Sunshine

It'd been raining solid for the last several days. The once dry, cracked ground was now swollen with water.  I sat on my porch just watching the ebb and flow of the rain, dictated by the wind. Despite the rain and the wind, though, it was nice outside. Wasn't too hot, wasn't too cold. The kind of day you'd have right when spring started, or the onset of autumn. I'm not a coffee kind of person, but I keep some in the cabinet for days like this because it just... feels right.
"Enjoying the view?" Rachel asked. She smiled and sat across me on the porch. She held up a cup, " grabbed some coffee. Hope that's cool."
"Yeah," I said.
"So, I didn't see you at work today and Jeff said you didn't call in."
"Yeah," I said.
She looked at me blankly, waiting for a better answer, or more of an answer-- I don't know.
"That's it? Just 'yeah'," she said.
"Yeah," I thought. "No," I said.
She gently set her cup down on the ledge and pursed her lips in that way everyone does before they get mad. "What the fuck? Everyone thought you were hurt-- or worse! And all you can say is 'yeah' and 'no'? What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing," I said. I looked at her calmly and meant it. There was absolutely nothing wrong with me.
The wind picked up.
"I think I might move my car into the garage. It's getting crazy out there," I said.
"What?"
"Look, Rachel. Sometimes there isn't something wrong. Sometimes there isn't a reason, and sometimes we do things just because we haven't before, or because we want to-- or don't want to. I didn't go into work today for no other reason than I didn't go into work today," I said.
"Bullshit," she smirked. She grabbed her coffee and took another sip, her mind trying to work me out.
The rain picked up.
"I love you," I said.
It was like she was struck by lightning. Or hit by a car. Or paralyzed through some other violent means that escapes me.
"What?"
I could hear her heart beating from her, or was that my own? "I said I love you."
"Why did you say that?"
"Because sometimes we do things just because we haven't before, or because we want to--"
"Or don't want to..." she said.
The rain stopped.