"Oh, my mother said she missed me, so I quickly bought a ticket to go home and accompany her," I replied, trying to sound casual.
Harry's voice came through the microphone, still sounding a bit distant. "Is that so? Then you should accompany my mother-in-law well!"
"You didn't tell me in advance, little rascal, I'm going to beat you up!" Harry's playful voice came through the phone.
His jokes had always been light-hearted and amusing, but tonight, they sent a shiver down my spine. I felt goosebumps spread across my skin. I managed to offer a few perfunctory responses before hanging up. The rest of the evening passed in silence, the kind of silence that felt heavier than usual.
What puzzled me was Rachel's sudden quietness. Normally, when Harry and I were together, Rachel would be constantly messaging me, her notifications ringing in rapid succession: ding-dong-dong. But tonight, there was nothing. It was as if she had disappeared from the digital world altogether.
Could it be that Rachel was with Harry right now? Were they preoccupied with each other?
The thought shocked me and I quickly shook my head, trying to dispel the troubling notion. I reminded myself that it was none of my business and forced myself to focus on my preparations for the impending storm.
I was jolted awake by a thunderous sound. When I opened my eyes, it was already raining heavily outside the window. It wasn’t a dream; the storm had begun.
I reached for my phone and checked the time. I had stayed up all night watching a TV series and now it was dark again. My phone was flooded with more than 50 missed calls, which made me click my tongue in surprise. Luckily, I had set my phone to silent mode.
A notification from the property group caught my eye:
Dear owners, the Meteorological Bureau has issued a red warning for heavy rain. Please close the doors and windows and do not go out unless there are special circumstances to avoid unnecessary trouble. Thank you for your cooperation!
The message continued with additional details:
Red rainstorm standard: Rainfall will reach more than 100 mm within 3 hours, or has already exceeded 100 mm and may continue.
In the group chat with Harry and Rachel, there were a flurry of messages:
Rachel: [Rosie, where are you?]
Rachel: [Didn't we say we would celebrate your birthday today?]