Characters: Preston and Rob
Word count: 1354
Extra notes: Rob doesn't know Preston, and vice versa

     ~Rob's P.O.V.~

     The washing machines shudders, the radio dies, and the kettle stops mid boil. The powers out again.

     "Ugh, honestly..." I sigh, clicking off my iPhone and setting to the side, "This storm has been going on forever now..."

     And it's true. For the past several hours, rain has been constantly battering the windows, thunder has been shaking my entire house, and lightning cracks through the sky. It's the middle of April, so it's the rainy season here in good old Canada. The power has already been out twice, and this is the third time. I don't have an emergency generator either, so I'm stuck in relative darkness, my only light coming from the open windows. Today is the day I was planning to go for a nice stroll in the park, and take a break from YouTube. But, you can see how that turned out. And recording or uploading anything is pointless, because I risk having it all delete if the power cuts out in the middle of it. Huffing in exasperation, I lean over to peer out my window, and check to see if I'm the only house affected. And that's when I see it. Well I guess 'it' really isn't the best choice of words. More like him.

     There's a drenched guy, probably around my age, shuffling down the sidewalk. He's clearly shivering, and his arms are wrapped tightly around himself as he moves shakily down the street. His hair is soaked and sticking to his face, and he's tripping over his own feet. What is he doing out in a storm like this?! I wonder urgently, concerned for this guys health. So without a second thought, I leap off my bed, bolt down the stairs, grab an umbrella off the hooks at my front door, and bound out into the sheets of pouring rain. I haven't been outside more than then seconds and I'm already dripping wet.

     "Hey bro!" I call, dashing towards the stranger. He looks up at me, eyes training on my figure. "What are you doing out here? You're going to get sick!"

     I quickly fan out the umbrella, raising up above our heads, and shielding us from the driving rain. Lightning cracks above, causing him to flinch. The lighting lights up his features, and he looks extremely pale and cold.

     "Dude you okay?" I ask worriedly, eyeing his quivering figure.
     He nods shakily, "Y-Yeah thanks."
     I touch his forearm lightly, "You're freezing! Come on, I'll bring you inside and we'll get you dried off."

     He nods again, and I usher him back inside, before we can get any more wet or struck by lightning.

     Kicking the door shut behind me, I lead him into my living room, where I have him take a seat on a couch. Then I quickly sprint around the house, grabbing things like towels, blankets, a cup of tea, and a change of clothing. Thankfully, I have reason to believe my clothing will fit him. I stalk back into the living room, balancing the towels, blankets, and clothing in one hand and carrying the cup of stemming hot tea in another. I pass him the mug, which he shakily accepts, and set down the mound of fabrics on the coffee table.

     "Here, dry off and change into these. I brought some blankets so you could warm up." I offer, pointing to the items.
     "Y-you really didn't have to d-do that. Th-thanks." He gratifies.

     I nod, and walk out of the room for a few minutes. When I return, he's changed into my clothing, dried off his hair somewhat, and is wrapped in a few fuzzy warm blankets, the mug of tea cupped loosely in his hands. I smile warmly, plopping down in my comfy chair and deciding to kill the awkward silence.

     "I'm Rob, nice to meet you." I greet, settling back into the chair.
     "Preston." He replies, sipping the tea. "Preston Arsement."
     "Well... Welcome to my humble home, Preston." I chuckle, gesturing to my house. "So I guess, the obvious question here, is why were you stuck out there in the first place?"
     "Well... It's a funny story actually. I'm from Texas, I'm here visiting some old friends. I was just making my way back to the hotel when this storm started... And I kinda got turned around. Not really sure how... I remember there was the bright headlights of a car coming by me and then it kinda disoriented me. And so, after some wandering, you found me and here I am." He explains, seeming to have regained a lot of his strength.
     "Wow that's rough. Listen, it's getting kind of late. I have a spare bedroom, so how about you stay the night and then you can go to wherever you're going in morning? The rain should let up by then, and then it'll be easier to navigate. You can probably catch a taxi."
     "That's be great, thanks. Sorry for kinda intruding in your house."
     "No need to apologize, if I didn't want you in here I would've left you out in the rain."
     He laughs, "Touché."

~~~

I awake to the sound of singing birds, and small water droplets on my window, gleaming like tiny gems in the morning sunlight. Yawning and rubbing my bleary eyes, I glance over at my alarm clock, bright green numbers flashing 12:00.

"Well... The powers back on." I note groggily, swinging my legs over the side of my bed.

After a few minutes slumped at the edge of my bed, to let my brain wake up, my feet make contact with my floor and I shuffle out into the hall. My feet bring me to the guest room, where I let Preston sleep for the night. The door is fully open, and as far as I can tell, Preston's not in there. A little more exploration confirms this, and atop the neatly made bed, is the towels, blankets, and my clothing all folded and stacked nicely.

"Hm. He must've left early." I decide, shambling back out of the room, and lumbering downstairs.

As I turn on my brewer, and let it prepare me a cup of coffee to properly wake me up, I tiredly walk to my door, and open it. Then I stoop down and pick up the newspaper tossed on my doormat, just like every morning. Shutting and locking the door, and retuning to retrieve my coffee, I pull back a chair and plop heavily down. Taking a sip of the strong drink, I fan out the daily paper, skimming over all the headlines and random pointless news stories. It's only when I get to one article, than my stomach drops, and I swear my heart stops right then and there.

Man struck by car April XX, at X:XXpm

...At X:XX, 'Preston Arsement' was struck by a car shortly after a raging storm began, and was instantly killed. The Texan was apparently returning to his hotel after visiting friends, when he walked out to cross a street, just as a car was rounding the corner. The driver claims she could not stop in time or swerve to avoid him, because she didn't see him due to the rain...

My hearts pounds in my chest as a few select moments come to my mind.

The lighting lights up his features, and he looks extremely pale and cold

I touch his forearm lightly, "You're freezing! Come on, I'll bring you inside and we'll get you dried off."

"I'm Rob, nice to meet you." I greet, settling back into the chair.
"Preston." He replies, sipping the tea. "Preston Arsement."

"...Well... It's a funny story actually. I'm from Texas, I'm here visiting some old friends. I was just making my way back to the hotel when this storm started... And I kinda got turned around. Not really sure how... I remember there was the bright headlights of a car coming by me and then it kinda disoriented me..."

I faint on the spot.

~~~