The sky over the Engineering faculty had turned a bruised shade of purple. The heavy, humid air was a warning that the heavens were about to break. Most students had already rushed to the dorms, but Wave was still in the workshop, his fingers stained with grease as he tried to fix a mechanical model for his first project. Being the poorest student in the batch, he couldn't afford the luxury of expensive tutors or pre-built kits like Gao or James. He had to do everything from scratch.
As the first heavy droplets of rain began to pelt against the metal roof, a wave of nostalgia hit him. Rain always brought back the ghost of a memory—a small boy crying in a park and a kind senior who called him 'precious'.
"I need to go before it gets worse," Wave whispered to himself, packing his worn-out bag.
He stepped out into the corridor just as the sky unleashed a torrential downpour. The wind was fierce, swirling the rain into the hallways. Wave ran, his head down to protect his books, his heart racing with every flash of lightning. He turned the corner of the main building near the lockers at full speed, unaware that someone was coming from the opposite direction.
THUD!
The collision was so sudden and forceful that Wave felt the air leave his lungs. He stumbled back, his wet sneakers slipping on the polished floor, but before he could hit the ground, two strong arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him forward with a violent jerk.
Wave's face crashed into a broad, firm chest. The familiar scent of sandalwood and rain—now intensified by the actual storm—filled his senses. He didn't need to look up to know who it was. The heat radiating from the body holding him was enough to make his head spin.
It was Pete.
Pete was drenched too, his white shirt clinging to his muscular frame, making him look even more intimidating. He held Wave tightly, his fingers digging into Wave's thin waist. For a long, suffocating minute, neither of them moved. The only sound was the rhythmic drumming of the rain and the loud, erratic thumping of two hearts beating against each other.
Pete looked down at the boy in his arms. Wave's hair was messy and wet, sticking to his pale forehead. His big, obsidian eyes were wide with shock, looking like a startled deer. Pete's gaze, usually as cold as ice, flickered with an emotion that looked dangerously like concern—or perhaps, a haunting recognition.
'This feeling... why does it feel like I've held him before?' Pete thought, his grip tightening unconsciously.
Wave looked up, his breath hitching. Up close, Pete's face was a masterpiece of sharp angles and hidden pain. For a second, the 'Head Hazer' mask was gone. Wave saw the boy from ten years ago.
"P'Pete..." Wave breathed out, the name slipping from his lips like a prayer.
The moment the name left Wave's mouth, the spell broke. Pete's expression instantly hardened into a mask of stone. He shoved Wave away, almost making him trip again.
"Watch where you're going, Freshman!" Pete's voice was like a whip, cutting through the sound of the storm. "Are you blind? Or are you just looking for excuses to fall into people's arms?"
Wave flinched, the coldness of Pete's words hurting more than the physical collision. "I... I'm sorry, Head Hazer. I was in a hurry."
Pete stepped closer, looming over Wave like a dark cloud. "This is a faculty of Engineering, not a playground. If you can't even walk straight, how do you expect to build bridges? And don't ever call me by that name again. I told you, I am your senior, nothing more."
Pete turned around and walked into the rain, his silhouette disappearing into the grey mist. He didn't look back, but his hand was clenched into a fist at his side. His heart was still racing, and the spot where Wave's head had rested against his chest felt unnaturally warm.
Wave stood alone in the dark corridor, the cold wind biting at his wet skin. He clutched the white thread on his wrist—the one Pete had tied.
"You remember the rain, Pete," Wave whispered to the empty hallway. "You remember it, but you're too afraid to look back."
Far away in the dorms, Gao and James were watching the storm from their window. James was clinging to Gao's arm, terrified of the loud thunder, while Gao held him silently, his eyes fixed on the path where he knew Pete usually walked. The threads were tangling, and as the storm raged on, the secrets of the Engineering faculty were beginning to leak out, one drop at a time.