"I can't help but wonder what they're feeling," Ray murmured, his voice strangely somber as the two of you squeezed closer together under the umbrella he had the foresight to grab on your way out to the gardens. It had been a light drizzle when you first opened the door, but it'd quickly become a torrential downpour before you knew it.
Instead of trying to scramble inside, you ducked underneath a tree for added coverage while his fingers tightened around the umbrella. It had been a long time since you had a chance to appreciate the rain. It was a far cry from the little luxuries he had hidden inside your suite. But you... You had to admit that even the lap of luxury was nothing compared to a nice rainy day.
You missed the sights, sounds, and humming of cicadas.
It wasn't the same view from your window as it was in the garden.
"Relief, probably," you said. After all, there had been a drought going on for as long as you could remember. Even with a team of gardeners hard at work to keep the garden alive, there was nothing they could do that'd stop the elements from doing their job. Mother Nature wouldn't stop to consider the roses.
"There is such a thing as too much water, though," he lamented, a frown growing as the flower beds continued to be pounded by rain. "Once the water reaches the roots, there's no going back. They're thirsty, and they will stop at nothing to satisfy their desire now that they have it... It's too much for them. The shock to their systems might not let them make it to morning."
In a way, that reminded you of Ray.
How starved he was for affection, and how often he overworked himself just for the opportunity to spend a few minutes with you. In fact, being with him in this summer shower was a selfish whim on your part. There wasn't anything they could do to drag you back inside so long as those water droplets were the size of your fingerprint.
You were overwatering Ray because you were afraid of what might happen if he were forced to die of thirst. But it wasn't fair to say Ray was the only one dying of thirst. You were no better. You wanted the storm to last forever. You missed him. You missed being around him.
You missed knowing that you would have the chance to hang out at the end of the day. What was once guaranteed was long gone because of a woman who thought of nothing but satisfying her bloodlust and desire for revenge.
You could see the sinking ship in the distance, but you... you couldn't bring yourself to jump. Being with Ray was like this storm. It was both relieving and overwhelming because you were so happy to have him in your life, but terrified that the drought would happen again. This was no way to live, but your life outside of Mint Eye was no better than the one you had here.
Always parched, always starving, always crying because no matter what you did, you were alone. The time you shared with Ray made those memories fade away, but the time you spent apart brought them back. It was ultimately a game you knew the end to, just like the sweet flowers struggling to stay upright as the rain pelted them with its tears.
But you refused to die without a trace, and you knew your flower would remain standing in the garden even if the others perished. For Ray, for you, and for the hope that overwatered flowers wouldn't have to be that way forever. Your umbrella would make sure of that. It wasn't much, but it was proof that with the right action, the water couldn't hurt you. That this place couldn't hurt you if you learned how to survive.
"We'll make it to sunrise." You overlaid your hand above the one clinging to the umbrella. From the corner of your eye, you saw a soft smile begin to form. "So will they."
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