Clutching the umbrella closer before it got ripped out of her hands, she treaded up the muddy path; the wind whipping her hair around.

The relief she felt as she found him was short lived. His tall frame was hunched on the bench, looking out to the scenery, his hair and clothes soaking wet.

"R-Rafe?" She said hesitantly, shocked to find him like this.

Carefully and curiously, she approached, reaching her umbrella out to shelter him from the relentless rain. He looked up and muttered a quiet greeting. His eyes were sad... and drunk. He looked like he was so far in his thoughts; it scared Norah a little. What was wrong?

She sat down beside him, ignoring how wet and cold the bench was. "It's not as nice here when the weather is so shit," she muttered, looking out at the dark and cloudy skies. The trees swayed back and forth from the wind.

"I guess so," he murmured.

"You okay?"

"No. Not really. But I will be." He looked at her.

After what seemed to be like a long time under the freezing rain, he said, "You're not wearing your glasses."

"They fog up in the rain."

That made him smile.

Norah took the opportunity to ask, "Want to talk about it?"

Rafe shrugged his shoulders. "Not much to say. It's the anniversary of my mum's death. I wanted to fly out to Italy to visit her grave. Just for the weekend. Lay some flowers. My father had forbidden it. He blocked all my cards. So, I wasn't sure what else to do on this day. To sit and study like her life meant nothing seemed unfair to her."

Norah's face was etched with sympathy, but also confusion. "Sorry I thought..."

"My father's wife is not my mother. And my brother is actually my half-brother."

Norah began quickly putting two and two together. If his half-brother was older than Rafe, that couldn't make Rafe's mother the first wife. Unless-

"I'm a love child. Or a bastard, I suppose," he spat the words out. "Depends on how you look at it."

His smile was filled with hurt and irony.

Norah listened quietly.

"She died when I was a kid, so my father made sure I was raised by him and his wife, Bianca. My step-mother. That putanna, she hates me so much. I'm a constant reminder to her of my father's infidelity," Rafe said the words, but to himself.

She wondered if he would say anything else, but he just stared blankly at the countryside. His hands were white from the cold, and his lips were blue. Norah looked at how miserable Rafe looked. For the first time, he wasn't his usual carefree self. Or even his angry self. He just looked broken.

She had assumed his life was a dream. She realised how wrong she had been.

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah."

"It's so strange... It's the anniversary of my grandpa's death today, too. What a sad day."

His eyes locked onto hers, his gaze softer and more focused. "My condolences..." he said. "So what are you doing for it? On your way to church?"

"No, we just opened a really fancy bottle of Pinot Noir."

Rafe let out a chuckle, much to Norah's relief. The sky rumbled again. It seemed to cry for them both.

"I had about five or six pints. Not very glamorous for mum's memory."

"Come with me," Norah said, getting up, trying to ignore the feeling of her soggy bum.

"Where?"

"We're having a Sunday roast, with veggies and potatoes, popping a bottle of wine or two and watching some movies. Moping around here will just get you a cold."

Before he protested, Norah grabbed his hand and forced him up under her umbrella. "I'm not having you skip any lessons because of a cold."

"I'm fine. Just leave me be. I need to be alone."

"Then I'll stay with you here," she said, sitting back down onto the cold, wet bench.

Rafe was getting agitated. "Go. You'll get a cold too."

She matched his temper, "I'm not having you skip lessons because you're sick from sitting out in the rain."

"Norah, I'll see you tomorrow."

"I'm not leaving you," she said stubbornly.

"Why Norah? Why the fuck do you care?"

"I just do. Okay? I know what it's like... to feel alone. I'll sit here with you and soak in the rain."

Rafe continued to sit in silence. The rain soaked his shirt. The raindrops rolled down his handsome face.

"I will not leave you here alone, no matter what you say. Please come with me. Meet my grandma," she said softly, taking his hand into hers.

The resolve in her eyes and the way she glued herself into the benched convinced him that she really wasn't about to move anywhere.

"I can't come to your house looking like this," Rafe said in defeat and gestured at his soaking clothes. "I'll just go back to the dorm and-"

"You'll dry off at mine."

He had no time to reply as Norah linked her arm around his and yanked him to come along with her.