It'll Come Naturally

He sat idly on the rock for a very long time, as if he was part of a painting which blended perfectly with the blue sky and the indigo ocean in the back. Big waves lashed onto the shore, one after another. White foams splashed onto his shirt, some of them wet his mouth. He

licked the foam; the bitterness of the sea made him smirk. His heart was more bitter than the ocean.

His life was a show he put up for people around him. He was a funny, cool gentleman in front of others. But as soon as the lights went out, he had to return to his little dark corner. There, he had to clean up his unseen wounds and amend his own broken heart all by himself. He was like an artist- performing and faking emotions. He knew how to distract people with his unique laughter. He never revealed his real self to anyone. The people around him thought of him as a funny, positive and generally happy person. But they couldn't be more wrong. He was torn, beaten, and wounded by his harsh life. He had to live with his mask on. His life was merely a show for others.

The sunset over the horizon was simply breathtaking, but Rain was not paying any attention to it. Nothing seemed beautiful or wholesome to him anymore. Waves nosily hit the rocks underneath his feet one after another and then faded away. Occasionally, a seagull would fly across the sky, hovering above the ocean not far from where he sat. Rain watched the view in front of him, his mind galloping wildly. Time seemed frozen at some point. He couldn't control his emotions any longer.

His past haunted him like a vengeful ghost. So many scenes flashed in front of his eyes, messing up his mind. No matter how desperately he tried, he couldn't break the shackles of his nightmares. They were everywhere. There was no escape. Rain buried his face into his palms and moaned in agony. Depression soon overwhelmed him. He was the one who had chosen to place all his burdens on his own shoulders. Now, he had to face the consequence with his remaining courage.

When the sun finally disappeared into the sea, Rain dragged himself back to the car. He closed his tired eyes and took a few minutes' nap. He picked up the phone by his side and was surprised to see so many missed calls. One of the callers was Leena and she had called him over a hundred times! Rain twisted his stiff neck and shook his head in disbelief. Silly girl! Along with her calls, there were several other calls from his other friends. As he stared at all those familiar numbers, Rain felt something warm in his frozen heart once again. One of the numbers caught his eye. It was Edward. Although he had called only once, Rain still appreciated his care. Unlike Leena, Edward knew when to stop. One call was enough. A single call was enough to say, 'I'm here for you.'

Rain let out a soft sigh as he went through all his unread messages. Most of them were from Leena. She had been texting him for so long, asking about his whereabouts. Deeply touched by her concern, Rain's eyes filled with tears. He quickly turned his head towards the open car window, lifted his nose in the air and inhaled deeply.All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

Her messages seemed so magical that he was afraid that if he read another one, he might end up with tears streaming down his cheeks despite his own will. One of her messages read- "Dear Rain, I am cooking something delicious tonight. Please come to my house as soon as you read this message. I will be waiting for you, no matter how late it gets. We'll eat together. PS: If you do not show up, I will not eat at all!"

She sounded quite childish, but Rain knew it was her unique way of comforting him. Leena was a sweet girl. She was delightful, understanding and most of all, she cared for her friends without any reservation. Everyone liked her, spoiled her and would literally do anything for her in return. As he put away his cell phone, Rain smiled from the bottom of his heart. Thanks to Leena's warm messages, he now felt much better.

Her words melted his frozen heart and swept away the gloomy mood within him. He knew he was not alone. Although he was just a bastard to the Ke family, he was greatly cherished by his friends. Leena might not be related to him by blood, but she was living proof that there were bonds which were stronger than blood. She cared for him dearly, despite his background or identity. Rain knew that she would always be there for him. For which, he was eternally grateful.

Leena had a tough afternoon. She was agitated because she hadn't heard from Rain. He was the type to always return her calls, no matter how late. She was going crazy as she waited to receive a call or a message from him. Overwhelmed by her anxiety, she couldn't eat or sleep. Every single cell in her body was screaming, 'Find Rain right now!'

As she was sitting on the sofa, thinking about the worst-case scenario, someone rang the door bell. Leena sprang up to her feet, dashed towards the door and pulled the door wide open. Kevin had warned her numerous times that she should only open the door after checking who the visitor was. But she had no time or patience for all that.

Rain stood casually at the door and smiled at her. "Hey girl, I'm starving. What have you cooked for us?" Leena smiled brightly and threw herself into his arms. Rain embraced her warmly. His strong arms wrapped around her slim shoulders, his bearded chin resting just above her shampoo-scented hair. He brought in the strong scent of the sea into the room. He smelled like a thick bunch of seaweed.

"Oh my God! Rain, let me go first. You stink!" Leena pushed him away and quickly covered her mouth with both her hands, almost on the verge of puking.

"What?! Do I smell that bad?" Rain raised his eyebrows as he watched her run away from him and straight into the bathroom. He lifted his coat and sniffed the fabric. A strong smell hit him. Rain sniggered. She was right. He did smell unpleasant. But it wasn't that horrible. Inside the bathroom, Leena bent over the toilet and puked everything out. With trembling legs, she came back to Rain's side and gave him a weak smile. With a baby growing inside her, she couldn't stand any strong smell. Rain, with his trip to the ocean, caused her to have that crazy pregnancy reaction.

"You poor little thing, are you all right? Do I really smell like rotten fish to you?" Rain patted her softly on the shoulder, trying to help her feel better. Then he went to the kitchen and fetched a glass of water for her to wash away the smell in her mouth. As they sat down on the sofa, he looked at her and said, "I do smell like seaweed, I suppose. But boy, you are over-reacting!"

Leena rinsed her mouth and pulled herself together. Then she said weakly, "I am not over-reacting! I'm pregnant, you know. I'm sensitive to scent, especially unpleasant ones like this. Even the slightest odor makes me vomit."

"Oh! I almost forgot that you are pregnant. Now I understand. For a moment, I thought that I was so stinky that the mere sight of me sent you straight into the bathroom!" His casual joke made her laugh. She gave him a friendly nudge and giggled. Rain had the magical power to cheer others up. Despite the fact that he was a broken man inside, he never showed his vulnerability to others. He armed himself with the most gorgeous smile.000000