The rain didn’t just fall; it conquered the city. Heavy, rhythmic drops lashed against my apartment windows, blurring the neon lights of the streets below into a soft, watercolor smear. Inside, the only light came from the amber glow of a single floor lamp and the flickering shadows of a half-forgotten movie playing on mute.
On the other end of my velvet sofa sat Julian.
Julian, my best friend of six years. Julian, the person who knew my worst habits, my loudest laughs, and my quietest fears. Tonight, he was also the person wearing a gray sweatshirt that hugged his shoulders just a little too well, his damp dark hair curling slightly at the nape of his neck. He had been stranded here when the subway lines flooded, a twist of fate that neither of us seemed particularly eager to fight.
"Y
