As Sarah arrived home, she felt cold and wet from the rain. She had left the concert hall around 10:30 pm, after helping Professor Schneider with some of the menial administration tasks. It had poured heavily at that time, and she wished her parents were there to drive her home comfortably. Unfortunately, there was no other choice. She thought about taking a taxi, but realized she didn't have enough money for the ride because she had given most of her allowance to Deliah to buy an outfit for her date.
Feeling exhausted from her performance, Sarah opted to take the bus. She dozed off and missed her stop by one bus stop, but it was not too far from her house. However, she had forgotten to bring an umbrella, which meant she had to run all the way home in the rain while wearing her concert shoes and pencil skirt. To make matters worse, her glasses kept getting foggy, which made the journey even more irritating.
At 11:30 pm, Sarah finally arrived home, feeling tired, cold, and shivering. All she wanted was a hot chocolate and a hug. The moment she opened the door, Deliah's voice rang out from the second floor. "SARAH! You're back!" Sarah smiled, forgetting her unfortunate night and went to meet her sister. Deliah raced down the steps, and Sarah bit her lip, wondering how she was going to respond to Deliah's never-ending questions about how her recital went. Deliah fires questions like a bullet gun.
"Hey Liah, it was alright-" Sarah started when Deliah let out a squeal. "SARAH!" Deliah beamed. "Today was the best day of my life!" she declared.
Despite her rough evening, Sarah couldn't help but smile at her sister's excitement. She knew that no matter how tough her day had been, Deliah's infectious energy always had a way of brightening her spirits.
"I cannot even begin to tell you how perfect everything was!" Deliah exclaimed, practically glowing. "I think I might be in love with Alex!"
Sarah tried to feign interest, despite feeling a bit deflated. She had just performed in a big recital, but of course, her sister only wanted to talk about Alex. Sarah sighed, feeling a bit jealous.
"He sounds like a gentleman," she managed to reply.
Deliah continued to gush about Alex, describing how he pulled out chairs, opened doors, and even protected her from creepy guys. Sarah couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed. Why did her sister always get the perfect guys?
Trying to change the subject, Sarah announced that she needed to take a warm bath to stave off the chill she'd caught from the rain.
"Of course, sissy," Deliah replied, finally noticing how soaked Sarah was. "But don't take too long! I have so much more to tell you about Alex!"
As Sarah headed to the bathroom, she couldn't help but feel a bit bitter. Meanwhile, Alex was out with his friends, probably not even thinking about Deliah or her perfect date.
Alex went out for a drink with his friends after his date. They had arranged to meet up since they were curious to know every single detail about his love life. Alex had to commit everything he remembered to verbal words, reporting every scene to his nosy friends.
"Did you hold her hand?" his friends prodded. "Did you kiss her lips? Did you invite yourself into her house?"
Alex threw impatient glares at his friends. "Please. This was just an experimental date." he rolled his eyes. "It's not like Deliah's already my steady girlfriend or soulmate or whatever."
"Hey, we never said anything about a soulmate," Steve pointed out. "So, that means you think she is?" he whooped. "Oh boy, guys, I feel like a dad marrying off my daughter already!"Steve exclaimed dramatically.
Alex threw exasperated expressions all around and sighed. "It was okay, alright?" he hissed. "I'm not too sure about how I feel for her. I mean, she's pretty and all-"
"You obviously like her, or you wouldn't have gone on the date with her, right?" Henry reasoned. "Come on, Deliah is a real catch. Don't be too slow and let her slip through your fingers!" he urged.
"But do you know how much she talks?" Alex rubbed his temples. "Non-stop. I'm not joking. She talks about every single little thing in the universe as if she could write an argument essay about it. She just has SO MANY things to say," he groaned.
He looked at his friends. "You guys know how I feel about incessant talking," he mumbled. "I look quiet, but I'm dorky inside, I admit. I kinda like doing lame stuff once in a while, but still, that doesn't make me a bullet gun mouth!"
"Hey, that's mean," Joe poked Alex. "Because you're dull and everything, you need someone chirpy to brighten your life up!"
"They always say opposites attract, right?" Philip pointed out. "Maybe this is the case, Alex."
"And don't blame the poor girl," Brad advised. "She barely had anything to say to me when I was courting her. It was so awkward. The fact that she had things to say showed that she was nervous about this too, hence the blabbering. She likes you, Alex."
Alex downed his shot and rubbed his head. Man, this love thing was so confusing.
"I'll go back home. Curfew's at twelve," Alex muttered.
*********
Alex's friends said their goodbyes and he got into his sleek black Audi car.. Just as he was about to leave, the skies opened up and it started pouring. Alex was grateful he had a car to drive home, but first, he had to pass by Deliah's house to get to the expressway. As he turned down the small lane, he was surprised to see someone running in the pouring rain.
Squinting through the windshield, Alex couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was a girl in a soaking-wet pencil skirt and heels, sprinting down the street. He immediately stopped the car out of compassion, but just as he was about to honk and offer her a ride, another car came up from behind and blared its horn.
Alex looked at the girl, feeling torn. "Sorry," he muttered as he stepped on the accelerator and drove off, leaving her to brave the rain on her own.
**********
Sarah was wrapped up in a cozy blanket, trying to stay warm as she chatted with her sister Deliah. Suddenly, Alex's name came up, and Sarah was surprised to hear her usually reserved sister shouting.
"What did you say?" Sarah asked, laughing.
Deliah giggled, embarrassed. "I want to write a confession letter to Alex. Will you help me?" she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Sarah was taken aback. Her sister had never been the type to confess her feelings so boldly. "You want to confess already?" she asked incredulously.
Deliah nodded, sitting down on the bed beside Sarah. "I've never been so sure before, Sarah." she said dreamily. "Since I can remember, Alex is the one guy who has captured my heart. I want to confess. I want to fight for this," she said determinedly.
"You're being impulsive, aren't you? I don't want to see you get hurt. Can't you think about it a little more?" Sarah expressed concern to Deliah,
"You think I haven't been thinking? I've been obsessing over him all week. I really want this, Sarah." She retorted.
"I'm not sure if he likes me back, though. But he asked me out on a date, and he's been so kind and attentive to me. That must mean something, right?" Deliah confided in her sister
Sarah hugged her blanket tighter, still feeling chilled from the rain. "I don't know, Liah. Do you really want to do this?"
"Yes, I do. Will you please help me? My artistic skills are terrible, and I want to create a beautiful confession letter. I've already drafted the content." Deliah waved a paper in the air.
Sarah reluctantly agreed, knowing she couldn't refuse her sister anything. That was her biggest flaw.
"Alright, I'll help you."
Deliah was overjoyed and exclaimed, "Thank you so much, sissy! I owe you big time!" She embraced Sarah tightly.
"Where are the art supplies?" Sarah asked with a sigh.
"They're right there, Sarah! I've got everything we need!" Deliah hurriedly grabbed a bag filled with art materials.
Sarah pondered on how to make the confession letter as beautiful as possible. She was determined to make it perfect for Deliah's sake.