They were in the middle of their walk when large raindrops began to fall.
"Oh, maybe it's better if we go under a waiting shed first," Mia said in a worried tone.
Then Erik looked up at the sky and turn to Mia afterward. "I think so because it seems like a very downpour is approaching. And even if we share an umbrella, we might still get wet. I don’t want you to get sick," there was concern in Erik’s tone of speech, which is why Mia secretly felt the thrill in her chest because of that.
They stayed under a waiting shed they passed while they were on their way home. Mia sat on the iron bench just like Erik have told her.
It's like that's all the sky was waiting for to happen, for them to find cover because after that it poured down very heavy rain.
Mia silently watched every drop of it while Erik who was like her is doing the same. Cars rarely pass because the road in front of them is not the main road.
In Mia's heart, she was very happy at that moment. At least she had this romantic and private time with the young man. Not all women who have a secret crush on Erik get this chance, so she can say she's lucky compared to others.
"Are you okay?" Erik asked her after a long time of silence.
She nodded and then smiled at the young man. "Yes, I'm fine," she replied.
"When the rain stops a little do you want to go continue our walking?" he asked her again.
"I’m okay with that. But if you want, we can also wait until the rain stops," Mia replied in her usual kind voice.
The truth is that she feels so shy to share his umbrella even though the truth is that he told her that he was willing to do so just in case. It's something that she knows she has to gradually learn to accept and get used to due to the fact that the two of them are partners in the cotillion.
It was not the first time that their teachers paired them. Often when there is an academic competition in other schools, she and Erik are together. But this is the first time she will be dancing with him so maybe it's normal to feel nervous.
"Who is your prom date?" That question from her classmate seemed to bring Mia back to reality for she was once again lost in daydreaming.
She has been daydreaming all the time these past few days and she can't stop it. It's not like before when Erik didn't talk to her much. Now she notices that fate is being too kind to her or heaven is just blessing her too much?
"Ah, Bernie," was her simple answer.
Erik nodded then spoke again. "I was right in my suspicion," he said then chuckles lightly.
That's when Mia's eyebrows met. "Suspicion? Suspicion where?" she asked in surprise.
*****
THAT'S when Erik secretly scolded himself.
He's a guy alright, but he seems to be more talkative than Mia.
"A-Ah, n-never mind," he replied stammering afterward.
That was when Mia laughs beautifully. "It's okay, tell me. What is that?" she asked in her usual sweet and kind tone.
"I mean, I was right in suspecting that he will be your date," he said truthfully and then smiled at the young lady even though he was feeling so embarrassed at that very moment.
Mia nodded. "The truth is, I'm thankful and Bernie is always by my side. Because he never leaves me alone every time there's an event, he always accompanies me and he's always the first to ask me out," said Mia who looked away as if there is a beautiful view in the direction she was looking that is making her smile.
Erik may not admit it, but he knew to himself that he secretly felt a pinch in his chest. What it was for, he wasn't sure. But in the tone of Mia's speech, it seems that now something has changed. It seems that now he wants to thank Bernie for not leaving Mia’s side. That way the young lady doesn’t have to be alone and doesn’t feel out of place.
“During our prom, last year, did you know that Bernie was the only one who asked me to dance? I could only imagine what will happen to me without him, what would I do? Wallflower?" Mia continued laughing softly again afterward.
Erik remained silent and did not utter any words because of what he heard. Even though deep inside him he knew that he was secretly scolding himself because of what he heard from Mia.
"There, I think the rain is about to stop,” he heard her say after a while.
"Do you want to go home already?" Erik finally found something he could say.
*****
With that question, Mia spontaneously turned to her handsome companion. Then, like before, a sweet but simple smile automatically broke from her lips.
"Yeah, I’m sure my Nana Rosita is already worried about me," she answered.
That's when Erik stood up and from inside his backpack, the young man took out a folded umbrella. Then he handed it to her.
"What? Oh no, you might get sick," Mia refused when she understood what her classmate meant.
"No, it’s okay, I'm fine," Erik insisted.
At that moment, Mia fully understood that Erik may have had the idea that she was shy to share his umbrella, so she decided to let it rain there. That's why eventually the young lady decided to do the right thing and fight the extreme discomfort she felt.
"Okay, let's just share," Mia said to Erik.
She saw the intense surprise in the young man's round and beautiful eyes. She always finds them beautiful anyway. Round with impressive emotions.
"Are you sure?" that's what he asked her.
"Yes, very," Mia answered.
That's when the young man opened the umbrella he was holding.
"I wonder if we can fit under it," the words that spontaneously escaped her lips because the truth is, she was trying to ignore the fact that she was really nervous at that moment.
Erik laughed softly. "Come a little closer here, if you do not want to get wet," he said, grabbing her arm and pulling her closer.
A strong breath escaped Mia's lips because of that. She just felt the flow of electricity that went through her because of what Erik did. Fortunately, it didn't seem like a big deal to her classmate and may be the reason why he ignored her as well.
"Yes, by the way, do you have a dress, for the prom already? Didn't Mrs. De Jesus say the dress we'll wear to the cotillion and to the dance itself can be the same to save money?" they were already walking. And just what men usually do apart from the fact that Erik is taller than her because her height of five and six inches is just a little over his shoulder. The young man held the umbrella.
Mia shook her head. "I'll just tell Nana Rosita later when I get home. Since our teacher just said that burgundy is the color motif for girls' prom dresses," she said.
She was sure that her mother would be happy when she found out that Erik will be her partner and that the two of them were the lead cotillion dancers. So, she won't be surprised if later when she gets home Nana Rosita will invite her to look for a dress she can wear to the prom, already. Regardless of the fact that it will be happening next month, they still have enough time for preparation.