THIRTY-ONE Quincy
Finding a new normal in the two weeks since Georgianna hit the state is difficult. Power was restored a couple days ago. I’m back to work, but I find myself being pulled in different directions. I can’t keep up, and I’m exhausted all the time.
In total, there were two hundred deaths from the storm. The majority came from carbon monoxide poisoning and flood-related emergencies at a group of mobile park communities on the coast, and my heart aches for everyone who lost a loved one.
Property damage has been estimated upwards of one hundred billion dollars, and the agriculture impacts are just as severe. Orange groves across the state were destroyed, and farmers are saying it’ll take years before things grow back the way they should.
I don’t remember the last time I got a full night of sleep, and I haven’t seen Sebastian in days. He’s been busy bouncing between editing the content he captured during Georgianna and debriefing on ABC, and I miss him.
I take advantage of the break in my afternoon to text him.
Hi.
His answer comes back almost right away, as if he’s been waiting to hear from me.
Sebastian
There she is. How’s my favorite meteorologist?
I lean back in my chair, wishing he were next to me. His microphone is still on my desk. So are the tiny pieces of paper he folds into squares and tosses my way when he wants my attention.
I’m about to brush them into the trash can, but the hint of an ink stain catches my eye. I frown and reach for the one closest to his microphone, opening it up. Inside is his messy handwriting, a note written there.
Pretty, it says.
With a heart underneath it.
I set it down on the desk and stare at the stack of squares, wondering what else he might have written. I grab the next one, curiosity getting the best of me.
Smart, this one reads.
Feisty, comes next, with a flower drawn in the corner.
Loves ketchup, hates broccoli follows, a sad face after the word broccoli, and my heart rattles in my chest.
It takes me ten minutes to unfold each one, two dozen compliments and all the things I like—all the things I’ve mentioned offhandedly while on-air with him—set out in front of me, a collection of his inner thoughts.
I stare at them.
When did he do all of this?
Was it when he bowed his head and covered the paper with his arm, jokingly telling me to keep my eyes to myself? Did he carry them around with him, adding to the list whenever I wasn’t looking? Are there more I can’t find, ones that would tell me how he feels about me?
I grab my phone.
I miss you.
I know we have rules in place, but I want to take you out tomorrow night. On a date.
You do?
Yeah. Would that be okay with you?
Rules only work if they can be broken. I’d like that.
Six o’clock sharp. Wear something comfortable.
Are you going to tell me where we’re going?
Nope.
What if I don’t like surprises?
I’m hoping you’ll like this one. Truth or Dare, Pres?
Why are we playing this over the phone?
Why not?
How hard are you smiling right now?
I’m not.
You’re grinning, aren’t you?
It’s okay. I am too. Don’t think I’ve stopped since the first night I kissed you.
It hits me then. A way to describe the elation I feel whenever he’s around.
Falling.
Fast and headfirst, and I can only hope he’s there with open arms to catch me before I hit the ground.
I’m waiting for Sebastian in the foyer, and the knock comes at six on the dot. I almost yank the door open, grinning when I find him on my porch with a bouquet in his hands.
He looks good in his shorts and the white T-shirt that stretches across his chest. Damp hair, necklace tucked under his collar. Sunglasses on top of his head and a smile that’s made of wonder and stardust.
“Hi.” He shifts on his feet, nervous. His eyes move from my collarbone to my legs, a sigh caught in the back of his throat. “You look beautiful.”
I touch the hem of my athletic dress. “Thank you. Am I dressed okay? You said comfortable and—”
“It’s perfect. You’re perfect.”
“I don’t know about that.” I gesture him inside. “Let me put on my shoes and I’ll be ready.”
“Here.” Sebastian extends the bouquet my way, his fingers brushing mine during the exchange. “These are for you.”
“They’re beautiful.” I look down at the flowers, touching the petals and bringing them close to my nose. “Hibiscuses are my favorites. Thank you.”
“Nate helped me pick them out. You mentioned on the show that you liked them and …” He tucks his hands in his pockets. “I wanted you to have some for your house.”
“You’re the first person to ever bring me flowers.”
“I am?”
“A guy gave me a cactus once. Does that count? He’s also the same guy that FaceTimed his mother while we were on a second date and asked if the pimple on his shoulder was infected. We didn’t have a third date.”
“Come on. That would’ve been a fun story to tell the kids.” Sebastian follows me down the hall. “Did you have a good day?”
“It was long and stressful and my eyes hurt from staring at my computer, but, yeah. It was a good day.” A glance over my shoulder finds him watching the sway of my hips. “Even better now.”
“The bar is high. I’m going to have to pull out all the stops on our date, but it’s a good thing I come prepared.”
I might have challenged him on that a few months ago, but tonight?
Tonight he doesn’t have to pull out any stops. We could sit on the porch and watch the stars come out, and I’d be happy.
How in the world did we wind up here?
With the flowers in a vase, I grab my jean jacket and purse. Sebastian offers me his hand, and I take it. My heart flutters when he gives my palm a squeeze. When he pulls me close, pressing a kiss to my forehead.
“Should we get going?” I ask. “Are we on a tight schedule?”
“Sort of.” We walk to the front door, but he stops me at a row of photographs lining the hallway wall. “Look at these pictures. Is that a flip phone? My god are we ancient.”
“Senior year prom.” I tap the old photograph of me, Mia, and Harlow in our dresses. “I stayed for an hour then left.”
“You danced with Bradley Wentworth. I wanted to punch him in the face.”
“Because he danced with me?”
“Because he got some of your attention, and I was fucking desperate for it.” He moves his hand to the small of my back, helping me down the porch steps after I lock the door. “It worked out in the end.”
“Yeah.” I swallow down the lump in my throat. I don’t remember what Bradley Wentworth looks like, but I can describe every inch of Sebastian’s face in great detail. “I guess it did.”
We drive west. Busy lanes with traffic give way to a one-lane country road. Sebastian rolls down the windows, the breeze whipping through the cab of the car. I tie my hair back with a rubber band I find in the cupholder and smile when he takes my hand in his, kissing each knuckle.
I don’t know where we are when we finally stop. There are no signs, no other people. For as far as the eye can see, there’s nothing but rich blue sky and never-ending wildflowers.
“This is exactly how a horror movie starts,” I say. He cuts off the engine and unbuckles his seat belt. “Why are we nowhere near civilization?”
“Wait here.”
Sebastian jumps out of the car and pops the trunk. I don’t know what he’s doing back there, but I hear a thud. The creak of something opening then closing, the pop of a wine bottle before he opens the door for me.
“It’s beautiful.” All around us is untouched land. A landscape so vast, I feel insignificant. “It doesn’t look real.”
“It’s better back here.” He leads me to the back of the SUV.
“When I thought about where I wanted to take you for our first date, an idea came to me. You’re so many things: Brilliant beyond belief.
Funny. One of a kind. But beneath all of that, you’re a summer girl who loves to be outside.
If someone asked me to describe you, I’d call you an endless sunset.
” He gestures at the field and up to the sky. “Beauty in its most perfect form.”
Oh, no.
There’s that falling feeling again. It peeks out from the space behind my ribs, a word accompanying it this time.
Love.
Beautiful, magnificent love, and this is a fight I’m going to lose.
“I love it,” I whisper.
I might love you too, I almost add.
“Can’t forget the best part.” He grins at the blankets and pillows spread out in the trunk. The wicker picnic basket and a small lantern. A bottle of red wine and two plastic glasses. “Food.”
“We’re going to have a picnic?”
“And look for a comet that’s supposed to come through around ten. I have a portable fan so we stay cool. Mosquito repellent so we don’t get eaten alive. Oh, and key lime pie for dessert. Publix brand, because you said everything else is inferior.”
Every detail is carefully planned out. He hasn’t missed a single thing, and if asked about my perfect date, a night that would make me the happiest girl in the world, I would show them this.
I kick off my shoes and so does he. I climb into the trunk and stretch out my legs, giddy when he hands me a warm burger wrapped tightly in aluminum and an entire bottle of ketchup. “We’ve been driving forever. How is it still hot?”
“I put it in one of those thermal bags. No one likes a cold burger.” Sebastian settles next to me, our thighs pressing against each other. “Can’t believe it’s October.”
“Right? Summer is almost over, and I’m sad.” I sigh, resting my head on his shoulder. “How’s the docuseries going?”
“I’m still sorting through Georgianna footage. Thanks for all the videos you sent me, by the way.” He pauses. “I told my bosses in New York I applied to the NWS.”
“You did? How did that go?”
“He said that if I don’t get the position, he’ll expect me back in the studio next week.”
“Next week? But the hurricane season goes through November.
That’s two more months of filming.”
“I know.” Sebastian sets down his burger and traces over the curve of my shoulder. “But they think I have enough content to last the eight episodes they signed on for.”
“Back to New York. That’s not as close as Cooper’s house.”
“No, it’s not, which is why I need to be honest with you, Quincy.
” He adjusts our positions, moving me so I slot between his thighs.
I rest my back against his chest, desperate to hear what he’s going to say next.
“This thing between us? It’s not something casual to me, and I don’t want it to be casual.
I know we had rules, and I know you said rules are meant to be broken, and that’s what I want to do.
I want to figure out a way to make a relationship with you work.
I want something real, something we’re going to have to work hard for, because I’m picturing my life six months from now, and can’t fucking stand the thought of you not being in it.
You are the best part of every single day I’ve had this summer, and I don’t want to let that go. Not yet.”
“Is there room in your life for me like that?” I rest my hand on his leg, drumming my fingers over his knee.
“This isn’t casual for me either, but you have an important job and travel assignments that take you all over the globe.
I’ll be at work in the morning. You’ll be at work in the evening.
We’ll miss the call we scheduled and … and I’m scared,” I whisper, finally letting the truth out.
“Of going down this road, of … liking you so much, that if it doesn’t work out, I would be—” I shake my head.
“When I thought I lost you in Georgianna, it hurt. I’ve never felt pain like that before, and my heart wouldn’t be able to go through that again. ”
“You want to know if there’s room in my life for you?” Sebastian puts his phone in my hands. “My passcode.”
“What about it?”
“You’re my passcode.”
I look down at the screen. “I’m not following.”
“Eight goes with the letter T.” He taps the first number, and I’ve stopped breathing. “Seven goes with the letter R.” The second number comes next. “Three and D. Seven again with the letter S.”
“TRDS.” My brain is slow to catch up. When it does, I shove my burger aside. I spin in his arms and stare at him. “The Rainy Day Show. Me.”
“You, Quincy. It’s been you for a while.”
“How would this work logistically? If I get the NWS job, I’ll be here, and you’ll be in New York. If you get the job, you’ll be commuting to Melbourne and putting in long hours.”
He lifts my hand, kissing my palm. “I’m not hopeful I’m going to get the job after what went down at the interview, and I’ve made peace with that. Assuming you get it—and you should—we could try long distance and figure out a schedule. You’re a priority for me, Quinny baby, and we’ll make it work.”
We’ll make it work because I think I love you. And I hope you love me too.
I kiss him after that. I run my hands over his sculpted shoulders, down his back. He reaches for my dress, mumbling a curse under his breath when he realizes there are shorts attached.
“I didn’t bring you out here to do this.” Sebastian lifts me and puts me in his lap, my thighs on either side of his. “It was supposed to be romantic. A grand gesture where I begged you to take a chance on me.”
“You don’t have to beg.” I bite his bottom lip and grab hold of his hair. “Fucking under the stars is pretty romantic. At least, that’s what I’ve heard.”
“First time?”
It’s a loaded question.
First time fucking someone I care so deeply about? Yes.
First time being terrified of what happens next because all this seems too good to be true? Because what I’m feeling for him is something I’ve never felt before? Yes.
“Yeah,” I whisper. “Be gentle with me, Sebastian.”
He kisses me again, and it’s different than before. It’s a promise. Something new as he whispers my name over and over again, a prayer he’s reciting so he never forgets.
We stop to watch the comet blaze across the sky, his arms around my waist and my leg thrown over his calf. There’s no more talk about the future. It’s us, the only two people in the world, and it’s the best night of my life.