When It Rains[Jessi]

[Cale Davidson]

Cale had never been to this cafe before. He usually stayed on the other side of the island, closer to the condo his aunt "loaned" him for free. Closer to the private beaches. He didn't have a car here and he didn't have the endurance or extra money to buy a bicycle, so he had to go everywhere on foot. Or taxi or bus, whatever the mode of transit was, but again; he didn't have the cash on him. Just that stupid debit card. But it worked. Having it made sure he didn't buy more food than he needed or encouraged him to finder a cheaper place to go out to eat or not get another pair of sandals since his were old yet still worked. It helped better than cash, anyway. Luckily, he'd never been a spender.

Walking here hadn't been the problem, nor would it be. It would be the walk back, when it was dark, that worried him the most. Not that he was afraid of any dark back alleys or who might be around. He could hold hid own. No it was...other things...things he didn't usually have to think about anymore. Unless the food at this cafe was excellent, he would just have to remind himself to never walk so far.

Cale thought about sitting down inside, but then figured he'd rather be in the open air, if there were any tables available. So he went through the line, grabbed an Arizona Tea, and set off in search of a table. Back outside, the place had empties somewhat, the lunch hours ending soon, so he took up residence at a 2-person old wood table, the chair sporting one shorter leg that tipped awkwardly.

He was glad he'd chosen to wear jeans today. It was only the afternoon, but at night, when he'd been halfway home, it could get cold. And the mosquito's here were insane. To bad he hadn't brought a sweatshirt or something... As for what he planned on eating... Cale glanced up at the sun through the slate sun-roof from under the brim of his light tan cowboy hat. It was dry out, but the breeze was cool. Ah, maybe he should just get a salad? To warm to have warm food.

Cale took a sip of his tea, glad it was cold, and wondered what he'd do the rest of the day. By the look of the clouds, it might rain. On more bonus to his walk home.

[Cale Davidson]

He thought about getting something hot again with the oncoming rain. He could feel it now. No weather man on earth would tell him at that moment that it would not rain. Cale was good with weather. He'd had to be good, since horses couldn't be tacked and tied when a thunder storm hit. And that was simply the horses on the tentatively dubbed "ranch."

And while on the topic of ranches... He decided he'd just order a salad. A chicken strip salad, one with almonds and shredded carrots and ranch dressing. He was hungry though, and that didn't seem quite enough... He pondered again, taking a sip of his Arizona Tea, drumming his right fingers on the table, swatting at the flies that should have been gone by this time of day and this sort of storm. At least there were no mosquitoes.

"Ma'am?" Cale was too taken aback by words being spoken to him from behind to even process their meaning. He half turned, trying to get a look of the owner of the voice, slightly startled and simply wanting to get his bearings. His heartbeat, he was sure, skipped a beat or two.

She was blond, blue eyed, and beautiful, the opposite sort of beauty than the exotic looking girl, Rani, he'd met on the private beaches. Rani had been delicate in her appearance. But this girl, she was was gorgeous simply for being so natural looking, so much more in place with here and now, with home. He was, of course, had he not already been, speechless. But then, he often was speechless with females. Being shy and not understanding women made him uncomfortable at best. And yet, how could he feel so uncomfortable around something so beautiful as the opposite sex? It was a personal mystery he had yet to solve.

She reminded him of home so much... It had to be the accent. And the fact that she looked like his sisters, the whole southern belle local stamped all over her. He smiled faintly then, blushing just a tad, one hand on the back of the chair he was seated in, and torso and head all twisted around. Again, he meets yet another girl in an awkward position. He need to work on first impressions. Especially the first impression that told others to call him "sir" or "mister." He was a "Junior," as it was, his father was the one being called "sir," not him. Did he honestly look that old? More embarrassment. He'd taken even worse care of himself than he'd thought, then... Never should have started smoking...

[Cale Davidson]

The way she looked at him...The way her baby blues went all distant on him, the dream-like trance glazed over them, even for as long as the silence lasted, passed him by completely unnoticed. Oh, Cale knew she was sinking into a pit after him without thought to bringing a rope, but the look itself, the key notice tacked on the board, something most would have understood for what it was, didn't quite get past him.

But then, he was dreaming and drooling himself, if less obviously that her, if more noticeable to her. For there was little doubt she couldn't see the awe she had captured, the heart melting being that she was by simply being. He needed only to look upon her, let alone hear her voice, to know that he wouldn't be getting the keys to his heart back anytime soon. She had stolen them from under his nose and he could honestly say he hadn't minded watching like a dumbfounded idiot as he was robbed. He had always been told women made the greatest thieves. Now he knew why.

He accent, more recognizable now that he was simply in the awe stage of "shock and awe," was familiar, but still hard to place in its exact Southern routes. Hers was more pronounced than his own, perhaps from Texas? She seemed the cowgirl type, at least judging by her admiration of his hat. But maybe not. He had heard so many Southern variants that he had given up trying to remember where they all came from.

"Not from this island," He blushed, knowing that her flustered words had been caused by him turning around, by her finding him handsome. Or something like that, likely less blunt sounding. If he hadn't of forced her to repeat her words, she likely would never have stumbled over them in such a way. But then he added a good humored smile to his embarrassment. It was not that he though her rather lame rendition of a first impression was funny, but it was enough to garner a chuckle. And humor tended to lighten situations when one wanted to continue speaking to the other. And Cale wanted to continue speaking to her. A little was her accent, to simply hear it, but mostly, he thought she was cute. And that was a good enough reason for him.

"I live, err, used to live, on a farm 'round Kentucky. Bought it at a little shop in a little town." So much was shoved in the open with those little words...