Nina, Erica and her parents, sat in the car and headed to the airport. They took a White Range Rover sport this time. Why use the same car all the time yet there was a variety of luxurious cars parked in the garage anyway!

After an hour of waiting at the airport, Tom's plane finally landed. Most of the people in the waiting area stood up to welcome their loved ones.

There was a couple that was hugging and got Erica feeling jealous. They man had held his girlfriend by the waist and swung her mid air, as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Look at them,"she whispered, with scorn in her voice.
Nina, who sat beside Erica's erect figure, just laughed at her friend. She didn't see why that had to be a reason for Erica to be mean, even to strangers.

"Oh! God. This place is flooded. Will he see us from here?" Erica complained, looking really impatient.

Unlike Nina, Erica had been unable to sit down. She had been pacing forward and backward, hoping that they would announce the arrival of the Tom's plane.

Mrs. Woods walked up to her and rested a hand on her daughter's shoulder.
"He'll be out any minute now."

Erica turned to look at her father and found him waving his hands in the air.

"Over here," he said. Mr. Woods was trying to get the attention of someone who stood a sizable distance from them.

When she looked the other side, she saw Tom pushing through the flood of people.

"There he is,"Erica shouted.

She ran to meet him. The girl threw her hands over his shoulders and jumped on him, they almost topped.

Their parents had also reached them by the time she let go of him.

"Hey! You almost tossed me to the ground," Tom said, after the ambush on his well built body.

"It's your fault," Erica said. "You made me miss you so much." She pinched his nose.

"Ouch!"

"Welcome home son," Mrs. Woods said as she opened her arms towards him.

Tom put down his back pack and gave his mom a hug.
"I missed you mother."

" I missed you too"

"Well won't you give your old man a hug?" said a smiling Mr. Woods.

"Dad," Tom said. He moved from his mother's arms and went to hug his father.

He fell in his old man's arms and got wrapped in a lovely embrace.
Mr. Woods tapped Tom's shoulder. " You're good?"

"Never been better," he said.

Nina had been watching the family exchange embraces. She stood a few steps behind them but no one seemed to notice her presence.

She felt embarrassed when other people looked at her, standing alone, looking like a lost child.

It was Tom who saw her when he hugged his father, and asked. That's when they all remembered.

"Aaah. Who is this? Is she with you guys?"

"Oh! I'm sorry I almost forgot," Erica answered immediately.
She walked over to Nina and pushed her own hand through Nina's elbow.

"Tom. Meet Nina. My best friend," she announced.

"Hi Nina," he said. Tom smiled as he held out a hand towards her.

"Hello," she replied, and met his hand. She looked up to his face, only to meet his grey eyes staring down at her hazel brown iris.

What a gorgeous boy! What the hell are you thinking about him. Her subconscious seemed to tell her.

She felt embarrassed and tried to pull out of his grip but she failed, he was holding tight.
Tom spoke after realizing the awkward silence he had created.

"Nice to meet you Nina," he said.

"Nice meeting you Tom"

Their hands were finally set free. Good enough, nobody else had realized the awkwardness of the moment, except the two people whose hands had been tied together.

"Forgive us Nina. Tom had taken all our attention," Mrs. Wood said with a smirk.
She was not really sounding apologetic, rather mocking.

The sudden rumble of thunder startled the group.

"We should leave now. It might rain any minute," Mr. Woods said. He started walking to the parking lot.

The rest of the group followed after Tom had picked up his bag. Erica had offered to pull the other suitcase.

It started raining a few minutes after they had started driving back.

"Damn it. It's going to be freaking cold by the time we get home," Erica complained.

Tom laughed at her. "Then you'll go and chill in the jacuzzi. You'll feel a whole lot better."

"You know you should always find something positive in every situation Erica," Nina interjected.
"My mom says that rain is a sign of blessings." She turned to look at Erica and her eyes accidentally met Tom's.
Whether it was intentional or not, he was looking at her the moment she turned.

Why is he looking at me? She thought and quickly turned back.

Nina was sitting next to Mrs. Woods and her husband was in the front, next to the driver. Whereas Erica sat beside Tom in the third row of the Range Rover.

Nina felt Tom's eyes on her all the way to the house. She was starting to feel uncomfortable.
She wished that they reached sooner so that she could get to her room.

When they reached the luxurious home, it was still raining.
Rick came out with an umbrella over his head and another in his hand.

He opened the door and spread the umbrella for Mr. Woods. He took him to the house and picked the lady of the house next.
Erica was handed an umbrella and she got inside the house with Tom.

Nina remained in the car, wondering whether anyone was going to remember her and help her get inside the house, dry.

She had decided to walk in the rain after waiting for a few minutes.

"I'll be soaking wet by the time I reach the door." Nina sighed.
"Well. What other option have I left?"

She braced herself and stepped one foot out of the car, eyes closed. She felt the rain drops on her leg.

After getting used to the cold sensation on her foot, she opened her eyes and decided to get her entire figure out of the car.

She took a deep breath and decided to step out.
"Let's do this!"

She was ready to soak in the rain. She expected to feel the drops on her hair and her dress but she didn't.

Someone had been fast enough to put an umbrella over her head before the rain could hit her.

Could it be Tom. Her heart jumped at the thought.

She turned to look at the person who was shielding her from the rain and to her relief, it was not him. It was Rick.

Look at yourself dummy. You actually thought Tom would come and get you? Get back to your senses Nina.
Her mind quickly told her.

"Not everyone forgot you Miss," Rick said and gave the young lady a smile.

"Call me Nina please, sir!," she replied.

"Aah. I'm sorry I can't do that. Not when you're calling me sir, "Rick complained.
"So, let's make a deal. I call you Nina, you call me Rick," he continued.

"That's really nice of you, Rick" Nina almost laughed when she said it.

"What's funny?," the tall gentleman asked.

She chuckled before speaking again. "It's just that.... My mum would be offended if I didn't address older people with their rightful titles."

"You must love her so much," Rick said. Without giving her time to answer, he helped her to the house.

"If we keep talking here, you'll be wet by the time we reach enter inside," he said as he walked her to the door.

"Thank you Rick," Nina murmured. " And by the way, I love her so much, more than you can imagine.

He nodded in response and with a smile on his face, he walked away.

By the time Nina reached the living room, there was no body. The same was the case with the dining room.

They've probably gone to catch some warmth in their rooms.

She shrugged at the thought and decided to go to upstairs to her room, well, the one allocated to her.

She had just taken a few steps from where she had been standing when a familiar voice hit her ears. Nina was forced to turn and look.

Her eyes met the most radiant smile she had ever seen. She smiled.