Goldfish in the Storm

Marcus stood outside the 7-Eleven, rain plastering his hair to his forehead. He gripped the plastic bag containing his new goldfish—won from that rigged carnival game—like it was a bomb about to go off.

"You seriously kept it?" Elena said, materializing beside him with that effortless grin that made his stomach do backflips. She nodded at the bag. "That thing is literally going to die in, like, two days."

"Shut up," Marcus said, but he was smiling. "I'm gonna be the best goldfish dad ever. Already named him Neptune."

Elena laughed, and then lightning cracked the sky in half, so close Marcus felt it in his teeth. The storefront lights flickered and died. People screamed. Rain intensified like the sky was personally offended.

"My ride bailed," Elena said, scrolling through her iPhone. "No signal anyway."

Marcus's heart hammered. "We could wait at my place. It's like, two blocks."

Elena raised an eyebrow. "Your mom's gonna love me showing up at midnight in the middle of a thunderstorm."

"She's working nights. And Neptune needs a proper bowl anyway."

So they ran—actually ran—through the downpour, clutching the goldfish between them like some ridiculous joint custody arrangement. By the time they stumbled through his front door, they were soaked, breathless, and Elena's mascara had smudged into something that looked like war paint.

She looked beautiful.

Marcus dumped Neptune into a mixing bowl while Elena collapsed onto his couch, water dripping everywhere. "This is officially the weirdest night of my life."

"Same," Marcus said, sitting beside her without thinking.

The goldfish swam in lazy circles, oblivious to the lightning that kept flashing through the windows, illuminating Elena's profile in strobe-light snapshots. His iPhone buzzed in his pocket—probably his mom checking in—but he ignored it.

"Hey," Elena said softly. "Your fish is doing that thing."

"What thing?"

"That mouth thing. Where they look like they're judging you."

Marcus laughed. "Yeah. Neptune's kind of a dick."

Elena turned to him, and this time she didn't look away. The lightning flashed again, and in that split second of brightness, she leaned in.

His phone buzzed again.

She pulled back. "You gonna get that?"

Marcus dug it out, swiped to silent, and tossed it onto the floor. "No."

"Good," Elena said, and kissed him as thunder rattled the windows.

The goldfish watched. Marcus was definitely keeping him.