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Late night summer. Elliot was following the cobblestone path back to his house.
It had been drizzling for a while, and according to the weather forecast, there would be rain for the entire week. How terrible.
Elliot kept on walking. He would much prefer clear sky, as he wouldn’t admit out loud that he hated the rain. After all, people tended to go outside more often in good weather, which brought customers to his store.
He opened the door to his flat. It was cold, quiet, and empty, nothing out of the ordinary. The lack of furniture, lack of warmth and of human presence were few of the many reasons Elliot would consider staying late at work and only returning to this place for a quick rest. His mind was already shutting off, body growing drowsy, yet he moved toward the balcony. He needed to bring the pot of daffodils inside, or else the wind might knock it over. He couldn’t risk losing those flowers, they were the only thing that made his place actually feel somewhat like home, like a place where he can return with joy.
Sliding the door to the balcony, where only the daffodils should be, stood an uninvited guest. Elliot’s eyes widened in shock, he stared at the figure before him, all his previous exhaustion now seemingly non-existent.
“Who are you? And how on earth do you even get up here?” He asked, his voice raised a bit too loud to his liking. Who could blame him though? To be fair, having a stranger hanging around your house in the middle of the night was already weird, not to mention hanging at the balcony of the fifth floor.
This can’t be his neighbours. No one he knew would pull a stunt like this just to surprise him, except for maybe Chance, that customer would actually do that for some kind of bet, or maybe the red kid, even though that hacker wouldn’t dare let his son be that reckless now.
Elliot was still deep in thought, his mind wandered from one question to another, unable to notice the gaze from the person opposite to him had shifted from the heavy clouds in the sky to his serious expression. The ghost of a smile playing on their lips, as they appeared to be enjoying themselves watching Elliot pondering about anything but the issue right in front of him.
“Hey..” The figure spoke up, and Elliot jumped back involuntarily. He started analysing the figure. Dark cloak, messy hair, crooked smile, and unnaturally silver eyes. Yup, definitely suspicious, and Elliot totally did not stare into those eyes a little too long.
“Two Time - a rain deity.” They said, ignoring the not-very-subtle eyeing of the other person. “I’m just passing by, didn’t know this place was inhabited.” As they spoke, their eyes adjusted to the interior of the flat as if to justify their misunderstanding.
Elliot’s cheeks flushed slightly upon recognising what they were hinting at. Indeed their flat was comparatively empty compared to others, but it still resembled a living place at least, or not. He took one look at his flat and just nodded to Two Time’s words. Who he was kidding anyway, he didn’t even make the one place he returned to an actual place where he felt at peace.
This depressing monologue could be saved for another time, Elliot still had one matter at hand - Two Time. He turned to the other person, “Why are you here then?”
“Well.. I’m just looking through the city, and your place seems like a perfect stop. Not too noisy, and the view is quite nice.” Two Time gazed back at the sky, raindrops caught in their eyelashes.
“Wouldn’t you agree, dear..?”
“Elliot. I never really pay any attention to that, to be honest..” He trailed off awkwardly, such trivial matters never arose to him when he afforded this flat, as long as he had a place to return for rest. But now that this stranger before him mentioned it, he looked at the view from his balcony, actually looked at it, and he had to admit, maybe there was more than one reason to return to this place after all.
Someone was calling his name, and he turned to the only person standing with him. Two Time was looking at him, a smile so strange spread across their face. Elliot felt a shiver down his spine, weirdly enough, that smile of theirs seemed so captivating and hypnotising to Elliot, and he couldn’t look away. Suddenly, he noticed something.
“Wait.. YOU? Staying at MY place?” He pointed at Two Time, then himself, “No no no. Nope, no way. Tell me you’re just joking...”
“Do I look like I’m fooling around?” Two Time kept their smile, yet not even a slight hint of playfulness can be seen behind those silver eyes. They moved away from the balustrade, inching closer to the man leaning by the doorframe, “Your answer, Elliot?”
Elliot made a mental note to get a check up one day, whatever sights he witnessed today were terrible for his poor heart.
Thinking about Two Time’s question, Elliot took a moment to consider all the possible pros and cons. On the one hand he wasn’t using this place much, rather spending most of his time at work, but on the other hand, letting a stranger he just met merely half an hour ago into his house didn’t seem to be the brightest idea, the whole ‘rain deity’ thing only raised more suspicion and added more questions to this whole ordeal.
But then he looked at the person in front of him, their eyes still glued on his face. They just gave him a feeling of guilt, loneliness and seemingly hatred, all the emotions that Elliot wished to not name. And something, inside him, just snapped, “Oh.” He thought to himself, “Maybe, they are just like…me.”
“I guess you can stay here, it’s not exactly like I use this place this much anyway.” Elliot smiled, hands extending to Two Time. Maybe he was imagining it, but it seemed like the rain was just letting up for a moment.
And so it began, the unexpected experience of being roommate with a supernatural being.
It appeared to Elliot that Two Time either didn’t sleep or slept very little everyday, as they had always been sitting by the balcony each time he went to work in the morning. He brought this up one evening, when Two Time was helping him with watering the flowers.
“Hey Two Time, do you ever sleep?”
“Not really. But humans usually return to their hibernation when night falls. Perhaps I am slowly being influenced by such behaviour, as I would occasionally find myself in the act of sleeping at night. Does this concern you, Elliot?” Two Time turned around to face Elliot, their face retained that same crooked smile.
Elliot shrugged, “Just wondering, don’t you have anything to do while I’m at work?”
“I watch the street, can’t really see what people are doing though, the umbrellas always get in my line of sight.” They exclaimed, clearly disappointed that their curiosity couldn’t be satisfied.
Elliot pondered a while at their answer, and he realised one thing.
“You don’t read?” He asked, pointing toward the bookshelves filled with books, situated near the television stand. Judging by the state of those dusty books, the owner hadn’t read or bought any new books for a while.
“Can I? You never mentioned that I can use those books for my leisurement.” Two Time had already walked over to the bookshelves, knowing the answer Elliot would give.
“Ye, feel free to read whatever you like, maybe you can watch some movies on the TV too.”
Elliot just looked at how eagerly Two Time was looking through the bookshelves, something warm and fuzzy grew in his heart.
One week passed, and Elliot was getting used to living with Two Time. They were weird, to say the least. Spending an unimaginably long time laying inside the bathtub, finding joy in people-watching, surprisingly good at taking care of flowers but terrible at taking care of the kitchen are some of many discoveries he found out about Two Time.
It was the weekend now. Elliot would usually just spend his time lazing around or cleaning his home, though the latter was done by Two Time these days. With nothing else to do, he turned to his flatmate (not really).
“You wanna go shopping with me? I’m gonna make dinner!” Elliot proposed, they had been relying on convenience food lately. It’s not like Elliot didn’t know how to cook, he just couldn’t make it home early enough to make a decent meal, though he had been getting home earlier these past few days.
“It would be my pleasure to join you. I am quite amazed that dear Elliot is offering to cook tonight’s meal.” Two Time chuckled, they stood up and walked over to the front door. Needless to say, they were enthusiastic to participate in human activities, especially with their human companion.
Umbrella in hand, Elliot quickly guided Two Time to the nearest supermarket. They walked down the cobblestone path, conversations sparked so casually with every step taken. The rain had been going non-stop for the past week, drops after drops tapping against the road with a small tinkling sound.
“ I’m not particularly fond of the rain, I’d much prefer sunny weather any day.” Elliot looked at the cloudy sky above, voice suddenly went soft.
“Is that so..” Two Time just gave a short reply, one so quiet Elliot thought it was the rain that whispered to him.
They continued their walk, reaching the destination and began to gather ingredients for dinner as well as other supplies for the week. And it seemed like Two Time were interested in desserts, as they tried the sample cookie and asked for an entire box. Elliot also noticed that they were an ideal target for scammers, being way too susceptible to obvious scams like those “Buy one get one free at the price of two” promotions. He couldn’t imagine how one could possibly fall for such tricks, but he didn’t expect to know those scams actually worked.
As they were walking home, Two Time stopped abruptly, the rain slowly embraced them. They looked at the scenery surrounding them, eyes reflecting vibrant hues of the world intensified by glistening droplets.
“I love the rain.” They smiled so gently, water trickled down their face.
“I love the soothing sound of rain. As droplets descend from the sky, they create a sweet melody, gently tapping on windows and rooftops like a calming lullaby. With the rain, the air feels so fresh, and there is a cool breeze that makes everything so calm and mesmerising.”
They walked over to Elliot, whose eyes still widened in shock, feet still frozen in place. Their hands softly cupped his cheeks, “...and it brings encounters so unexpected and endearing to people, even if those are just momentary, they come and go just as quickly as the rain itself.”
With that, Two Time moved away from the now completely dumbstruck Elliot, walking back to their home, humming a strange melody.
Staring at Two Time’s silhouette fading into the surrounding, Elliot didn’t know what to think. They were a rain deity, he hadn’t forgotten that fact, but he wasn’t expecting them to express such sincerity to what he would think as their duty. The rain hadn’t stopped, on the contrary, it seemed to be even heavier than before. At that moment, something had shifted inside Elliot, and he quickly ran home with the groceries.
Upon reaching the fifth floor, Elliot already saw Two Time waiting by the door, same crooked smile and clothes drenched in rain water. They didn’t have the house key, and Elliot felt a bit guilty for that, he should have handed Two Time the umbrella.
Immediately after Elliot unlocked the front door, Two Time ran over to the bathroom, and Elliot already guessed they would be spending at least one hour just being in the bathtub. Hearing the tap water running at full force, he knew his guess was correct and thus, started to prepare the dinner - pizzas and pasta, his speciality.
By the time Two Time finished their ‘sacred ritual’ in the bathtub, Elliot was already putting all the food on the plates. The scent of garlic, butter, and something perfectly herby drifted through the flat, and they shuffled to behind Elliot.
“Smells extremely intoxicated, dear Elliot, I fear I would get addicted.” Two Time commented, clearly light-hearted.
“Tastes even better, I think you will need some cure for my poison.” He grinned back, “Help me clean the coffee table, will you?”
“Of course.” There wasn’t much on the table to clean besides some books, and within minutes, both Elliot and Two Time were already side-by-side, sitting on the couch and enjoying their dinner.
“This is witchcraft, Elliot. Making food this good should be illegal.” Two Time groaned dramatically, earning a hearty laugh from the other person.
“I never expected this way of complimenting from someone like you, Two Time. Maybe my pizzas and pasta are indeed witchcraft.”
They laughed and talked about nothing important, yet so delightful and joyous. Elliot never knew that just sharing a meal could be this lively, maybe he should stop working overtime so frequently.
After cleaning the dishes, Two Time sat by the balcony again, their eyes fixed on the pot of daffodils.
“Fancy a snack?” Elliot walked over with a plate of cookies and a pot of warm tea.
“Sure.” Two Time moved over a little, sparing space for Elliot to sit.
And they sat there in silence, not one that was filled with awkwardness, but something more delicate, more familiar. Then something came to Elliot’s mind.
“Why do you love flowers so much? You are really good at taking care of them too.” He had been wondering this for some time, chalking it up under Two Time’s power as a rain deity.
“I used to raise some. But the rain was not enough. The soil still cracked, and the nightshades - my nightshades - drooped low as if bowing under the weight of time itself. Once, they had bloomed rich and wild, catching the rain on their petals like little chalices. But then, their color faded, they turned so dull and lifeless. I thought they would stay with me forever.” Their fingers grazed the daffodils, their tone wavering.
Elliot didn’t know what came over him at that moment, but all of the sudden his hands were already over Two Time’s shoulders, and they just stayed in each other’s embrace. It was warm, like pepperoni pizzas just came out from the oven. Oh, Elliot found himself wishing for moments like this to last forever.
They pulled away from the embrace, both smiling, Two Time just leaned on Elliot’s shoulder, the night stretched around them.
No grand declarations. Just two lonely individuals finding solace in each other. And the days pass by as such, the two growing more fond of each other.
The sky finally cleared after a month of continuous rain. Elliot couldn’t wait to finally invite Two Time out for a stroll under the clear sky, he had missed the sun during the past weeks. But, something was missing, or someone to be exact.
Two Time was nowhere to be found, not by the bookshelves, not near the balcony, not submerging themselves in the bathtub. It was just as if they never even exist in his life in the first place. Elliot frantically called out their name, his voice rising in volume and growing more desperate. How devastated he looked, with the way tears welled up in his eyes and his hands trembled as reality slowly dawned on him.
Two Time had gone.
They left.
Two Time never said they would be staying with him forever anyway, he shouldn’t have got his hopes up. He got too used to living under the same roof with another person he forgot that he and that deity were from different worlds, they were never meant to be.
Of course they weren’t, why would they?
The sun was already over the horizon, yet why was melancholy and despair the only thing that Elliot felt?
Years later, I still sit by the balustrade when the clouds roll in - quiet, almost reverent - as if the sky is whispering your name back to me.
You said the rain makes the world feel softer, like everything was being gently rewritten. I never understood it then, how you could just stand there, accepting everything as it was, embracing the role you were given like a blessing, drenching in the rain and smiling so ridiculously my heart throbs.
I hated the rain. And you laughed when I told you.
“The rain isn’t so bad if you let it love you,” you said once, raindrops falling into your hands. I scoffed. I didn’t understand, not really. I do now.
Now I sit in the silence you left behind, and I wait for the rain like I’m waiting for you. Like maybe if it falls hard enough, long enough, you’ll come back - still with that crooked smile and silver eyes I love, saying you miss me and the daffodils you gave so much care for.
But the rain only falls.
It doesn’t speak. And it never answers. It just reminds me of our time. A painful reminder.
Every drop, a memory. The way you talked about your past journeys. The song you hummed while watching the sky. The way you looked at my daffodils like it resembled something you held dear to your heart.
They say rain brings relief to the world.
I think it just makes pain bloom.
And I-
I let them.