Miami is drenched in rain again.
Lily woke up in her room, a room far too big to be slept in by just one person. She reached for her glasses on the nightstand, before she rose up from her bed.
From the window, she watched the noisy, gloomy city landscape. The rainfall would probably get heavier again.
"Ah, Lady Campbell. You're already awake, I was just about to wake you up."
Lily smiled at her maid who was tidying her bed, before walking off to the bathroom. Lily went in, while her maid, Aunty Lea, prepared her change of clothes.
The spray of water from the shower poured over Lily's entire body. Her fingers touched the right side under her armpit, the lump was still small, still under control. She turned off the shower, dried her body, and stepped out of the bathroom.
Aunty Lea was no longer in her room, leaving a set of school uniform on top of her now-neatly made bed. Putting on her clothes and only applying lip balm without any heavy makeup, Lily left her room, walking down the wide hallway that connected her room to the stairs. She greeted a few staff members as she made her way to the kitchen.
There, Aunt Lea was washing her hands in the sink. The dining table was already set with food full of nutrients and vitamins. Lily sat down and ate her meal gracefully.
As usual, she was eating breakfast alone again.
"Auntie isn't eating?"
Turning off the sink, Aunt Lea dried her hands before smiling at this beautiful girl. "Hmm, Auntie can eat later. Besides, Lady Campbell knows I rarely eat breakfast."
"My parents aren't here. You can just call me Lily, it's fine."
"Haha~" Auntie Lea chuckled softly while walking behind Lily. Taking a comb from her apron, she fixed a few strands of Lily's soft silky hair.
"You've been in a good mood lately, Lady Lily."
"Uh-huh. I think I've been feeling happy these past few weeks because I finally talk to someone else!"
"Hmm, a friend?"
Friend? Lily thought that when she was friends with that boy, but whether that boy considered her a friend, she didn't know. Maybe they weren't even acquaintances, just a one-sided connection that she assumed existed.
"Ummm... I don't know. But we've talked a few times, and he's really easy to talk to!"
"Boy or girl?"
"A boy, of course. His name is Kai, Kai Clove."
Kai Clove, the one who beat her in smarts and test scores. He was the top rank in their year, and compared to herself, Lily thought Kai was far above her, because almost all of his grades were perfect.
"Auntie knows. At first I thought he was arrogant, but I don't think he's like that." Lily took a sip of her drink before continuing, "He's really different from other people."
"Different? Different how?"
What's different about him? Hmm I don't know how to put it in words.
"Hmm..." Lily put her hand on her chin, trying to find what made Kai different from all the people who always tried to interact with her. Maybe his effort to get along with me? But tt doesn't seem like Kai ever tries. It's me who's always trying to start a conversation with him whenever I remember.
"Maybe because he just treats me like a normal person? You know, he talks normally, not stuttering or being shy away."
Right it's that reason why he feels a bit different. For Lily, that's what made her keep remembering Kai's name. Besides him being a normal boy who didn't try to act overly familiar or get close just for her attention— actually, Lily was the curious one. Just yesterday, she was the one who asked Kai out on a date, even if it was just a joke.
He rejected me because we don't know each other that well, even though he said whoever has me would be lucky.
But Kai refused to be that lucky person.
"Umm. Lady Lily? Earth to Lady Lily~"
Lily snapped back from her ocean of thoughts and flashed her cute smile at Aunt Lea. "Hehe~ sorry Auntie, I think I was thinking about Kai."
Continuing her meal, Lily stared at the two empty chairs at the empty table. Her father and mother. Like always, they'd probably left at dawn. A pretty common sight. Even when little Lily was still living in that 'white' room for six years, they only occasionally checked on their daughter if something came up. Only Aunt Lea had always been there with her, from back then until now.
"By the way, Young Master Arthur sent another package. It arrived yesterday afternoon. Sorry I'm late telling you."
"Ehh... from Arthur again."
Arthur, Arthur Hurin. He was Lily's fiancé. They were arranged by both their parents about two years ago. Arthur's family lives in San Francisco. Lily and Arthur have only met once, and that was when their parents introduced them.
In Lily's view, Arthur was handsome and kind. He also knew that her condition was like "glass canon." He was a good guy, but for some reason Lily felt like Arthur only acted that way because she was his future wife. She felt like she just didn't click with Arthur.
She knew she wasn't being fair to Arthur, who had been nothing but good to her since they got engaged. But Lily herself was uncertain and didn't understand what 'feelings' were— whether from herself or from others.
The six years she spent in that sterile white room, she only knew two things. Either you leave or you go back. And she was lucky to be healthy enough to return into the outside world. Not like Iris, who wasn't lucky and had to leave.
"I'll contact Arthur and thanks him later when I get home from school."
Lily stood up from her chair as soon as Aunt Lea finished combing her hair. Before she left, Aunt Lea handed her an umbrella.
"Should I call the driver to take you to the school? It's raining, you know."
Lily shook her head. "Ummm. I feel like walking. Besides, walking in the rain looks fun."
"Supplements and medicine— didn't forget?"
"No. Well then, I'm leaving, Auntie."
Leaving her house's gate, Lily walked along the wet sidewalk. The sound of the raindrops seemed to silence the noisy city atmosphere.
Lily kept walking, following the moving traffic. It seemed like the rain would keep getting heavier until the evening. She thought about what she would do later at school. Everything felt the same, all the routines.
"..."
Lily smiled at the sight of someone's back. His timing in showing up was almost too convenient. As if, if somehow she let the chance to greet him pass, she'd be left behind by something.
Haa... Girls sure are capricious.
Lily quickened her pace to reach that person's side. "Kai~"
Just for today, in this rainy city, something will bloom.