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The sound of rain splashes down on the cold, blackness of the road as I begin to think of all that has happened to my life while sitting in a bus stop waiting for the next bus to arrive.  A car drives past making the large puddle ripple with rings racing to the outside.  I look up seeing the two red lights fade into the distance, the sheet of rain coming down, hitting the roof of the stop filling my ears.
I lie back against the cold metal wall and close my eyes slightly thinking of how things were in the past.  My webbed paws rub together to bring some warmth back into them again.  Slowly I reopen my eyes again as my eyes twitch upon hearing the splatter of paws walking about the wet pavement.  I held my breath, the butterflies rising up to my throat, gripping me in fear.  The steps slowly begins to walk right behind me as I turn my head around but finding that I couldn't see until a white rabbits head pops around the corner making me jump.

I remember trying to beat down the terror that must've been in my eyes at the time.  But all I saw was a smile coming from the rabbit as he moved past me and sat down onto the bench next to me, the water running down his face before dripping off of his nose that quivered.  My heart stopped as he turned his head towards me again before ringing the rain out of his left ear.  "Sorry for startling you.  Weather's bad today isn't it?"

Nodding my head before looking out again at the road simmering with movement from the bouncing raindrops, I looked back.  "Looks like it."  I smile realising just how pointless that part of the conversation was but it seemed to have broken the ice.

Another sound of a car came from the distance as I looked again to the source of the noise seeing two bright white headlights in the distance before turning my head back again to see him wringing out his right ear with water.  Realising something, I leant down to pick up my bag under the bench and handed him a towel.  "Here.  Use this.  Rain doesn't bother me that much."

With a smile, he took the light blue towel.  "Thanks."  His head suddenly burying into the soft fabric as I watched him ruffle up his fur, wiping off all the moisture of water.  I could tell there was quite a bit as the towel slowly turned to a much darker shade of blue.  The car whizzed past, running over the puddle of water and spraying both of us in one go before continuing on its way.

With a frown I got up and stepped out onto the road, "Watch were you're going you fucking idiot!"  I turned around to face the rabbit again who was looking at me with a grin.  "What?"  I asked before blinking twice at him.

Smiling he began to wring out the towel.  "Nothing.  Just that you look comical standing out in the rain, waving your fist at a driver.  Besides, I was soaked through before the driver could do it."

I felt myself relaxing again before I shrugged and came back in from the rain and sat down.  "Sorry."  I fumbled with my paws before chuckling.  "That's true."

I felt the towel being handed back to me again and I begin to stuff it back into my bag.  My eyes looking at the strong big feet just beside me, the fur bristling with water drops making them shine from the street lamps nearby.  Looking slightly upwards I notice his lean strong legs.  Realising what was happening I shook the feeling from my head, the sound of the bag rezipping back up again as I pulled myself to sitting against the wall.  Turning my head I coughed slightly.  "Sorry.  But erm.  What's your name?"

Seeing him turn his head back, his paw reaches out across from his body.  Grasping my paw in his soft but firm paw, he shook it and replied.  "Strawberry."  He released his paw and his right ear twitched.  "And yours?"

Smiling I replied back.  "Jassle."

Strawberry nodded.  "So what's bringing you out on a wet night such as this?"

I thought before replying.  "I had just been swimming mostly at the new complex that they just opened up.  You know the 'Starlight Gym'"

Strawberry raised a brow, before looking away down the road to where there was a faint image of a clock lit up just above the dark outlines of the treetop.

I felt awful and turned my head away as Strawberry continued to look at the clock and was about to decide on walking home instead in the rain when I felt a paw rest on my shoulder.  Turning my head I saw that Strawberry had moved a bit closer.

"Sorry."  He began and fumbled about slightly.  "I didn't mean to be disrespectful or anything.  Just that it was a surprise that you were going to a gay complex that's all."  I saw him pause and I looked into the eyes trying to figure out if he approved or not.  I relaxed as I found that there wasn't any resent in his eyes.

"Sorry.  Just that some don't take too kindly to that sort of thing you know."  I stammered out trying to make some excuse to why I had even said I was at the place anyway.  "I don't look gay do I?"  I could feel my ears blushing.

Strawberry shook his head.  "No, but looks aren't everything.  It's how you are inside that counts mostly."  He pauses seeing my response to that one and blinks.  "Not that you aren't good to look at either."

I could feel my ears burning as I had to look away from him but his paw came up to my face and turned it back again slowly before looking into my eyes.  I tried to look away but he kept me still and slowly to my surprise, he kissed me.  "I find you quite attractive otter, actually."

Licking my own muzzle slightly I just stared at him for a moment before uttering a few words.  "I...  Erm.  Well.  Are you..?"

Strawberry nodded slowly and leant forwards before kissing again, this time for a few seconds longer.  "I am yes."  He backs off slowly and sits there staring at me.  Not knowing what to do next I just place my paws onto his and look into his eyes and I knew then that there was something special between us that I couldn't dismiss.

I knew the next ten minutes we spent time talking before we decided to get up and with a bag over my shoulder while we were holding each other by each other's paw, we walked off into the darkness just as the bus pulled up at the empty bus stop.

***

The sound of water running nearby brings Jassle back from his daydream, the wetness from his cheeks glistens in the autumn sunlight, the red, orange and brown carpet lay about him as he slowly looks down at the large bunch of flowers in his webbed paws, also damp from the tears flowing freely, dropping from his nose.

Looking up into the air, the orange/pink clouds floating in the slowly turning orange sky as the sun settles down for the day.  Jassle takes a deep breath and carefully lowers down the flowers onto the grave.  His fur now slightly faded and grey.  He looks at the white gravestone near the fountain and lowers his head looking at the grass, which moves to the water hitting the glades.  Getting up, he pads over to the fountain and sits down on the white marble.

His ears twitch slightly to the loud call of geese flying overhead, his hearing not as it was.  Turning his head back down again, the bright orange sun reflecting on the water makes Jassle turn his head back to the source and he looks at the water and smiles softly.

His tears of grief turn into tears of joy, of happiness as he wraps his paws about his body, the tail slipping into the cold water moving the leaves floating to move about as images of all the good times that they had since that fateful night waiting for a bus that they didn't get.  Wiping his face with a white handkerchief, he smiles before looking up into the sky and whispers.  "Thank you."

Moving back again to where the grave of his mate he lowers his head and touching the ground with his right paw he speaks slowly and calmly.  "My love, my life.  You have made my life so happy and full.  I hope I have fulfilled your happiness and that you are happy wherever you are now.  I never forget our first chance meeting.  I never looked at the rain in a bad way again.  Any water will always remind me of you until we meet again."  Lowering his head to the ground, he gently kisses it before getting up.  "Take care of yourself won't you wherever you are."  He smiles and corrects that.  "Actually I think I give that to the others as well.  Have fun though."

Slowly looking about he pads back to the fountain and with the last remaining flower, he drops it in, watching it float about before turning and with a slow walk down the path.  Jassle walks in between the trees in a natural red carpet of leaves all glistening from the red large sun setting behind him in a bright pink and orange sky.