Spring Showers [Savannah/Graham Purple Heart]

Savannah glanced up towards the sky, standing outside. It was starting to get a bit dark, not in the nighttime kind of way, but the rain sort of way. She sighed, only a few days into the spring season and they were already getting showers of rain, "But at least it's not snow." She mumbled to herself, daring to stay outside a bit longer, walking back towards the Inn from the bar. She stuck her hands in her pant pockets, walking slowly enough to try to enjoy the fresh air--she had basically trapped herself in her room during the winter season, vaguely recalling the reason of not wanting to get sick and that she needed to finish a piece she had been working on for the past while. She drifted back out of her thoughts when a drip hit her nose. She scrunched it up for a moment then relaxed.

These rain showers were rather infamous in these parts. Once one droplet fell from the sky, you knew it was going to pour any second later--there it goes. It started to rain harder, making Savannah pick up her pace to a jog towards the Inn. Finally she made it to the awning and just stood under there. Hopefully it would pass soon.

"You know what? Screw this," Graham yelled at the wind. He got rained on - AGAIN. Spring showers were entirely bothersome. Wholly ridiculous. The bane of his existence.

He did not like them.

However, he didn't try to outrun this one, as he did last time. It wouldn't do any good. He would get soaked either way. And, as the bottom dropped out onto his shoulders, he just slouched and walked through the town.

Might as well get back to the Inn.

He saw someone else seeking refuge under the awning, and he ducked under. The redhead looked vaguely familiar, but he didn't think much of it. "This weather," he grumbled as a greeting.

Savannah sighed, finding it very relaxing to just listen to the rain as it would hit the awning and the trees around her, as well as the ground. Or at least it was relaxing until another voice decided to disturb that peace with their voice, which sounded rather irritated. She didn't think anything of it and just closed her eyes for a moment until she heard the voice getting closer and to the point where it sounded as if she was being addressed by said person. She opened her eyes to see a male walking under the awning, she chuckled softly, "It's a curse, isn't it." It was more of a statement then an actual question.

She glanced over towards him then back out, "Rain showers used to be so rare, I guess now that it's Spring..." She shrugged her shoulders, "They come out of no where, have to bring an umbrella everywhere."

"You're not kidding," Graham huffed, brushing his shoulder as if he could dry it off that way. He was pretty soaked.

"Think this awning will hold?" he asked, squinting up at the fabric covering. It looked pretty sturdy, but around this town, one could never be entirely certain of quality. Most of the fabrics and support beams - heck, pretty much everything was made in this town. As in, little mom-and-op stores with no quality control. He was half-expecting the entire awning, support and all, to come crashing down at any moment.

As it turned out, he didn't have to wait for that - the rain suddenly came down harder (which, before, he hadn't known to be possible), and angled in at the two. He hissed through his teeth at the sudden deluge of rain, and threw open the door of the Inn. "Go inside," he urged, motioning for the girl to go ahead of him.

Savannah nodded then glanced over to the male, who was pretty much soaked to the bone from walking in the rain. He questioned about the awning and she merely looked up at the old thing, "Yup." She nodded, "I'm sure this thing has had it's fair share of storms. Nothing it can't face." She told him, placing her hands into her jean pockets, but then the rain started up slant in their direction. Mindlessly taking a few steps back towards the actual building to avoid the rain.

He told her to do something, and thought almost to disagree, but the redhead was really not looking to get completely drenched from the rain. So she did as she was told and went inside, "Thank you." She spoke to him, though not looking at him directly as she walked passed him. "I didn't think the rain would turn into a bigger storm." Though those words were more to herself than to him.

Graham followed after her, closing the door as thunder cracked. The lights in the inn flickered.

They were the only ones there, besides the man standing behind the counter. Graham nodded in the other man's direction, and then looked around the rest of the room. He hooked his thumbs in the belt loops of his jeans and rocked on his heels. "Well, we're not going anywhere anytime soon," he said with a sigh. "Might as well sit down."

He walked over to a nearby table and pulled out a chair. He sat down in it, not bothering to motion the redhead over. She might want to do her own thing, not that there was much to do in such a tiny space. If she wanted to join him, fine. "Doug, can I have some water?" he called to the clerk. It was the only thing that was free, and he didn't have money to spend.

The lights flickered for a moment, Savannah shivered a little--sure it spooked her a little.

She glanced back over her shoulder towards the window, "Nope, not anytime soon." She mumbled in agreement with the man. She looked over towards him, debated in the back of her mind if she should sit down with him or not. She didn't really want to be a nuisance to him, after all, she barely knew the guy. Oh well, this would be a good opportunity to get to know people. So she went over towards him, "Mind if I join you?" She questioned, though didn't wait for an answer and just sat down in the chair across from himself.

"Make that two, please." She smiled towards the innkeeper then looked back towards the dark haired male across from herself, something twitched in the back of her mind, he looked familiar. But anyone could look familiar in this area, since there was always a chance of running into another person here.

He shook his head. "Go ahead." He watched as he sat down, jumping a little bit when Doug set their drinks in front of them. "Ah, thanks." He took a sip. "Nice to have water that's not dumping on your head," he said, as if trying to make conversation.

Graham looked up at the girl. Even in the dull, flickering light, he got a decent look at her. She was beautiful, anybody could see that, with an intense shade of red hair that he hadn't seen since he was young. But he wasn't really looking at the curve of her jaw or the flip of her hair at the ends; instead, he looked at her eyes.

They were familiar.

He couldn't place it, though.

Maybe he was just crazy. But... "What's your name?" he asked casually.

She smiled weakly when he had agreed to let her sit there, neatly lacing her fingers together with her hands dainty-like on the table. Savannah had noticed him jump when the glasses were placed in front of them, she smiled up towards the innkeeper, disregarding what she had noticed. He must have just been a jumpy guy. "Thank you." She hummed sweetly, taking a sip as well.

He was staring at her, her eyes locked with his, but then broke it for a moment to look down at the glass of water in front of her. She chuckled softly, "Indeed. In a glass where it stays still and not flying like little projectiles." He asked her about her name, in which she looked back towards him once more, a weak smile on her lips, "My name is Savannah." She introduced herself, "And yours?"

He bit his lip. No, it could still be coincidence. He took a sip of his water, trying not to spill any, but his hands were shaking.

"Savannah." Despite just taking a sip, his throat and voice were dry. "I'm Graham." He looked away, tilting his head up at the ceiling. She wouldn't react. No, she wouldn't, because it wasn't the same girl. It couldn't be. Not here. Not almost ten years after the fact.

If it was, though...
No. He couldn't think about that.
All he could think about was the storm outside, and how rough the sea must have been at that moment.

His hands were shaking, a bit odd. Savannah furrowed her brows together, this guy was acting pretty strange. "It's nice to meet you, Graham." She nodded with a weak smile. She had heard that name from somewhere before, but couldn't place it. It bothered her for a moment that she couldn't remember where she knew this guy from, and she knew it was going to bother her later if she couldn't remember now. "Graham." She mumbled to herself, as if trying to remember.

"Say, you're not a local here, are you?" She questioned, taking a sip of her water, her eyes focused on the male, who seemed to be trying to distract himself. "Like, are you from around here?" Leaning her forearms on the table slightly.

Her lack of reaction relieved him. He relaxed a little bit. She smiled weakly, and the corners of his mouth twitched up as he tried to reciprocate the expression. So she was just another ordinary girl. Not the one he was thinking of, not the one he hadn't seen since...well...

"No, I'm not from here," he replied, breaking away form his own thoughts to answer his questions in an attempt to distract himself from stupid, baseless thoughts. "I was born in the country, but we moved to the city when our family farm went under. My dad got a job there, and moved all seven of us to a tiny apartment." He chuckled. That hadn't been fun at all. "I just moved here recently."

He seemed to relax a bit, which made her a bit more curious. Was there something about her? But Savannah nodded, "I see." She hummed, "I'm the city myself. Born and raised in the city." She took another sip of her drink, "I came out here about... Two years ago." She smiled, proud to remember she moved out here all on her own. "I'm not gonna' lie, but you remind me a lot of someone I once knew." She nodded to herself, tilting the glass towards herself, looking into the glass, "I don't mean to sound strange, or whatever." She shrugged.

Graham chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. "Really? That's strange. You remind me of a girl that used to live not too far from me when I lived in the city. Same name and everything. Even the same shade of hair. But it's just a coincidence, I'm sure." He let his hands rest on his thighs, feeling the outline of the cardboard box of cigarettes pressing against his palm.

"I lived in a little apartment complex called Chestnut Grove. Went to Lake Muscovy Community High. I'm sure you probably haven't heard of it," he said casually. If she didn't, then she definitely wasn't the girl he was thinking of.

Savannah sniffled her nose then curiously listened. She chuckled softly, "Do I?" She smiled, "It must be a coincidence." Though she didn't really buy it. If they both were having strange feelings about knowing each other, something must have been up. They must have known each other. "How strange." She chuckled, then her brows perked up, "Impossible, I used to go to Lake Muscovy Community High."

Something clicked in her mind, "Wait a minute, Graham Morgana?" A slow smile crept up on her face, "It's been years since I last saw you."

As much as he tried to convince himself that the girl sitting in front of him wasn't the one he thought she was... the words that came out of her mouth made it impossible for him to do that.

"So it is you," he said, chuckling. "I didn't think it was possible for two girls with the same name to have the same shade of hair." He sat back and took another look at her. "Wow," he said, shaking his head. "We got old."

He exhaled slowly. "So..." he said, struggling for words. He had thought of what he might say to her for years, and now all of those words he had strung together were escaping him. "How are you?" he fumbled.

Savannah chuckled softly, brushing a piece of red hair behind her ear, "Neither did I." She placed her hands neatly on her lap, "Yeah, where did the years go?" When he sat back, Savannah was able to get herself a good look at him--certainly the years changed him. He was definitely more handsome than he had been as in his teenage years. "The years, no doubt, have changed us."

She never thought that they would meet again, obviously fate had other things in store for her. After they had lost contact with each other, Savannah thought it was their last, but there he sat, right in front of her. She shrugged in response, "I'm great, things have been doing good for me." She smiled, "What about you? How have you been?"

"Changed us, certainly. For the better or for the worse, though...well. That remains to be seen." He desperately craved something. He couldn't put a finger on what it was that he wanted, though. Maybe an escape.

It wasn't that he never wanted to see her again. But it had been he who didn't try to contact her. He had ignored her calls, left her letters in the mailbox, and let her drift away. But it wasn't that he hated her.
He just wished he could change the past.

"Ha. You look great. Like you've been doing better than I have," he chuckled. "I'm still alive, though. I guess that says something." He hesitated. "So. Boyfriend? Husband? High-paying job? Great music career on the side? You have it all, right? That's what you always wanted, isn't it?"

Savannah chuckled softly, resisting a tinge of pink that hit her cheeks, "Time has treated you nicely as well, of course." She smiled, she tilted her head, "Oh, I'm sure you're doing just as well as I am." She spoke, touching her fingers to the wood of the table. "Being alive is definitely something." She smiled weakly. He questioned her about her current life and she hummed softly, "No," She began, "No husband or boyfriend." She told him, "Not even a high-paying job." She chuckled, "I just stick to traveling, maybe find my music somewhere along the road." She shrugged and let out a weak chuckle.

"Enough about me." Savannah chuckled, resting her jaw in her left palm. "What about you?" She hummed sweetly, "You get the farm that you've always wanted? With all the animals and crops you wanted?" She smiled, "Wife and kids?"

Graham rolled his eyes. "It's the calm before the storm," he said. "It's only a matter of time before the cigarettes and beer turn my skin completely yellow and my lungs and liver completely black. But I'll enjoy the good looks while I can."

He chuckled. "I got the farm," he said, nodding his head. "I did get that. But I haven't had a significant other since-" He broke off suddenly and ducked his head. "Well. I'm not...with anyone." He cleared his throat, feeling incredibly awkward all of a sudden. He hadn't felt so unsure of himself since he was a teenager.

"You'll have to come visit the farm someday," he said. He moved his hands to the table and rested his palms on the polished wood. "And bring your guitar. Show me how good you've gotten. I haven't heard you play since I was fifteen."

Savannah couldn't help but let out a soft laugh, "Still the pessimist, I see." She took another sip of the water, "If time has changed things, your attitude was certainly not one of them." She joked light-heartedly. She continued to listen to him talk about himself, she nodded, "Ah, that's good to hear." She smiled but then it faded when he moved to the topic of being with someone else. She dropped her eyes, "I see." Things felt strange after that moment as she fidgeted with her fingers on the edge of the table.

She looked back up at him, "I will definitely come visit sometime." A smile formed back on her lips, "Of course!" She grinned, then let out a laugh, "Ah, not that good, but whatever, I'll bring it anyway." She smiled, "Maybe the animals will like it."

Graham snorted. "Optimism is over-rated. The glass is always half-empty." He motioned to his water, which was, ironically, at the midway point in the clear cup. "My attitude is the one thing I have left," he chuckled. "Not much else to my name. Not a lot of money. No family members. I don't even have many friends here. No one I'd...like...hang out with after work with or anything." He let his voice drift away.

"Nonsense. You've always been great at music. That's the one thing that I can say with confidence. And I'm sure you've only gotten better." He hesitated, and touched her fingertips briefly with his own before receding his hands back into his lap. "I have missed you," he said in all seriousness. "It's my fault we lost touch. I've regretted that." He regretted a lot, but that nearly topped the list.

Savannah just laughed--the same old Graham from high school. Didn't change one bit, in the personality department at least. Her smile faltered slightly at what he spoke of, "Sorry about that Graham." She spoke, "But I'm sure you have friends here. You just don't let anyone in." She playfully poked fun at him.

She playfully rolled her eyes at his comment, "Yeah yeah." The corner of her lip curled up a bit, "Thanks Graham, and you haven't heard me play for four years." He touched her fingers and her eyes watched his hands, the twitch grew into a smile. "I've missed you as well, if only you kept in touch." She looked back up at him, "Please don't let that bother you so much."

He shrugged. "If it's anybody's fault, it's my own," he said. "I'm not exactly the kind of guy who strikes up conversation whenever I get the chance." He played with a frayed edge of his jeans. He stopped himself from detailing just how lonely and pathetic his life had gotten over the years.

"Yeah..." He fumbled over his words. The only friends he had ever really had, he had met in the city. "I missed you, too." He grinned to cover up the fact that it was hard for him to say things like that. "You and your stubborn bull-headed ways. It was always fun."

Mindlessly, Savannah leaned her arm over and touched his hand before he had pulled it under the table, "Like I've said before, don't worry about it." She took her hand back and placed it on her lap. "Well, that's how you are, and I'm sure no one would want you different." She swirled the water around gently in the glass. She smiled, "And I missed you too. I'm just surprised after ten years we meet totally unexpectedly." She chuckled softly, placing the glass carefully on the table. "Oh, I'm certain that is one thing that you wouldn't miss about me." She laughed.

"Times were fun, weren't they?" She smiled, tracing the rim of the glass with her index finger."I miss that sometimes as well."