Rain was aggressively tapping the glass windows. Inside the house was a sick coldness that no one could bare. Brianna was cuddled in her black woollen jacket; staring blankly at the computer’s screen. A mug of black tea with cinnamon aroma was on the desk. She felt sleepy. When Glenn entered the room, she startled her. She winced trying to shake off a shiver and looked back at her best friend.

She was dressed up, ready to go to a party.

“Why aren’t you dressed yet?” she asked.

“I told once, I’ll tell you twice, I’m not in a mood for parties. I’m not going.”

“C’mon, Bri, don’t do this to yourself.”

“I’m not doing anything to myself. I’m still busy with this article.”

“You put too much price on that stupid newspaper!” Glenn spat.

“It’s not stupid and who let you in?”

“Francesca,” she replied. “You are so detached from the real world, that you don’t even hear what’s happening around you.”

“Whatever…”

“Come on! It’s going to be fun. Anthony and Maud are also coming.”

She didn’t reply.

“And if it makes you feel better, neither Edward is coming. Liam told me he stays locked up in his room and refuses any kind of communication with the outside world. He is unrecognizable. Brianna you changed his life, can’t you see it?”

“Bullshit. I am not in the mood of talking about him. He no longer exists for me,” she said in a dry voice with a touch of doubt.

“Yeah, well I’d like you to say it without any doubt. You love him.”

She raised her middle finger. Glenn smiled.

“Same to you, but much more of it. You are so damn stubborn, no less.”

“So will you please leave, now?” Brianna was getting really annoyed by the conversation

“You sure you’re not coming?”

“Positive,” she nodded.

“Okay…take care,” she made a few steps towards the door.

“Will do.”

After her friend left, she gave a sigh. Edward…How stupid she was. He was the school’s playboy; a million girls were yearning for his touch, for his smile, even for some cheap pick-up lines. As hard as it was for her to admit it, his lines were somewhat funny, or charming…but she shouldn’t think about it. He was a bastard through it all. He made a bet on her like she was a race horse. As she was getting ready to return to the article she was trying to read for over an hour, she thought she heard someone call out her name. It was only the sound of rain and thunder. Shacking of the feeling that she was being watched she tried to resume to her work, when she heard it again.

“Brianna!”

She winced. People thought she was crazy, but now she was actually taking their opinions into consideration. Maybe it was the tiredness.

“Brianna!”

Maybe it was Edward.

She cautiously made her way towards the window and removed a little of the cotton dark curtains, just enough not to reveal her. And then she saw him. In the rain, with only a jacket on him was Edward Shepherd. His face was brightened by a strange light that she didn’t recognize. His eyes were wide open and because of the cold, his lips were trembling and were slightly purplish. He was mad and she would be even madder if she didn’t send him home that instant or call security.

“Brianna!” he yelled again.

She leaned her back against the wall and slowly slid down it. She rested her forehead on her knees. This was…anything, but what she’d expected. She expected to have good grades, few friends, professors that didn’t bug her, be a great and perfectionist chief-editor at the school’s newspaper, and get into college… None of these things involved falling in love, more precisely with Edward Shepherd. The other day, if you’d asked her, she was sure that she was his sheer amusement topic, but now she wasn’t that sure…No, he didn’t love her or care about her, or did he?

“Brianna!”

She took a deep breath and opened the window. She narrowed her eyes, so that she could see through the slashing rain drops.

“Brianna!” he let out another scream.

“Are you fucking drunk, Shepherd?” she asked him, just to make sure.

“No!” he replied. “Come down, I want to talk to you!”

“Are you high?” she asked.

“If you are drug, than yes, I am fucking high. I am completely stoned!”

She fought back a smile. “You are crazy!”

“Then you are nothing below, my darling,” she thought she saw him wink. “Come down here!”

“Oh my God…”she muttered under her breath.

“Brianna!” he screamed.

“Keep it down, you fool. You’re disturbing the neighbors!”

“I don’t care! People! People! Here me out! I am so damn in love with Brianna Isabella B. Downing, that I am willing to wait for all eternity for her to come!”

“Shut up, you moron!”

“Ah…such romantic compliments…” he replied with that mischievous smirk.

She decided to go downstairs. She wasn’t going to embarrass her father while he wasn’t at home. She opened the door. He hopefully looked at her. She ran out in the rain until she reached him. It wasn’t going to take long.

“Shepherd, I’m here. Its cold, we’re in the rain. Now please leave…”

“No, not until you mean it. You don’t want me to leave.”

“I…” she tried to say. She was already soaked.

“I’m not leaving until you say you don’t love me and mean it, like you said it two weeks ago.”

“Leave…” she muttered looking at her shoes.

“No…”he replied and with one finger raised her chin up so that now they were looking in each other's eyes. His palm crawled up and cupped her cheek. His lips trembled hesitantly. “So…say it…I dare you… tell me you want me to leave. Say it!”

There was no chance to escape. Her lips parted. “I…” she looked back at her own reflections in his playful black eyes. Three months ago if you would have asked she would have looked in those eyes with indifference, but now she couldn’t because she knew there was somebody there, behind them, a real and true person. She lost her words and threw her hands over his neck. He pulled her closer, his hands falling down her waist. He squeezed her tight. She rested her forehead on his shoulder. Then he let her go and kissed her. She curled up on her toes. It seemed so reckless to her. Probably half of the neighborhood was staring as Brianna Downing and Edward Shepherd were kissing in the cold rain. Probably they thought that they were both high or something. And so it was. They were high on love.

When they parted he said. “Forgive me?”

She smiled. “I’ll try.”

“Maybe there’s a chance that frigid heart of yours might change.”

“Hey, don’t push your luck too far!” she said. “You’ll never learn what no means, will you?”

“Probably not in this love, baby, but remember, I’m luck number seven!”

She rolled her eyes. “Well I know the weather is just great-“

“We should even have a picnic.”

“Yeah, right, as I was saying, we should head inside…” she gestured towards her house and as she was getting ready to walk towards it, she froze.

The light in the living-room was on and at the window were all posted: Glenn, Liam, Anthony and Maud. All of them were clapping. Francesca, the maid, was also with them giving her a thumbs-up. She blushed and buried her face in Edward’s shoulder.

He smirked down at her. “I always put on a better performance with audience.”

So this is the end and now...about the story. I don't think I am ready to write like long length, not for the moment. But I am going to start a new story about Maud and Anthony. In the same place only before Brianna and Edward's adventure. I'll start posting next week...