Model to Holywood

"The rain is really heavy!"

Standing under the edge of the melon shed roof, Rachel looked back at the pouring rain and sighed.

"Yes, it is."

Luca removed the jacket covering her and shook it hard—it was soaked through.

Boom! Thunder and lightning lit up the distant mountains, but the brightness faded just as quickly.

Plop, plop. The torrential rain poured down, like a barrage of bullets, splattering the distant sandy fields and lakes into a mess. The rain created a mist that gradually merged with the night, slowly devouring the distant mountains, forests, lake, and the melon fields in front of them.

The sky was getting darker, and crossing the wooden bridge now would be dangerous.

"We'll probably have to stay here for a while," Luca said as he turned and knocked on the wooden door.

"Hey~ is anyone here?"

He shouted a few times, but no one responded.

"No one's here, let's go in."

The door to the thatched hut wasn't locked; it opened with a push.

Luca helped Rachel inside.

Boom! "Ahhh~"

The inside of the house was a bit dark. A flash of lightning illuminated the corner of the room, revealing several bodies lying there, some missing heads, others missing their lower halves. It was terrifying.

"Don't worry, don't worry, they're just scarecrows!"

Luca comforted her and pulled out a lighter to take a closer look. Sure enough, they were unfinished scarecrows.

"You scared me. I thought this was a crime scene!"

Rachel patted her chest, exhaling in relief.

"You've probably been watching too many crime shows."

Luca chuckled lightly, shining the lighter around the room. There was no electricity, just an oil lamp. He lit the lamp, and the room brightened up.

The room wasn't large and had little furniture: just a table, two chairs, some dry straw, wooden sticks for making scarecrows, and an empty bamboo basket.

"Sit down, let me take a look at your foot!"

Luca helped Rachel sit down on one of the chairs.

"It's nothing serious, I just twisted it earlier."

Rachel bit her red lower lip as she spoke.

Luca removed her right high-heeled shoe. Her stockings were soaked, and through the semi-transparent fabric, he could see her ankle was slightly swollen, with her big toe also a bit red.

"How did you hurt your toe?"

Luca asked, puzzled.

Rachel blushed and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"It's nothing. I kicked a rock. Why are you laughing?"

"Did I laugh?"

Luca pressed his lips together, suppressing a smile and avoiding mentioning the fact that she had kicked a melon earlier.

He massaged her ankle through the stockings.

"Ah~ it hurts a bit!"

"Hang in there, I'm trying to help."

"Massage? I've heard of this! My roommate does it too. It's a traditional Chinese therapy, right? Also, acupuncture?"

Rachel took off her wet stockings as she spoke.

"Yeah, the team doctor used to do it, and I picked up a few tricks. How does it feel?"

"Hmm~ not bad."

Rachel blinked her bright eyes, staring at his face. "Thank you, Luca!"

"Don't mention it. You're my tour guide today; your injury is my responsibility."

"Emm~ good point, haha~"

Rachel tilted her head back and laughed.

Achoo! She suddenly sneezed and hugged her arms. "It's a bit cold!"

"Yeah, it is."

Luca's jacket, T-shirt, pants, and even his underwear were all soaked. He hadn't felt it while running, but now that they were inside, the cold started to creep in.

"How about we make a fire?"

Rachel pointed at the pile of dry straw and wood.

Luca raised his eyebrows, "Good idea. We'll leave some money for the owner when we go."

He dug a pit in the corner of the room.

The floor wasn't paved, just sandy soil like outside, making it easy to dig a fire pit.

He lit some dry straw and added a few bamboo sticks and pieces of wood.

The fire crackled and blazed.

The flames danced in the corner, making the room even brighter, casting a warm glow.

"This feels much better!"

Rachel sat by the firepit, watching Luca feed the flames. The orange-red light illuminated his chiseled face, making him look handsome and captivating.

"Luca, your head is steaming!" Rachel laughed, pointing at the steam rising from his wet hair.

Luca brushed his hair, noticing it was still wet. He glanced at Rachel and laughed, "You too!"

"Yeah, the rain was too heavy."

Rachel pushed aside the wet bangs stuck to her forehead. Her hair was soaked, clinging to her shirt, making her cold.

"Should we dry our clothes?"

"Sure!"

They found a roll of wire used for tying scarecrows and stretched it across the room near the firepit.

Luca took off his jacket and shirt, wrung them out, and hung them on the wire.

"Can you hang this for me?"

Rachel handed him her blazer. The rain had soaked through the back, making her jacket thoroughly wet, though not as completely soaked as Luca's clothes.

After hanging her jacket, Luca asked, "Anything else?"

Rachel blinked and pointed at his wet pants. "Aren't you going to dry those too?"

"Would you mind?"

"Haha, you're nothing like a typical Brazilian," Rachel teased.

"I just didn't want to offend you."

"We're friends, right? I'm not that petty."

Rachel smiled playfully and slowly took off her wet gray skirt, which had also gotten thoroughly drenched in the rain.

Luca shrugged and took off his casual pants, hanging them beside hers.

With the clothes drying, Rachel was left in a white shirt, and Luca had only his underwear left.

The two sat by the fire, the warm light reflecting on their faces as the fire crackled and popped.

Outside, it was pitch black. Thunder roared occasionally, and flashes of lightning lit up the sky. Heavy rain continued to pour down, pattering on the wooden window and even splashing into the room, bringing a cold chill.

"Should we close the window?"

"Sure."

Luca got up and shut the door and windows, sealing them off from the outside world, creating an intimate, enclosed space.

With the firelight illuminating them, they sat face to face. The atmosphere suddenly became charged with tension.

"We might be stuck here for a while," Luca said, trying to fill the silence.

"Yes, probably two or three hours at least," Rachel replied, glancing at him with a sly smile.

"You have very pretty fingers," Luca said, warming his hands by the fire and admiring Rachel's delicate, long fingers.

"You have pretty fingers too," Rachel replied, before suddenly breaking into a laugh.

"Why are you laughing?" Luca asked, puzzled.

Rachel smiled mischievously, "We've already filmed a kissing scene together, so there's no need to be awkward."

Luca smiled back, gesturing to their half-dressed state, "Given the situation, anything we say will be awkward. How about you start a conversation?"

Rachel blinked and grinned, "What are you thinking right now?"

"Honest answer?"

"Of course, no need to hide anything now, right?"

Rachel laughed.

Luca nodded and then suggested, "How about we take turns asking questions?"

"Haha, fine. You really don't want to lose out, do you?"

Rachel shot him a playful look. "I asked first, so you answer. What are you thinking?"

Luca looked into her eyes. "Promise you won't get mad?"

Rachel glanced at him and chuckled, "You look like you're about to eat me alive."

"Since you guessed it, I won't say it. My turn to ask."

"No, guessing doesn't count!"

Rachel smiled.

"Alright, then!" Luca smirked. "You guessed right. I'm thinking: what a beautiful girl, so quiet and elegant, with a lovely smile. If she weren't my friend's girlfriend, I'd want to experience something wonderful with her here."

"You're such a jerk!"

Rachel bit her lip.

Luca shrugged, "I'm a 21-year-old guy. In this situation, with someone like you, if I were thinking about philosophy, something would be wrong."

"Haha~"

"Okay, my turn," Luca said. "Miss McAdams, what are you thinking right now?"

"I want to kill you, you jerk!" Rachel grinned.

"Hey, no insults. You have to answer the question."

"You're a jerk, that's what I think."

"That's not fair!"

"Haha, I'm a girl, so fairness is on my side. Now it's my turn."

Rachel suddenly grew serious.

She pressed her lips together, looked him in the eye, and asked, "Earlier in the car, if I hadn't resisted, what would you have done?"

Luca didn't answer. He stared into her eyes, his gaze burning hotter than the fire.

Rachel bit her lip, her face flushed as she held his gaze.

Thump, thump. Their heartbeats were loud and clear.

Luca reached out, entwining his fingers with hers, and Rachel responded, their palms pressing together.

By the firelight, they drew closer, their lips meeting in a passionate kiss. The chair toppled over, and they tumbled onto the pile of straw together.

Ring, ring, ring! Suddenly, the phone rang.

"Hey, Rachel, it's Ryan."

end.