Chapter XXXV – Rainy Day

Running towards the front door of the house, collapsed upon by a downpour which slowly started flooding the streets, Irene and Arthur found themselves soaking wet.

“We’re almost there!” Arthur yelled out holding onto Irene’s hand.

His words were hard to hear, especially with the occasional thunder that roared in the distance. Meanwhile, Irene couldn’t stop laughing as Arthur dragged them out for a walk due to it being a sunny day.

Pushing the front gates open and rushing into the front yard, Arthur checks his pockets for keys while Irene leaned against the wall. At least now she had partial cover from the rain.

“Come on. . . Where are my fucking keys?!” It was one of those rare times Irene heard Arthur swear.

Not that he minded the rain, in fact, he found it peaceful from time to time. But, he hated watching Irene shivering in the cold. The temperature significantly dropped.

“Calm down,” Irene chuckled. “The more you rush, the harder it’ll be to find it. Check your right pocket, I bet it’s in there.”

“I already-” he started talking, but as soon as he put his hand in he felt the keychain. Pulling out the key, he looked at her impressed. “Are you hiding the fact that you’re clairvoyant from me?”

“Maybe?” she giggled.

“Well if so, you should’ve told me sooner,” he pointed his tongue at her before unlocking the doors.

On his way in, Irene leaned on his back, shoving him inside. It hardly had enough power to move his weight around.

Closing the front door, and locking behind them, Arthur turned to see Irene taking off her shoes and socks while leaving behind a small puddle.

Hearing her laugh, Arthur shook his head while letting out a long sigh of disbelief.

“I knew we should’ve listened to me,” Irene looked at him smilingly.

“Oppa?” Sophie came rushing out of the living room. “Oh god! You’re soaked.”

“Hey Soph,” Irene waved. “Sorry about the mess.”

She was referring to the inevitable puddles they’d leave behind as she pushed her hair to the front.

“Never mind that. I need to get you some dry clothes,” Sophie said looking towards Irene. “Umm. . . I’ll get you some shorts that could fit you, but you’re gonna have to steal a shirt from Oppa.”

“I’m sure he won’t mind,” Irene teased.

“Of course,” Arthur nods. “I’ll try and find you something fitting.”

He took off his shoes and started walking down the hall, but was surprised to see Iseul coming out of the living room.

“Hey guys, having fun?” Iseul asked, leaning against the door.

She was wearing a black t-shirt and leggings.

“Oh, hi. . .” Arthur mumbled. “I didn’t know we had guests.”

“How’s the studying going?” Irene asked Iseul.

“Going great, she really picks up on things fast.”

“Studying?” Arthur asked confused.

It seemed like he was the only one who didn’t know what was going on. Iseul is Sophie’s friend, but he didn’t assume she’d be coming over.

“I already told you Oppa,” Sophie crossed her arms. “Since I wasn’t really satisfied with my scores on the midterms, I’ve asked Iseul to help tutor me.”

“You did?”

“Ugh, you’re really absentminded sometimes.”

“Sorry. . .” he chuckled awkwardly. It wasn’t that common that he forgets things. “But what do you mean unsatisfied with your results. You scored 80s in almost all subjects, and even had one 94.”

“If I want to get into a good college, that won’t do. . .” she sighed.

“Those scores are still impressive,” Irene pointed out. “You said it yourself though, it wasn’t that you didn’t know the material, it’s just that you let your nerves get the better of you.”

“Regardless of what it was, I’m glad to spend time helping out my little Sophie,” Iseul said as she approached Sophie from behind, hugging her around the neck.

“Your little Sophie?” Irene raised her eyebrow. “Let me correct you on that one, she’s mine.”

“Nuh-uh. . .” Iseul chuckled.

“You. . .” Irene grinned mischievously.

“Please don’t fight over me, I’m still my own,” Sophie teased smilingly, but her being flustered was obvious.

It was a friendly rivalry that Irene and Iseul developed over Sophie, both slowly developing a sisterly relationship with her. It wasn’t serious, but they loved seeing Sophie’s expressions as she was constantly unsure if they were actually arguing or not. Truthfully, the two had actually gotten much closer and if Irene wasn’t with Arthur, she was most likely with Iseul, Sophie, or both.

“You heard her, stop fighting and just accept it,” Iseul kept teasing.

“Me forceful? You’re clinging to her neck helplessly. . .”

“Sure I am,” she said smiling widely. “But, shouldn’t you be getting yourself changed?”

Irene looked down at her soaked clothes. She was still shivering.

“Oh, right!” Sophie broke away from the hug and rushed upstairs.

Arthur followed behind, but at a more casual pace. Listening in, he heard Iseul and Irene laughing, but he was too far away to hear details of their conversation. The storm wasn’t helping him either.

Eventually, Arthur returned downstairs, as Sophie gave Irene some spare clothes and with the addition of Arthur’s shirt, she was good to go.

“Thanks, I’ll change in the bathroom.”

“Want me to prepare you a bath?” Sophie asked.

“Thanks, but no need to trouble yourself. . .”

“At least take a shower,” Arthur insisted. “I’m sure that Sophie has more than enough hair products that you could use.”

“You would know. . . You keep stealing all of them,” Sophie glared at Arthur jokingly.

“I would never!” he pleaded innocent sarcastically, making the girls laugh.

“Fine, I’ll take a quick one then,” Irene said proceeding towards the bathroom.

Left on their own, the three stood in the hallway.

“You should probably take one as well,” Sophie pointed out. “Who knows, she might let you join her.”

“Sophie. . .” Arthur rolled his eyes as she continuously teased him all week long.

“Are you two together?” Iseul asked curiously.

“No, we’re not,” he sighed.

“They slept together though,” Sophie was quick to share what Arthur eventually ended up telling her.

“Sophie! When you say it like that-”

“No need to be shy Art. It’s normal, considering our age,” Iseul knew that something wasn’t right about what Sophie said, but she couldn’t resist teasing along.

“You two. . .” Arthur saw through her teasing, refusing to bite further.

“So. . . You’re really not together?” Iseul asked once more.

He was thrown off by the question a bit, but at the same time, he understood why others close to them would want to know. Still, he disliked that it was so easy to assume they’re in a relationship based on them hanging out together. For Arthur, that probably meant more rumors were running around.

“We’re just friends.”

Eventually, they changed the topic and talked about school while waiting for Irene to finish up. Once done with her shower, Irene left the bathroom wearing thigh-high socks, cotton shorts, and a plain white t-shirt that Arthur brought her.

“Damn, everything truly does look good on you,” Iseul complimented Irene.

“Shut up. . . You’re the one to talk,” Irene said walking past Iseul, leaning against the wall. “The shower’s free, and you should have more than enough hot water.”

“Alright, you girls have fun and I’ll be right back.”

It didn’t take Arthur long for him to get sorted out, taking a quick shower mostly to remove the smell of rain. It was true though, he was addicted to taking all of Sophie’s products, something that he admitted to Max in private. Initially thinking he’d make fun of him, Arthur was surprised to learn that Max did the same for years, claiming that any man who doesn’t do it is an ignorant coward.

Just thinking back about how passionately he talked about Iseul’s daycare products, made Arthur smile. Both agreed that the best part about it was without a doubt, the fact that they didn’t even need to spend time figuring out what to buy, and instead had their sisters do it for them. Though, unlike Arthur who got away with it due to Sophie’s affectionate attitude, Iseul knew how to be quite vengeful. He even recommended Arthur never piss her off, claiming that there is no hope for the ones who dared provoke her.

Finishing up, he left for the living room, which was suspiciously dark, only to see the girls sitting on the couch scrolling through the channels with the lights off.

“What are you girls doing?”

“Oh, we’re just considering what horror movie to watch,’ Irene explained.

At that moment, lightning flashed as a loud thunderous roar echoed throughout the city, sending shivers down Arthur’s spine.

“No.”

The girls looked at Arthur who was set on refusing them even if they begged on their knees. There was no amount of money, fame, or affection that would change his mind. Even though his expression was impossible to read, the girls knew why he refused.

They simultaneously burst into laughter.

“Not funny,” Arthur said with a toneless voice, sitting down on the floor as the couch was already tightly packed.

After having their fun, the girls finally stopped. It was Sophie’s idea, knowing that he’d react that way. He wasn’t sure how to react to constantly being teased about everything, but at the end of the day, he was still having fun. Seeing them all smile was worth the harmless fun they were having.

“So what should we do?” Sophie asked.

“Given up on studying?” Arthur wondered.

“She has earned her freedom for tonight,” Iseul added while clinging onto Sophie once more.

Irene grabbed Sophie under the arm and poked Arthur’s side with her toes. “Give your sister a break. . .”

“There’s no winning when it’s three on one! Jeez. . .”

The girls once again started laughing.

“I know! I have monopoly if you guys want to play,” Sophie suggested.

“Oh, I haven’t played that in so long!” Irene appeared hyped.

“I just hope you guys aren’t sore losers like Max,” Iseul added.

“You think you’re gonna win?” Irene pulled Sophie in tighter.

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“Wanna bet?” Irene gazed into Iseul’s eyes.

“What’s with you guys and betting? Stop already. . .” Sophie sighed as that word was thrown around a lot.

“Sorry, but this is something that we absolutely have to do,” Iseul claimed proudly. “How about loser pays for the cab?”

“Pff, not much of a bet. You scared you might lose something important?”

“You two aren’t going anywhere though,” Arthur said checking his phone after receiving a text message.

“What’s happening?” Sophie asked.

“Grandpa just sent me a message asking if you’re home since you’re not answering your phone. He’ll be staying at a co-worker's place since it’s right next to the mall. The storm is severe so it’s unlikely to find a cab to take you home. Basically, you two ain’t going anywhere tonight.”

“I can’t really stay though. . .” Iseul said. “It’s Saturday tomorrow, so I have to get to work.”

Irene stood up and walked towards the window. “Nah, he’s right. . . We’re stuck here for the night,” she said turning towards Iseul. “Call Max and tell him to cover for you, if you even have work tomorrow after such a downpour.”

“It’s not the first time such a storm hit the city,” Sophie mentioned. “It’s gonna be hot tomorrow, so it’ll dry up for sure by noon. Still, you ain’t going anywhere. Please?”

Iseul sighed in defeat. “Well, I can’t say no to you I guess.”

She mostly said that to poke fun at Irene, claiming that their relationship was that close.

“I’ll go get monopoly then.”

Just like that, Sophie rushed off to her room.

“What even is monopoly?” Arthur finally asked.

“It’s a board game, we’ll explain it once Sophie returns. Nothing too hard,” Iseul said, no longer confused by Arthur’s lack of experience with things after Irene explained to her about the accident. “Real talk though, what are we betting?”

“If I win, you have to teach me how to make one of your cakes from F&I, and if you win, I’ll organize a movie night at my place and prepare all the food and snacks. I’ll even let you pick the movie.”

“Sounds like a deal,” Iseul chuckled as Sophie returned to the living room moments later.

With the bet set, and the rules explained, the group began their first-ever game of monopoly.

It was a vicious battle and the game lasted long, but in the end, the winner was obvious even before the game ended.

“You guys really suck at this,” Arthur bragged as he ended up bankrupting Sophie who ended up lasting the longest against him.

“What fucking bullshit luck,” Irene complained as Arthur kept on rolling almost everything he needed.

“I knew beginner’s luck was a thing, but damn. . . Utter defeat,” Iseul sighed.

“You two should’ve wagered with him. . . Except against Tjay, Oppa never wins a bet. . .”

“Yeah. . . He truly is unlucky when it comes to betting,” Irene confirmed.

“I am not! It’s just a coincidence. I bet that my luck has significantly improved since I won my last bet. You know. . . Breaking a bad streak.”

“Let’s test it out,” Iseul took a coin. “If you win, I’ll prank call Max. If I win, you’ll have to make us dinner.”

“Fine. . .”

“Heads or tails?”

“Heads,” Arthur said confidently.

Throwing the coin and catching it mid-air, Iseul revealed it to be tails.

“Damn, you two weren’t kidding,” Iseul turned towards Irene and Sophie.

“Fine. . . I’ll see what I can make.”

“No,” Sophie stopped him. “I’ll do it.”

“Huh? Why?”

“It’s rare that the four of us spend time together like this, this being the first time. . . So I’d like us to eat. . . You know. . . Something special?” she spoke with a soft voice while averting her gaze.

“You saying my food is terrible?”

“No, no! That’s not what I meant.”

“Relax. . .”

“Oh. . .” Sophie mumbled.

“I’m not that hungry anyway, so nothing grand please,” Irene cut in.

“Same. It was just the first thing that came to mind,” Iseul said crossing her legs and leaning back into the couch.

“Oh, I thought we might wanna eat something-” Sophie stopped herself and sighed looking back at Arthur. “Never mind. Sandwiches will do fine.”

“Want to help me make them?” Arthur asked.

“Sure!” she said with her mood lifted.

“We really should continue our cooking sessions. I have so much to learn.”

“You do. . .”

“Harsh. . .”

The siblings proceeded towards the kitchen, leaving Irene and Iseul to their vices.

“Does she think we’ll never hang out like this again?” Iseul asked.

Irene nodded following up with a sigh.

Based on what the two knew about Sophie, being left with no parents and apparently having a bad relationship with Arthur before the accident, made her really appreciate moments like these. However, with all that high and enjoyment came fear. Fear that it might end at some point. Thus Sophie made sure to make the most out of every moment she spent with all her friends and family. Both Irene and Iseul understood this, hoping to one day help her ease up a bit.

“So, about our bet. . . We both lost huh,” Iseul said quietly. “Don’t worry, I’ll teach you how to make any cake you want. Didn’t need a bet for that.”

“Yeah. . . I was planning a movie night anyway,” Irene sighed, but then both started laughing.

Finishing up the food and after a long day, it was finally time for bed.

“Heh, can you believe we get to share the bed with this cutie?” Iseul said to Irene, but for the first time, Irene averted her gaze.

“Since I already had the pleasure, I’ll let you have her for the night. It’s only fair so no jealousy is involved later,” Irene mentioned eyeing the couch.

Iseul wasn’t buying it, something was off.

“Is this about my kicking?” Sophie asked looking away shamefully.

“Kicking?” Iseul asked.

“Apparently Sophie likes to kick a lot in bed,” Arthur explained.

“Oh, is that it? That’s fine,” Iseul reassured her.

“It’s pretty bad sometimes,” Sophie admitted flustered.

“Can’t be worse than Max. . . He used to shove me out of the bed at least two times a night. If I could live with that, I’m sure I’ll be fine with you,” she chuckled.

“Surprisingly you were very calm when you slept in my bed,” Arthur noted.

“That’s because you were having nightmares, so I bet my body listened and didn’t wish to make things worse. Great, now I’m saying bet all the time as well. . .” she managed to make the girls giggle.

“See! I’m sure it’ll be fine. Maybe Irene made you feel cramped?”

“Well. . . There were three of us in that bed,” Irene shrugged her shoulders.

“It happened when I was just with Ari as well, so I doubt it’s that. . .”

“Sophie, I think it was just the stress. . .” Arthur cut in. “Just don’t overthink it and eventually you’ll stop.”

“OK. . .” she sighed.

“Then it’s settled, but I don’t know how I feel about you sleeping on the couch. . .” Iseul said.

“It's fine, I sleep on my couch all the time.”

“That’s cuz your room is a constant mess,” Arthur pointed out.

“It’s not!” Irene protested crossing her arms but fails to keep a straight face.

“You can sleep in my bed, I’ll take the couch,” Arthur offered.

“No way, I don’t want to drag you out of your bed.”

“Well, I don’t want you sleeping on the couch. You’re our guest.”

“You’re making me look bad cuz I let you sleep on the couch. . .”

“I’m a man though, it’s fine. You shouldn’t be in the living room.”

“What does that have anything to do with it?”

Sophie in the middle of their argument grabbed Iseul by the hand and dragged her up the stairs while whispering goodnight to the two.

“Are they gonna be alright?” Iseul asked worriedly.

“They will. . . This’ll last,” she chuckled thinking how sweet they looked together.

She was right though, as neither was gonna give in.

“Listen. . . I don’t want you sleeping on the couch. Besides, I’m sure my Grandpa would be confused finding you here early in the morning.”

“I’d be awake by then. . .”

“You and I both know that won’t happen. . .”

“Are you doubting me?” she said with a smile feeling challenged.

“What? No. . .” he sighed. “Listen-”

“I just don’t want you to kick you out of your bed. . .” she lowered her voice and averted her gaze.

While the whole conversation was light, even if they were somewhat arguing, her change in tone turned it serious. He wasn’t able to keep up the same tone he used up until that point. Seeing her like that disarmed him.

“I can’t win against you two. . .” he referred to Sophie and Irene.

“So I’ll be taking the couch, OK?” she looked up at him. “If you could just get me a pillow and a blanket, it’ll be enough.”

“I can’t let you sleep on the couch. . .”

“Fine, then I guess we’ll just have to share your bed. . .” she averted her gaze once more, thinking he’d back off.

“Sure,” he said turning around towards the stairs, leaving her surprised but smiling. “You coming?”

Arthur wasn’t against the idea of sharing a bed with her. Truthfully, it felt comforting even without anything romantically happening between the two.

Irene took a deep breath and followed behind him.

Reaching his room, Arthur went to take off his clothes but stopped himself looking back at Irene.

“I don’t mind,” Irene said confidently. “Sleep however you feel comfortable.”

“What if I slept naked?” Arthur teased.

“Then I’d bask in the glorious view,” she answered, confident that he wasn’t being serious.

“Sure, sure. . .” he said taking his pants off and remaining in just his underwear and t-shirt.

Irene didn’t take anything off as the two jumped into bed. Arthur insisted that she slept next to the wall, as to not have to worry about her falling off.

With the two laying back to back, they kept quiet for a bit.

“You truly fine with us sharing a bed like this?” Irene asked.

“Why not? It’s not the first time. Besides, there’s nothing weird with friends sharing a bed.”

Irene found his words true. She too shared a bed with a friend on more than one occasion, but they were all female friends. Arthur was the first guy she shared a bed with, and it was mostly due to her being too tired to realize what she was doing. Her friends talked about it before, and some found it weird while others claimed it to be completely natural. In the end, she figured that what might be normal for some, probably won’t be for others. For a person who lived her life believing that she shouldn’t hesitate in doing what she wants as long as it doesn’t hurt others or herself, there was only the option of accepting what felt personally comfortable for her. Truthfully, she felt comfortable around Arthur and even enjoyed the warmth.

“You’re right. . .” Irene sighed, erasing all doubt in her mind. “Good night.”

“Night, night,” Arthur whispered softly before closing his eyes.

The two soon fell asleep to the sound of rain.

Chapter End.

Thank you for reading.