The Sweet Taste of Rain Chapter 2

Later, I remembered to use the phone number from the call to add him as a contact.

He accepted the request quickly, but didn't say a word for half the day.

I quietly snooped through the six years of his life since he left.

His social media feed was quiet and monotonous.

Until last year, when a vibrant girl in a red dress appeared—she looked a lot like I used to.

From that day on, Caleb posted more often.

His smile wasn't as blazing as it used to be, but it radiated a quiet, steady happiness.

I stared at the screen, a little dazed. Halfway through scrolling, the screen went black.

It seemed he suddenly remembered and blocked me.

I slowly finished my last bite of instant ramen.

I tossed my phone aside and wrapped myself tightly in my blanket.

I didn't sleep a wink all night.

For the next few days, it was like both of us had completely forgotten the incident.

I prepped my lessons, went to the middle school to teach, fed the cat—my life was a simple two-point line.

He was busy with his tech company, flying out for negotiations and meetings.

Occasionally, I'd see him on the local news.

Caleb Thorne, Tech Prodigy, Rises to Power, Acquires Rival Firms. Whenever Chloe came over, she'd bring groceries.

We'd sit on the couch, munching on watermelon, and watch the news together.

His success had made a lot of wealthy heiresses eager to throw their hats in the ring.

"Mr. Thorne, you've rejected all proposals for an arranged marriage. May we ask why?" a bold reporter asked on TV.

Caleb narrowed his eyes, his demeanor composed yet aloof.

But a fleeting, almost imperceptible warmth flashed in his eyes.

"I have a girlfriend."

Everyone assumed it was the girl living in his mansion.

Chloe poked me, hesitating before asking, "Didn't you just say you guys got back together? Is he going to marry you?"

"I mean, the way he chased you back in high school... the whole town knew about it."

I stared at the polite, distant man on the screen.

I shook my head.

I tapped her lightly on the head.

"Dummy, who becomes someone's girlfriend over a scoop of ice cream?"

Caleb clearly didn't care about me at all.

"I know, but he was the Caleb who loved you more than anything in the world!"

She counted on her fingers. "You guys skipped class together, won stuff at the arcade, had your first kiss."

"Every time you even looked at him, that cold, untouchable guy would come running like an eager puppy."

The memories felt so distant now.

"By the way, tell me honestly... did you really dump him because you cheated?"

I hummed softly and shook my head truthfully.

Chloe fell silent for a moment, then changed the subject.

"It's okay, don't be sad. It's not like we're short on men."

I looked up and said slowly, "I was fine to begin with."

She choked on her words, tied on an apron, and went into the kitchen to cook.

"Tsk. I should have known you don't have a heart. Hurry up and help me."

I thought things would just go back to normal.

Until one night, he initiated a text.

[Let's grab dinner tomorrow night.]

[I'll wait for you downstairs.]

I had just gotten out of the shower when I saw the message.

Right, it had been six years since the breakup.

Maybe it was because I was getting older, but I just felt lazy.

I was still living in the same small apartment we used to share.

After staring at the screen for a while, I finally remembered to decline.

[No thanks, I have plans tomorrow.]

His reply was brief.

[I'm only waiting three minutes.]

Cold, distant, and impatient.

It hit me then.

He was no longer the Caleb who catered to my every whim.

But honestly, I really didn't want to go to that dinner.

I thought about it for a moment, then started typing.

[Ah, I'm really sorry. I didn't actually mean anything by it. It was just that the ice cream special was so rare, and it was so hot out...]

[And you were the only person on the street I recognized. It would be rude to ask a stranger to split an order, at least we used to date...]

[Let's just drop it. It's better for everyone.]

The more I wrote, the messier it got.

I deleted the whole thing.

I just sent one sentence.

[I was joking about getting back together the other day. Sorry about that.]

I sat there holding my phone for a while.

He didn't reply.

I sighed.

All that bitterness from six years ago... let's just leave it in the past.