Evaline:
The moment Oscar drove the car past the massive iron gates, the sky finally gave up its restraint.
Sheets of rain slammed against the windshield hard enough to blur the world into silvery streaks.
Just an hour ago, it had been warm and bright... practically cheerful. Now, at barely three in the afternoon, the world looked like dusk had arrived hours early.
Oscar barely finished parking when I shoved the door open and sprinted toward the house. I still got hit by icy droplets, cold enough to sting where they touched my bare skin.
I burst inside, breathless, hair slightly wet.
Oscar was right behind me.
Before I could wring out my braid, a maid hurried over with a towel. Oscar plucked it from her hands with a polite nod and stepped in front of me. His palm slid to the back of my neck as he gently tilted my head forward.
He dried my hair himself.
"You are cold," he murmured in a low voice, like almost a reprimand.
