in my chest. There wasn' t any air in my lungs. He was close enough for me to count each eyelash on his dark eyes. His gaze was hypnotic. My lips began to part. This is it. I will finally get to kiss you!

"Is something wrong?" he asked suddenly.

His voice broke through the haze in my head. Suddenly, my lungs started working again. "Huh?" I managed to gasp. "No, no." I shook my head. "Everything's fine. I should go."

"Oh," he said softly. "Okay. Well, bye."

My face flushed redder than a tomato. He'd probably think I was some weirdo. Maybe I was. Maybe he thought I was insane. Whatever. This was all a dream. I closed my eyes and willed myself to wake up. But when I reopened them, he was gone. Disappeared in thin air. I blinked rapidly several times, trying desperately to bring him back into focus, but he was gone. Like a mirage. Just a dream.

hyuna said "y/n whats up"

"Did you see him?" I said looking where he was standing

"who do you mean?" Asking Confusing

" well maybe he was a figment of my imagination," I said dryly.

"A figment? You can do that?" She looked intrigued now.

I shrugged

"He was lile an angle just standing right there...Just there, and then poof. Gone. Like a ghost. That's why I asked if you'd seen him. I've been watching people come and go ever since you went off in that direction, and I swear there was someone else there. I'm pretty sure he wasn' t real either."

My mind raced. Could I do that? Did I just imagine seeing him?

"Maybe. Do you want to meet him?" she asked eagerly.

I hesitated. "Uh, no, thanks. I don't really believe in ghosts."

"Well, neither do I," she said, shrugging.

"well see ya later yn yoongi just now texted me"

"lol you and your boyfriend...well see you later hyuna "

The moment she turned away from me, I stood woondring.

Was it possible that I'd imagined him? Had I really seen someone walk through the rain? But then again, if I could actually make people disappear, wouldn't everyone I talked to become imaginary eventually? Unless he'd just appeared because my subconscious mind created him, which I seriously doubted. Maybe I'd imagined that he was an angel or something, because I had the strangest feelings about him.

I decided to keep my options open. If I was crazy, he might not be real anyway.

After that incident, whenever I saw someone who looked like he'd been standing under an umbrella, I made sure I was within ten feet of it before asking if they'd seen an invisible man. At first, I received strange looks from people who seemed skeptical. Some wanted to laugh at me. Others wanted to ask me questions about angels. One woman even called me a liar and warned me to stay away. Eventually, people got used to me traying to talk to the thin air and no one paid much attention anymore.

Over time, I found out that everyone had different reactions to me. Some believed me immediately. Other people took longer. Most people, however, gave me suspicious looks before dismissing me. It was annoying. I always tried to avoid confrontation, but sometimes it couldn't be avoided.

One night I was walking home alone when I bumped into someone in the pouring rain. I apologized profusely, but the stranger refused to accept my apology. Instead, he pulled me into a dark alley. His grip on my arm was tight, and I winced in pain. He shoved me against the wall and pinned me there with both hands pressed to either side of my head. I struggled and kicked. He grunted, tightening his hold. His breath stank of alcohol, and his hair was greasy and sticking to his forehead. When he spoke, his words were slurred.

"Whadda you want?" His voice was harsh and angry.

"Let me go," I growled, twisting in an attempt to break free.

"If ya wanna live another minute, shut the **** up. I'm busy."

I froze. "W...what?"

"I said, shut the **** up!" He tightened his grip on my neck and slammed his face down next to mine. His breath hit my face. He reeked of booze. His eyes were bloodshot and crazed.

"Please," I said, panicking. "Please, let me go."

"Shut yer fuckin' trap!"

I bit my lip to stifle a sob. Tears gathered in the corners of my eyes. He leaned in close, whispering threateningly into my ear.

"Or what? Huh? Whaddya gonna do?" I froze. Fear gripped my entire body.

"You think you're tough, huh? Think you're somethin' special, huh?" he laughed.

He pressed his face further into mine, so close that his nose brushed my cheek. "How 'bout you give me a reason to beat the shit outta you. Ya got that idea, bitch?"

I trembled. "I...I...don't know what you're talking about. Please stop. Let go."

He laughed loudly. "You ain't got nothin' to worry about, bitch. I'll show you real nice." He smirked, pressing himself harder into me.

"Please...please...stop." My knees buckled underneath me.

"Stop what?"

The sound of sirens filled the air. A few police officers surrounded us, flashing their lights. They must've heard me screaming.

"You better run, bitch. Now."

With one last shove, he pushed me backwards. As soon as I stumbled a few steps, the cops rushed forward and grabbed him by the arms, pulling him off of me. I collapsed on the pavement, gasping for air. As they dragged him away, my gaze followed him as far as I could, my eyes following the path of his limp, lifeless form disappearing between the cracks in the pavement. Then, my vision blurred. A tear fell down my cheek. I sniffled, wiping at my face.

As I lay there sobbing, a warm hand rested gently on my back. I flinched and rolled over. Police officer stood there. His expression softened slightly upon seeing me.

Hey. How are you doing?"

"Fine," I whispered.

He crouched down next to me. "Can you stand?"

I nodded. "Yes."

Without a word, he helped me up. I wiped the tears from my eyes. He offered a small smile.

"I'm Detective O'Neil. This is Officer park." He gestured to the other cop who was helping me up. He had a serious look on his face. I smiled weakly and offered them a shaky wave.

"Nice to meet you both," I muttered, still shaking slightly. "Thanks."

"Anytime."

Detective O'Neil helped me over to a bench in the street. He sat me down while park went to talk to the other officer.

"So what happened exactly?" Detective O'Neil asked kindly.

I sighed. "It was raining so hard. I didn't mean to bump into someone. I just wanted to get home. But...when I looked up, he was standing right there."

"Do you remember anything else?"

"I told you. It was dark. I thought he was that angel before." I shook my head. "No. It didn't make any sense."

Detective O'Neil chuckled softly. "Not all the details. But we have to take your story seriously. What do you usually do when you're walking home at this hour?"

I shrugged helplessly.

"And where were you going?"

"Just home." I sighed. "I guess I didn't expect anyone to be out here. I mean...it's late. People tend to sleep during the day, right? So I assumed everyone was inside, waiting to fall asleep."

He smiled reassuringly. "Well, if you have any more trouble, just call 911 and they'll sort it out. Okay?"

"Okay," I agreed.

"Now if you don't mind, I need to return to the station and see about some paperwork. Would you mind getting home safely?"

"Sure. Thanks."

He patted my shoulder before turning around and leaving.

I waited until he disappeared into the building before continuing to make my way home. I kept thinking about the encounter in the alleyway. I hadn't seen anyone in the alleyway after I'd bumped into him, but that probably meant nothing. I should've taken notice of anything unusual. And yet, somehow, I'd convinced myself that I'd seen an angel. How ridiculous.

When I finally stepped inside my apartment, I almost dropped my keys, startled by how dark it was. Usually my housemates weren't too happy when I came home late and tired. Tonight, however, I felt strangely calm. There was something peaceful about returning home. I liked that feeling. After all, I wasn't going to stay here forever.

As I entered the front room, I caught sight of someone sitting on my couch.

"Hey," I mumbled quietly. "Sorry, I...wasn' expecting anyone to be here." I walked towards the kitchen to grab a bottle of water.

There was no reply, so I turned around to find that whoever was sitting on my sofa was now gone. Only one thing was left behind-the bottle I'd bought earlier in the day. I placed it onto my counter. The bottle didn't really matter, though. All that mattered was that I had the feeling that there was someone else in my house. Someone who had been watching me from across the hall. Someone who was hiding, observing everything about me. I was beginning to feel like the odd man out again. Even if I wasn't completely sure why I felt like that, I knew that whatever was happening, it was dangerous.

The next morning I woke up early. After taking a quick shower, I threw on some clothes, grabbed my keys, and slipped out of the apartment without waking anyone up. I closed the door quietly behind me as I made my way down the stairs. I hurried outside and locked the front door. I walked along the sidewalk quickly, trying to ignore the nagging sensation in the back of my mind.

At least this time, I wouldn't be alone.

A chill ran down my spine. That voice sounded familiar. It sounded like him.

My heart thumped wildly in my chest, causing my stomach to turn uncomfortably. Was it possible that I was imagining things again? Maybe it was just the cold weather. I pulled my coat tighter around me, hoping to protect myself against the frigid wind that blew through the streets. I shivered uncontrollably.

^^^to be continued....^^^

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