A Rainy Day

Disclaimer : I'm a huge KPop fan and you will come across names and photographs of KPop idols in most of my stories. They are my muse and inspiration in so many ways. The incidents and characters are fictional and have no resemblance to any K pop idol in any manner.

Ellie woke up to a rainy morning. It had rained all night, in fact. The weather Gods were being kind! Last week the bright sunny days were so hot. Thank God for the rain!

Ever since she was a toddler, she loved the rains- twirling her bright yellow umbrella, wearing her Wellingtons and a raincoat, jumping on all the puddles and then coming home to a hot bath and hot chicken soup prepared by her mother! Ah! What beautiful memories.... She misses her mom so much, especially when it rains......

Brewing herself a hot cup of coffee and waiting for the the toast to pop up, Ellie scrolled through her phone. There was a missed call from her father. She buttered the toasts and sprinkled some sugar on them, reliving another childhood memory as she bit into the crunchy, sweet and savoury toast. She took her 'breakfast ' to the dining table and called her father while eating.

Ellie's father Mr James was a college professor and her mother was a homemaker. Ellie's ambition and her competitive streak had led her to the courts and she was known as the most successful lawyer with a 100% track record- she never lost a case!

Talking to her parents always puts her in a good mood and gives her confidence to start her day with a bang! But today being Sunday, she plans to have a relaxing day at the Spa across the road. Well, perks of living in a posh locality!

Ellie changed her clothes and checked the time. She still had half an hour before her appointed time at the Spa. She thought about short walk along the road. With a smile, she changed into her Wellingtons, wore her raincoat and took her umbrella as she walked out of the house. Her phone was safe inside her purse covered by the raincoat.

Like a small child, Ellie twirled her umbrella and jumped into puddles, squealing with delight! She saw a big puddle and went 'splash'! " How old are you? 2?" Ellie looked up as she heard a man's voice.

Black eyes, burning with anger, looked at her accusingly as the man spoke in a dangerously deep voice," Well?"

Ellie looked down at his smart white tailored suit splashed with muddy water. She was feeling awful for ruining the obviously expensive white suit and said," I'm so sorry.... I live close by.... I could wash it for you!"

The man raised an eyebrow and asked," Really? Are you inviting a complete stranger to your house? The suit can't be washed. This needs dry cleaning actually!"

Ellie face palmed herself wondering why she was acting so stupid! She mumbled," Who wears white on such a rainy day, anyway!!!"

She noticed as the man's sharp jawline hardened. His intense black eyes bore into her as he said," Kids definitely don't!" He turned around and walked off, making Ellie feel even worse!

Ellie checked her watch; it was almost time for her appointment. She walked faster, towards the Spa. Looking down at the irresistible puddles, she suddenly banged into something....or someone 🙄

"You?Again? Are you stalking me?" A familiar voice asked, annoyed.

Ellie stammered as she saw the handsome face with the piercing black eyes," I.... I'm.. I'm really sorry....." She just ran across the road so she wouldn't miss her appointment. She definitely needed the massage to relax her tense body! The mere memory of those angry black eyes have her goosebumps!

The massage was quite relaxing and was followed by a hot shower after which Ellie felt better. She went back home and made some pasta for lunch. Then she took a nice long nap. She had already decided to order a pizza for dinner!

Monday morning is always hectic. So, Ellie made it a point to keep her clothes and files ready so that she won't waste precious time in the morning! In fact this is one habit she had developed as a child.... As she took out her white skirt suit, she remembered the handsome man with black eyes💜 Who was he? She wondered as she got under her warm blanket and dreamt of the handsome stranger.....

Ellie got up when her alarm went off. Getting ready in precisely half an hour, she was already on her way to the subway. Thankfully the weather was pleasant today and there was no rain! Still, she had her umbrella in her bag, just in case!

After about 40 minutes, she got off and walked towards the office. Ellie was the ace of the law firm she worked with. Her passion and dedication, ambition and drive made her the most successful lawyer among her peers. She sensed a lot of excitement in the office and almost gasped as she saw a familiar face looking at her.

The law firm was welcoming one of their oldest partners, Alex Carter,back after a year long hiatus. Carter was one of the founding partners of Carter&Carter alongwith his father. The father and son duo were legendary legal eagles. When Carter senior passed away 18 months back, Alex wanted some time off. He was back after 18 months. Since Ellie was just about a year old in the Firm she had never seen him.

Ellie felt Alex's eyes on her as was trying to avoid his gaze but then her name was called out. As everyone applauded the most successful lawyer, Ellie Claire, she walked up to be introduced to a very amused Alex Carter. He congratulated her and asked her to meet him before going to the Court.

As the gathering dispersed and everyone got busy getting ready for a busy day and a busy week ahead, Ellie went to Alex's office.

A visibly nervous Ellie walked into the office as Alex asked her to sit down.

Alex- So, Ellie.... I hope we will be thorough professionals here. I'm willing to keep yesterday's image of a puddle hopping child in the deep recesses of my mind! Let's see what you have got! I will be accompanying you and watching you through all your appearances and trials! All set?

Ellie( suddenly confident)- Yes sir, all set!

As Alex spent the entire day watching Ellie totally in her element, the fire in her eyes and her passionate words, he was convinced that Ellie is a winner all the way! She was way ahead of her peers! Alex decided to treat her with the respect she deserved.

Inspite of himself, Alex could never forget the childlike innocence of Ellie jumping into puddles and he found himself falling for this amazing woman! Ellie's self confidence and professionalism was inspiring!

Ellie was happy when Alex appreciated her passion and sincerity towards her work. She was fighting against the attraction she felt for Alex Carter which was getting harder everyday!

After a long time, Alex felt like hosting a party and he invited everyone over the weekend for a dinner at his place. Ellie was extremely nervous and excited about seeing his house because she had heard a lot about the palatial Carter House.

Everyone was there at the given time and the party was very low key, very homely and informal, contrary to the expectations! Alex had cooked up a feast with his domestic help and everyone had collectively chipped in to buy a huge cake and some champagne. The dinner was sumptuous and Ellie was even more impressed with Alex.

As all the guests left, Alex insisted on dropping Ellie home because it was quite late. Her house was just a 10 minute walk from there. When they reached her apartment building, Ellie almost invited Alex but then she remembered their first meeting. So, she thanked him for the party and for seeing her home and went up the stairs. She locked the door and switched on the lights. As she looked down from the balcony, she saw him waving at her and walking away.

Ellie was in love. So was Alex but she didn't know that!

Not keen to be topic for office gossip, Alex and Ellie started avoiding each other, each scared of creating problems for the other. What they didn't know is that their hawk eyed colleagues already saw through their

feeble attempts to hide their feelings. In fact, the mere idea of an office romance involving two aces of the firm was motivation enough for everyone.

Oblivious to the mood in the firm, Alex and Ellie found themselves face to face many times. It took Alex some time but he realised what was happening. Ellie had no clue! He decided to stop running away from his feelings and face them instead, even if it meant Ellie rejecting him. Just because he loved her didn't mean she had to feel the same!

Ellie was in complete denial of her growing love for Alex. She forced herself to forget about it and concentrate on her work. Her stress levels were high and with a weekend coming up, she decided to rest at home for 2 days. Sadly, she was down with a fever.

Her absence from work on Saturday didn't go unnoticed. Alex was preparing himself for the inevitable as he drove back home. He walked to Ellie's place, stopping to buy some flowers. He didn't know that she was unwell.

As he rang the bell and waited. After ringing the bell for the third time he called her phone. Ellie sounded sleepy as she took the call. She couldn't recognise Alex's voice as she drowsily walked towards the door and opened it. Alex was surprised as Ellie collapsed, phone still in her hand, but managed to hold her before she hit the floor. He closed the door and made her lie down on the couch. She was burning with high fever. He looked around for medicines but found none. He made a quick trip to the medical store and rushed back to Ellie.

Alex had cooked some light dinner and made some soup for Ellie. She was still fast asleep. Her fever had gone down. Alex kept her dinner at the table alongwith a get-well-soon note and went back home.

Ellie woke up as her phone rang and found herself on the couch. It was her mother. Still on the phone, she walked towards the kitchen because she was hungry when she noticed a food tray on the dining table. There was chicken soup in a bowl and some sautéed veggies on the side. She told her mother that she would call back after dinner and she devoured the food in no time! As she picked up the tray she saw the note. Oh my God! Alex was here! He cooked for her! She had no recollection of the afternoon's events! She immediately called Alex and left a message on the answering machine thanking him for everything! Then she had a long chat with her parents. After that she took the medicine Alex had mentioned in the note and went to sleep.

Sunday morning was pleasant. It was raining again and Ellie remembered the day she bumped into Alex and ruined his white suit! He has been quite patient with her! Oh, she must try calling Alex again.

This time he picked up the phone and Ellie's heart ran a marathon the moment she heard his velvety voice.

Ellie- Mr Carter, thank you for...everything.

I'm so sorry I didn't even realise when you came.... Sorry for the trouble!

Alex- I hope you are feeling better now! You were quite unwell... Why didn't you inform anyone in the office? I would have come sooner.... I'm coming over with some salad and sandwiches. Stay in your bed and rest!

Ellie- Mr Alex, you don't have to....

Alex- But I want to Ellie.... Please.... I'll be there in about half an hour!

As Alex hung up Ellie quickly showered and changed, cleaned up the house and brewed some coffee. She baked a cake as well.

Alex was there in exactly half an hour with salad and sandwiches. Ellie brought two steaming cups of coffee and some warm cake. Both of them sat and ate, quietly. Finally, Alex sighed and looked at her. Ellie was nervous, but managed to speak.

Ellie- Mr Carter, thank you for the food! I didn't know you were such a good cook!

Alex sat closer to Ellie and held her hands, his black orbs mesmerising her.

Alex- Thank you Ellie..... For making me smile again...I had a tough time when dad passed away and even the 18 month break couldn't heal my heart.... But that rainy morning the sight of you jumping on the puddles like a kid really brightened my day! You know I didn't even get my suit dry cleaned because I want to preserve that memory for ever!

Ellie- But I....

Alex-Shh... Hear me out.... I really prepared a lot for this! Your childish activity made me smile and when I pretended to be angry with you, you said something that almost made me burst out laughing- the bit about wearing white on a rainy day!

Ellie- I thought you didn't hear that!

Alex- Well, I followed you all the way to the Spa, but I figured you would take time there! So, I wondered if I would ever meet you again! But the very next morning,I saw you at the Firm! I was impressed! Because I know they only take the best! Ellie, I fell in love with you that rainy day when you were busy jumping into puddles.... I tried to deny it, avoid it.... But my heart felt burdened! So, I'm telling you today that I really love you, for being you! I don't expect you to love me in return.... You can be frank with me about your feelings...

Ellie was shocked because she never thought someone like Alex Carter would fall in love with her! She thought it was best to come clean and confess, rather than trying to escape reality.

Ellie- Mr Carter, I think I love you too.... I also tried to deny my feelings and I thought it would be a one sided love...

Alex- Ellie, when you missed office yesterday, I was worried.... I rang the bell for over 20 minutes and even called you a few times! Finally you opened the door and collapsed! I only sighed with relief when your fever came down.... You scared me.... I decided I can't leave you alone anymore unless I have to!

Alex hugged Ellie tight. It was still raining. With an amused smile, Alex looked at Ellie's bright eyes and asked," Fancy some puddle hopping? " Ellie's smile said it all!