The Umbrella and the Heat
Hunter walked along the sidewalk with his shoulders squared and one hand tucked casually into his trouser pocket. He was wearing nothing but a white button-down shirt, no blazer.
Watching him like that made Jiyu wonder if rain was falling only on her head. She quickly checked the umbrella. The downpour had grown heavier. She shook her head.
‘I’m not even cold.’
Hunter had always preferred the shirt since Daylight Saving Time began in March. New York’s March was closer to late winter than spring, yet he still wore nothing but a shirt.
He held out until November, when Daylight Saving ended and the clocks returned to normal time. Only then did he reluctantly put on a blazer.
Especially these days, he complained bitterly every time he saw her.
“Why the hell do you always make me feel hot? It’s driving me crazy.”
Jiyu, who was always freezing and shivering, glared at the back of his head with a pout.
‘I’m not a heater. Why is the fact that I have so much body heat my fault too?’
Besides, no matter whether it rained or snowed, he never used an umbrella. She had seen him use one only a few times at Lower School when Nanny brought it for pickup, but after he started going to school alone, she had no memory of it.
He didn’t mind drizzle at all and would race down Fifth Avenue like mad if it turned into a downpour, stirring up the wind. If he caught a cold from love, he would jump around frantically, but Lauren had let him do whatever he wanted, probably because she knew her son was as sturdy as a wild animal. Or maybe she just wanted to raise him like one. Perhaps it was simply giving up that was the accurate word.
No one at Hamilton House could stop the prince once he set his mind on something and got stubborn.
At the end of the day, it made sense that a guy with a lot of body heat could walk around in just a shirt on a rainy day when the temperature was barely 59 degrees Fahrenheit.
Yet the usual Hunter, who strode with those long legs at impossible speed, had been crawling along today. In this time, he should have already covered two blocks and been disappearing into the distance. Instead, he had stopped at the crosswalk, waiting obediently for the signal in the pouring rain.
That was weird. The jaywalking prodigy had suddenly decided to wait for the light.
At that moment, the rain began to fall harder. The sound of drops hitting the umbrella was intense.
What to do…
Jiyu stopped a few steps away from Hunter’s leisurely pace, lost in thought. The rain, denser than usual drizzle, had soaked his shirt halfway and made it cling to his shoulders.
The rain grew fiercer. On a day like this, common humanity would dictate that if someone standing at the crosswalk without an umbrella, one would ask to share it.
‘Ugh, it would be awkward…’
Before she could decide, the signal changed.
Jiyu walked right behind him, hoping he would hurry ahead as usual. But he stopped again at the next crosswalk with the relaxed gait of someone strolling on a hot summer beach. By then his sleeves and back were soaked.
Jiyu eyed the size of her umbrella. It was small, but not too small for the two of them. A guilty pang made her feel like she was about to vomit.
‘Ugh. I don’t know what to do.’
She swallowed dryly and called out to him in a forced voice. If he ignored her, she would use the excuse to keep going alone.
“Hey… Hunter?”
Hunter turned to her with no surprise, as if he had already expected it.
He brushed the wet hair off his forehead with an annoyed expression, sending droplets cascading down the collar of his soaked shirt. Tiny clear drops clung to the eyelashes framing his deep Mediterranean-blue eyes.
He blinked, then wiped the moisture from his face with his palm.
“What?”
Their eyes met.
“Um… it seems like it’s raining way too hard. Since we live in the same apartment anyway, um… could we share the umbrella? No weird stuff, okay? I’m just saying… if you don’t want to, you can refuse.”
…
He stared down at her silently. Jiyu, stumbling over her words, averted her gaze and lowered the umbrella a little.
‘I shouldn’t have brought it up. He would definitely explode and yell that he’d never share an umbrella with someone like me, no matter how hard it rains.’
She quickly changed the subject by shifting the umbrella handle to the other hand.
“It was just a random thought. Don’t worry about it. Well, I’ll go now… wait?”
In one swift move, Hunter closed the distance, lowered his upper body, and thrust his head into the umbrella.
Jiyu startled and sucked in a sharp breath. The scent of Central Park on a rainy day filled the space inside.
Hunter’s face was far too close. She blinked in confusion, but he plucked the umbrella handle from her hand and raised it high. At that moment, the rear wheel of a yellow cab skidding around the corner plunged into a dark puddle, sending up a violent spray of water.
“Eek!”
Hunter quickly swung the umbrella sideways to block the muddy splash that shot up to waist height. Before she could react, raindrops pelted her head.
Sighing in relief, he suddenly looked surprised and slowly turned his head.
A brief silence fell between them. Hunter quickly straightened the umbrella and cleared his throat.
“Ahem. Mud splash is better than that.”
…
Jiyu wiped the rain from her face with her cardigan sleeve and looked up. He gestured with his chin toward the crosswalk.
“The signal changed.”
Only then did she turn her gaze to the traffic light. The white pedestrian signal had changed to a countdown flashing red with a hand.
Hunter tilted the umbrella slightly toward her and gently pushed her back.
“Let’s go.”
They crossed the crosswalk side by side. He stepped ahead one stride, then hesitated and repeated the stopping motion until, from the middle of the block onward, they matched each other’s pace.
Hunter’s arm occasionally brushed her shoulder while he held the umbrella. She noticed his left shoulder was sticking out beyond the umbrella, underestimating his broad shoulder width. On her side, there was some slack.
Jiyu tilted the umbrella handle toward him. He immediately corrected the tilt. She gave him a sidelong glance, inwardly surprised.
He had always lived like an animal hanging from monkey bars, guided only by instinct. Yet here he was.
At Hamilton House they had relentlessly drilled manners and etiquette into everyone, but apparently it had finally taken effect even on this Hunter Hamilton.
He would live long and have plenty of chances to use it.
After walking several blocks in silence, Jiyu suddenly asked,
“Why don’t you ever bring an umbrella?”
Hunter shrugged and answered casually.
“Don’t know. It’s a hassle.”
Poor thing.
Jiyu fell silent again.
The sound of rain cascading over the umbrella filled her ears. The clouds had covered the sky, casting everything in a gray gloom. The red taillights of cars lining Fifth Avenue flickered through the puddles in a dreamy haze.
That awkward silence lasted two blocks, drowned out by the fierce rain. Hunter had something to ask, but he was unsure how to start.
‘Should I begin with small talk?’
But they had never exchanged even trivial conversation beyond what was necessary. So he had no idea where to begin.
Jiyu stole glances at him from the corner of her eye, her stomach inexplicably fluttering. Standing so close, she could feel how much he had grown recently.
Hunter noticed her gaze and glanced down at her before lifting his chin slightly.
“What?”
“Huh?”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“No, I wasn’t.”
Jiyu feigned ignorance and looked away.
“You were staring at me with a face like you had something to say earlier.”
She was inwardly startled. How did he know?