With the rain came the heady smell of fresh grass mixed with the strong scent of flowers, through the air. He shifted his weight to his other leg, his feet making a squelching sound in his shoe, his suit thoroughly soaked through.
Looking at his wrist watch, he let out a sigh. He sat on the nearest bench, dropping the bouquet of white water lily flowers he held in his hands beside him on the stone bench.
The light quacking of ducks was heard in the background as they came out to play and enjoy the cool evening after the heavy rainfall.
He stretched out his leg while swinging his feet side to side.
The rain had washed out the gel that held his hair together, giving him a ruffled look, his skin pale under the last rays of the sun as it set in golden-pink hues.
A lock of stray hair fell, covering the half side of his left eye, as he leaned his neck towards his left, a drop of water from the stray lock falling on his cheek.
Deep down, he knew she wasn't going to come, but he hoped she'd show up; Hope, a very fickle strand that might break anytime, was what he clung to.
He had planned to make everything right and finally make her his, but plans don't always go the way we expect them to, the very outcome that we feel giddy about.
Looking at his wrist watch one last time, he let out another sigh, with mist forming from his breath.
He looked at the white water lilies he had bought, knowing it was her favourite.
A soft smile rested on his face, taking him back to the moment when he had first met her on this very same bridge.
He had come to take pictures of the ducks in the lake to let off some steam.
His family was doubling down on his neck, and the pressure was higher on that day.
Let's just say they almost ended up falling into the lake when she got too close to the edge, where the railing was weak, as she tried to pluck a water lily from the water, the only white one in the sea of pink.
In the spur of the moment, he rushed to her side and grabbed her sling bag, forcefully pulling her back from the edge, making them fall on the hard concrete ground of the bridge pavement.
Her body was safely wedged with his, as he took most of the brunt of the fall.
He chuckled at the fond memory, his eyes scanned the lake one last time before he got up from the bench, leaving the water lilies behind.
The rejection was clear.
Truly, maybe it was time to move on or continue to love her silently till she can be confident enough to shine without shame, and he can become bold enough to always protect her.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Silence filled the tiny apartment; the slight dull hum of the heater was all that could be heard in the background.
She squeezed the edge of the letter as she read the contents over and over again.
Devouring it? Memorising it? No, it wasn't any of that. She got hints of his woody, cinnamon-scented perfume on the paper.
The very person who she thought was on her side since she moved to the city to start out her writing career as a serial webnovelist.
The very first of her kind who was bold enough to have taken a job offer from a traditional publishing company that decided to experiment.
Her hands shook, and a teardrop fell from her eyes.
Was this a joke? Or was it truly him?
It smelled like him.
She truly wanted to believe it was him, or it might just be a prank from the people who have been trolling her since her webnovel series Crown and Bones got popular.
Not knowing what to do, she couldn't make a quick decision; it was so paralysing that she felt a chill in her bones.
Too scared to even go out due to the amount of harassment she got recently, and it's not like she had a choice on not going out tonight either.
Her hands dropped to her side, and she let the paper drop on the tiled apartment floor. Too scared to make a decision to go to that particular place.
What if, just what if it truly was him, shouldn't she take the leap of faith and find out?
Sadly, her fear overshadowed even the small glimpse of faith she had.
On her work table sat another letter, with the trimmings in deep purple and gold and a soft, delicate ribbon strung on the edge of the card; it wasn't tied, it was left open on the table.
The words staring boldly at her, receiving two chilling letters in one day, were more than what she could handle right now.
One required a leap of faith, and the other was a direct command she couldn't overlook
It was a direct invitation to attend the annual writer's award that her company always hosted, and it was her first time since she got contracted.
They had always made her feel like she was a plague, a dark stain, a decision made by the company that wasn't meant to be made.
The very company where he rejected her openly in front of everyone, so why should she trust the very letter sent by him?
If it truly came from him.
She had nothing to verify except his signature scent, lingering on the paper.
She wiped her cheeks; her heart resolved on what she was to do.
She took a look at her computer screen one last time, the new novel she was working on, a new landscape and genre she was trying out.
If she could pull it off, she'd be well known and finally be acknowledged as a full-fledged writer.
The book was only in its baby stage as she wrote and plotted at the same time, with just six chapters in.
While on another shared screen on her work table, on her Discord server group, sunshineduckies99 had sent a message, 'good luck with your book,' it read.
She bit her lip lightly as she read the message, "I hope so," she muttered to herself, taking some time out to scan through her novellek discord group server just in case she missed any important update.
A support group where webnovel writers help each other with tips, ideas, and also chill and connect with diverse writers.
Switching the computer off, she stood fully.
"Okay, this is it," she tried to cheer herself up, as she took a cursory look at the mirror, before walking out of her room.
Her chariot to the award night awaited her, with the night holding its surprises.