"RAIN, rain go away, come again another day…" 

I silently sang as I continued to stare at the non-stop pouring of the rain in front of me. I was standing in the hallway of the library for almost an hour now but the sky wasn't showing any sign of stopping. 

I was used to singing that nursery rhyme every time I was wishing for the rain to stop. I got it from my mother. When I was little, she would always sing that nursery rhyme with me whenever we're waiting for the rain to stop. 

I sighed as I looked at the dark sky. I've been waiting for almost an hour now. I needed to go home now but I didn't want to get wet. I couldn't afford to get sick since our college final exams week would start in the next two days. 

Ugh. I was really stupid for forgetting my umbrella. 

"Please, go away. I need to be home by five." I whispered as I glanced at my wristwatch. It was my mother's birthday today and I needed to prepare her favorite food before she arrived home from the office. 

"Miss." 

I stilled when I heard a masculine voice beside me. I cocked my head to the side where the voice came from. There was a tall guy standing beside me. Why didn't I notice him? 

I almost gape as my eyes travelled to his face. He was… gorgeous. He has deep set eyes with thick brows, straight nose, perfectly angled jaw, a pair of pinkish red lips. And boy, he smelled so good. 

His slightly wavy hair was disheveled but it only added to his appeal. He was wearing a navy blue polo shirt and jeans. 

I felt my heart move inside my chest. 

"Here. You can use this." He handed me a yellow umbrella. 

I stared at the folded umbrella in his hand. Then my eyes went back to his face. I watched as his red lips rose in a smile. A small dimple showed on his left cheek, almost near his lips. 

"I heard you wanna go home before five," he said, his lips pursing. "So, here." 

I felt my cheeks heating up. He heard me? I lowered my head and wished for the floor to just swallow me alive. 

"Don't be shy. You have a cute voice." 

I bit my lower lip. What he said only made my cheeks turn beet red in shame. 

"Here. Please take this. It looks like rain's going to last for a couple of hours."

I slowly raised my head. And again, I was mesmerized by that handsome face. I felt like I would be having a hard time breathing if I continued to stare at him. Those deep eyes… they're too much for me. 

"Come on, take it. Looks like you're waiting here for quite a long time already."

I bit on the inside of my cheek, then slowly took the umbrella from his hand. "How about you?" I asked him in a small voice. "You'll be needing this, too."

His lips just curled up in a smile. "Don't worry, I'll just call my girlfriend."

Oh. He has a girlfriend. Of course, what would I expect from someone as good-looking as him? "Uh… t-thank you." I gave him a small smile. 

"You're welcome. And take care, okay?" He gave me another smile. As I opened his umbrella and walked away from him, I realized something. He gave me his umbrella, but then he took something away from me—my heart. 

I woke up from a very familiar dream. I hugged a pillow beside me and shut my eyes. Damn. I couldn't believe I dreamed about Xander. Again. 

I bit my lower lip, opened my eyes, and stared at the white ceiling of Mariel's guestroom. 

It felt real. I shook my head. Well, of course it was real. It happened six years ago. That scene was how I met him. Everything was so clear in my memory. 

That yellow umbrella he gave me that day, I didn't get the chance to give it back to him. But I still have it. In fact, I brought it with me to Greece. That's how much I valued that umbrella. 

After our fateful encounter on the plane, he started showing up again in my dreams. I've been dreaming about him twice already. I wonder if I'd see him again before I go back to Greece. 

I bit my lower lip. I should stop thinking about him. 
After staying in bed for a few more minutes, I fixed myself and went out of the room. I headed to the kitchen. I found Mariel sitting on the island counter while having her coffee. 

"So, where do you want us to go first?" Mariel asked me. I sat next to her after I made myself a cup of hot chocolate. Unlike her, I was not a fan of coffee. I was acidic so my stomach gets easily upset with coffee.

"Sagada, Boracay or Palawan?" she continued to ask. 

We spent the past two days roaming around the metro. I also did some swimsuit shopping because I didn't get to bring any. 

Those three places she mentioned were my top destinations. She knew I hadn't been to those places. 

"Sagada?" I said after taking a sip from my cup. "We go north first before moving south."

She shrugged. "Whatever you want." She took out her phone. "I'll make an itinerary." Mariel busied herself with planning our trip while I started to cook breakfast. 

Mar." I said I placed a plate in front of her. I cooked fried rice, bacon and eggs. 

She looked at me. "Hmm?"

I settled on my seat. "I dreamt about Xander again. Remember the first time I met him? It was exactly my dream last night." I placed some bacon on my plate, then stopped to look at her reaction. Her forehead was frowned. "Do you think it's weird? That I've been dreaming of him the past few days?" 

Mariel rolled her eyes. "You've been dreaming of that guy because you're always thinking of him." She picked up the plate of fried rice and put some on her plate.