Meet Me In The Umbrella Garden

Ch. 11: The Rain

That same day, the sports fest was cut short.

Rain suddenly began pouring, and everyone quickly began running in an attempt to get to the nearest shelter. Among those students were Ivy and Luke, the latter of whom had taken the banner they were holding before quickly running to Ivy and holding it above their heads. In no time, he had his arm around the girl's shoulders as he guided the both of them towards the school's main building.

It was a far run, however, and when they finally reached shelter, their breaths were heavy. Luke's, especially, seemed much heavier and raspier. It didn't take very long for Ivy to notice that.

"H-hey... hey!" Her eyes widened, and she walked towards Luke, only for the latter to suddenly collapse into her arms. "W-wait a minute! Luke? Luke!"

All of a sudden, the boy's raspy breathing turned into wheezing as he slowly started weighing down on Ivy even more.

"Luke, hey! H-help! Someone's having an asthma attack here!" Ivy finally turned to the other students who happened to be at the entrance with them.

Maybe it was a good thing that this was the place they had run to. Otherwise, no one would have been there to help either one of them.

In the end, two students and a teacher came and brought Luke into the teacher's car, before they went and brought him to the nearest hospital.

Ivy, however, couldn't even speak up and ask to come with them. She was frozen on her feet as she watched them assist the boy, and the rain wasn't even helping much in making her move.

She only ever did so, seconds after the teacher's car had left the gates and the students around her had begun to disperse. Ivy hugged herself as she began to feel cold due to the weather, and it was then she realized that she was alone again.

But there was one more thing that came to her mind. And it bothered her, as she furrowed her brows at the way she reacted to the information when it was give to her.

"So... he does have asthma."

☂︎

"... How should I approach you?"

After the series of events that had happened a few days ago during the sports fest, Ivy had heard that Luke would finally be coming back to school. And while that information was bound to make her feel glad, somehow, there was also a lingering feeling of guilt building inside of her.

"Ugh! But he said it so unconvincingly so of course, I'd think it was a lie!" She spoke in a frustrated manner, perhaps in a way to assure herself that it was okay for her to go see him again. But as she had expected, it didn't really do much anyway, and she found herself biting her lip while her grip on the pages of her notebook tightened.

Luke was definitely taking his time to come to school, so much that Ivy was starting to think that maybe she heard it wrong.

Until she felt a hand land softly on her head. Eyes widening, Ivy looked up, and as she had both hoped and feared, there stood Luke, smiling as he tilted his head to meet her eyes. "Luke!"

"Did you miss me?" The boy ruffled Ivy's hair as he greeted her, and it caused the girl to become flustered at his actions.

"I-I–" she stammered, before she hit his arm, only to regret it the next second when Luke cried out in pain. "Oh, sorry. But what happened to you?! You've been absent for almost a week, I was starting to think you just disappeared!"

"Well, I'm surprised you didn't think to visit then when you were so worried," Luke replied playfully as he took his seat. "I mean, you do know where I live, don't you?"

Ivy's eyes widened at his words, before she looked away, and her tone turned into a shy one as she spoke. "I... didn't think it would be best to do so. Especially, since... Well, it was pretty awkward when I last visited and I thought your mom wouldn't like–"

"Oh, come on! What are you talking about? My mom loved it when you were there! She said it was the first time the house has ever felt lively in the longest time!"

"... Really?" An unconvinced expression formed on Ivy's face as she looked at the boy.

But Luke remained firm, smiling and looking at Ivy with sparkling eyes like he somehow believed that was enough to make her believe him.

Well, he was right.

"I'll make sure to visit next time, then," Ivy finally replied, though her tone remained somewhat aloof. Still, it was enough to make Luke's smile brighten a bit more, until Ivy decided to change the subject. "But... are you really okay now? After what happened?"

For a moment, Luke's smile faltered, and he blinked a few times before he turned his gaze away from Ivy. Instead, he looked past her, towards the window where the leaves of a tree standing just outside rustled in the wind. Some of them had already turned brown, though, and they fell from the branches as the wind blew harder.

Autumn was coming: the beginning of another season, the end of another.

"Yeah, I think I am," Luke finally said after a while, as he turned to Ivy with a soft smile.

Of all unconvincing things that Luke had ever told Ivy, however, this one, to the girl who felt so heavily concerned, was the most unconvincing one yet. But she felt she would be overstepping boundaries if she asked, and so she remained quiet, just as the teacher came in.

It would probably be best to ask next time again.