Rain Under the Acacia Tree

In a small town, there were two people who often met without ever really realizing it. Their names were Lila and Arman. Lila worked in an old library near the city park, while Arman was a street artist who liked to paint under the large acacia tree in the park.

Every morning, Lila passed the acacia tree with hurried steps, always carrying books that she would read during her lunch break. Arman saw her many times, but never dared to greet her. For him, Lila was a figure like poetry: beautiful, simple, and untouchable.

One day, heavy rain fell without warning. Lila, who was walking without an umbrella, ran to the acacia tree for shelter. Underneath, Arman had already sat down with a wet canvas. They stared at each other, somewhat awkwardly. Arman smiled slightly, then said, “It seems like the rain made us friends today.”

Lila laughed, “I guess so. You’re an artist, huh? Always here every morning.”

Arman nodded while lifting his brush, “And you, the book lover who is always in a hurry.”

The conversation was light, but warm. The rain, which was usually cold, felt different that day for both of them. Since then, Lila deliberately walked slower when passing the acacia tree, hoping to see Arman again. Arman, on the other hand, began to bring a sketch of Lila's face on every canvas.

Day after day passed, until one afternoon, Arman dared to show Lila his painting—a painting of a woman with messy hair, running in the rain. "This is you," Arman said softly. Lila fell silent, her face flushed. She felt her heart, which had been cold like old books in a library, start to warm.

"The rain that day," Lila said, "made me fall in love... with this acacia tree." She smiled thinly, then added, "And maybe you too."

Arman was speechless. He just smiled broadly, as if the whole world now only had two: him and Lila, together under the acacia tree, where their love began.