The rain fell lightly in a mist and gently caressed my face. I lifted my head up to the sky and my grandfather’s words came to mind. “Raindrops are like kisses on your skin. Which they are.” “What do you mean, Pappap?” “Didn’t I ever tell you that raindrops are Angel kisses?” I smiled at the memory. I should call him and see how he is. It’s been awhile. The drops started getting bigger and I shed my rain coat. The large drops hit my bare shoulders and ran down the length of my arm and then dripped off my fingertips. The bus pulled up and I reluctantly go on, impatient for when I would be able to be in the rain again.

I sat in my usual seat and looked over at Amy when she said my name.
“I just hate the rain.” She scowled out the window.
“I love it.” I smiled at her.
“Are you crazy?? It frizzes your hair and drenches your clothes. You can’t wear flip flops or sandals because it just feels gross when they get wet…” She shook her head disapprovingly.
“But the rain makes everything so green! Plus, you can’t get any rainbows without rain. Not mention, it feels wonderful when it hits your skin.” I laughed and she looked at me like I was insane.
“Yeah, meanwhile it makes a mess of things. Floods, mud, delays…” She shrugged. “I could do without it.”
I shook my head. I wasn’t going to argue with her about how we needed rain. Let her sulk, I thought. We pulled into school and my best friend was waiting for me. Standing out in the rain, t-shirt and khaki shorts with black nikes. I smiled at Brandon, my best friend since we were born. We shared the same birthday, and apparently we were born just one room away from each other, ten minutes apart. I ran up to him and gave him a huge hug. We stood like that, in the pouring rain just holding onto each other. I’m sure people looked at us like we were crazy, but we both loved the rain, the feeling on our skin. He pulled away a little and looked into my eyes.
“You have the most beautiful eyes.”
I blushed. “thanks.”
“And the most beautiful smile.”
I laughed, “And you’re just an all over beautiful person!” He truly was. He had the perfect tan, was the perfect height, had perfect short dirty blonde hair, perfect pearly white teeth, everything was just… perfect.
“I wish we could stay like this forever.”
I agreed. “I know, I just love the rain.”
“Umm.. Yeah. The rain’s nice. But I was thinking more along the lines of having you in my arms forever.”
I pulled back. “Oh…”
“Oh? What is it Snickers?” I smiled at his nickname for me.
“Nothing… just that I’ve been waiting for you to say that for the past 17 years.”
He laughed and pulled me closer. I could feel every part of him on me. His hard, flat stomach. His lean muscular arms. The warmth of his body mixed with the movement of his lips on mine and the pouring rain was just pure ecstasy. I was having my first kiss, with my first love, in the pouring rain. This moment couldn’t get any more perfect.

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3 years later….

“You may now kiss the bride.”
Brandon lifted the veil from my face and kissed me gently, the intensity growing. Just like the raindrops that were slowing getting bigger and falling faster. That’s what our love was like. As time went we didn’t tire of each other. We grew and fell more and more love. Faster and faster. I don’t think we’ll ever stop. We looked at each other and just smiled.

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23 years later…


It was pouring down rain outside and the wind would knock you over if caught off guard. A bunch of people stood in a circle around the burial site dressed in all black with umbrellas covering their bodies and shivering against the cold. But not me. I sat kneeled next to the coffin where Brandon lay. The tears flowing freely down my face and onto my lips. Mixing with the rain. “Raindrops are angel kisses.” I turned my head to the sky and felt the rain. Brandon was still kissing me. Instead of in the pouring rain, he was the pouring rain. The coffin was lowered into the ground and people turned to leave. One person stayed behind. I didn’t know who it was until she came over and knelt beside me.
“You know Rachel, I changed my mind about the rain.” She smiled sadly at me. Though annoying at times, she had been a good friend to Brandon and I. I smiled at her.
“That’s good. Because some people claim that happiness is found in sunshine, but they’ve never tried dancing in the rain.”