THIRTEEN Quincy #3
Maybe I was wrong.
Maybe his pretty eyes and the hitch of his smile wouldn’t be the worst thing to see before I die.
His necklace bumps against my forehead when he jumps over a piece of debris. I reach for the jewelry, holding it like it’s an extra layer of protection from the elements around us. Reassurance that he’s okay too as I anchor myself to him.
“We have to be close,” I rasp.
“I left my lights on. I see them up ahead,” he says. “I’m putting you in my car. We’ll come back for yours later. You have your phone, right?”
“My phone?” I look down, shocked I’m still clutching the device.
I thought I lost it when I fell. I wiggle in his arms and peek over his shoulder, angling the camera in the direction of the tornado.
My live stream is still rolling, every comment flashing across the screen asking if I’m all right. “Yeah. It’s here.”
“Let them know you’re okay.” Sebastian’s chin rests on the top of my head. His movements are slowing. He lets out a grunt, the makings of a soft groan. I don’t know how much longer he can sustain this pace. “Please.”
“Right.” My voice is hoarse, and I address those watching.
“I’m fine. I twisted my ankle, but I’m okay.
We’re headed for the cars and going to do the thing you absolutely should never do when you’re in the path of a tornado, which is try to outrun the tornado.
You will never, ever win. But we’re going to try.
We don’t have a choice. I’ll catch up with all of you after. ”
“Hey.” Rivulets of water run down Sebastian’s forehead, his cheek, and I wish I understood why I wanted to wipe them away. They slide down his neck, catching in the hollow of his throat. I wish I understood why I wanted to press my mouth there too. “Whatever happens, I got you, Quinny baby. Okay?”
My heart lurches. An inexplicable, painful weight presses on my chest, and all I can do is nod back. Everything else is too terrifying.
“Your camera. I’ve blocked anything you might have captured.
Here.” I release the device strapped to Sebastian’s chest and hold it up next to my phone.
I end my live stream and switch over to video, wanting to make sure he gets his own footage.
“If you win an award for this docuseries, I want credit.”
“I’ll put your name in big, bright lights.”
Ahead, our cars come into focus. A hundred yards shrinks to ninety, then eighty. What feels like years pass before he’s opening the passenger door of his SUV and carefully setting me in the seat.
“Just throw me, Dunn.” I reach over the center console, opening his door for him. “I won’t break.”
“Your ankle would argue that you’re a liar.” He turns the keys, stopping halfway in the middle of starting the engine. “Quincy. Look.”
I whip my head in the direction of the dashboard, expecting to find us a hairbreadth’s distance from lifting off the ground.
But we’re not.
We’re safe.
There is no tornado, no danger. No destruction, only parting clouds, the last slice of sunlight trying to sneak through. Ceasing rain and dying winds.
“Fuck. Fuck. Don’t tell me I imagined that.” I put a hand over my heart. What might be a mix between a strangled sob and a laugh escapes me. “Did it dissipate? Change directions?”
“Both. It started moving east again, and it’s also dissipating.
There.” Sebastian leans over, invading my space.
I’m entirely aware of his presence, from the goose bumps on his arm to the folded sleeve on the right side of his shirt.
“Years of chasing storms, and I’ll never fully grasp how weather has a mind of its own. ”
“Speaking of a mind of its own, I need to sit here for a minute and distract myself so I don’t start thinking about what we just went through and freak out.
” I drop my head against the seat. I massage the pain in my leg, hopeful my heart rate is returning to normal.
“I can’t believe I’m asking this, but, Truth or Dare, Dunn? ”
“Good idea,” he says, sounding as worked up as I feel. “Truth, Monroe. Make me feel better.”
“On a scale of one to ten, what was your fear level out there?” I close my eyes, trying to decompress “I know we’ve seen a lot of storms, but please tell me it was as high as mine.”
“Honestly?”
“I’d like it if you were. I feel like an amateur right now.”
“Before you fell, it was around an eight.”
It sounds like there’s more he wants to say.
I blink, and when I open my eyes, I find that he’s still close—raindrops drying on his eyelashes.
Exhaustion lining his gaze when he stares at me straight on, and I feel the wall around my heart start to fracture the longer I look at him.
The tiniest crack, just above my ribs, the longer he looks right back at me.
“And after?” I croak.
“A ten. I’ve never been so terrified.”
I bob my head. With his eyes on me, he slowly reaches for my seat belt and buckles it securely in place. I think his hand brushes against my stomach when he does, but I might be imagining it, a side effect from the waning adrenaline.
I’ve never been so terrified, either, but I’m more scared of how I’m feeling right now: vulnerable. Confused and elated and grateful for his protection.
I’m not sure I’d want to go through that with anyone else.
I’m not sure I would have survived that if it hadn’t been him next to me.
Maybe he’s right.
Maybe the two of us are inevitable, our souls tied together moons ago. Fate waiting, until the moment was right.
Relief washes over me as I melt into the seat, followed swiftly by lust. By need and maddening curiosity.
I wonder what it would be like to kiss him.
I wonder what it would be like if he kissed me back.
Do it, a voice inside my head whispers.
Please, a softer one adds.
“Quincy?” Sebastian puts a hand on my arm. There’s worry in his eyes. Distress in the curve of his shoulders. He’s aged ten years in ten minutes. “Are you okay?”
“Sorry,” I breathe out. Mind-numbing exhaustion sits heavy on my limbs. Desire curls in my stomach. I’m a live wire the longer he keeps his hand on me, a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. “Trying to push through the pain.”
“I’ll drive you back to your place and have Cooper meet us there to check you out.”
“Thanks. I’ll send you whatever footage I was able to get tomorrow. You can use it however you want.”
“I appreciate that.” His mouth pulls up in a smile. The car warms, the gentle hum of low heat filling the space between us. “Just so you know, I’m going to pretend you tripped so you could get me to carry you.”
I swat at his arm, but he’s faster. He catches my hand in his hold. His thumb brushes over my knuckles, the energy between us shifting to something new.
“I hate you,” I say around a yawn.
“No, you don’t,” he says, pulling out of the parking lot and turning on the radio.
No, I don’t, I think, just before I fall asleep to the sound of smooth jazz playing from the radio and Sebastian reaching over to tuck a piece of hair behind my ear.
Maybe I never did.
THE RAINY DAY SHOW COMMENT SECTION
@Marissa1992: Oh my god. That was the most intense show I’ve ever seen. I’m so glad they’re both okay after that tornado.
@KayandBeauLoveYou: I was literally on the edge of my bed watching. I kept screaming at them to run faster. It was like something out of a movie.
@AmandaPlz: It was like Twister in real life.
@HaleyBaley: SUCH a good live stream, Quincy. I love when we go into the storm with you. It shows how powerful these systems are and why we should take them seriously. Happy you two are safe. Get some rest.
@AustenPowerz: You’re fucking joking. Tornadoes don’t just disappear. And you happen to catch it all on video? Without it destroying anything in its path? Please.
@PocketFullOfSunshine89: @AustenPowerz they dissipate all the time. That’s quite literally how science works. I’d give a full explanation, but you wouldn’t be able to understand.
@ElBeeBaby: It’s been almost fourteen hours and Quincy hasn’t posted anything new. Wasn’t her show supposed to start at nine? Hope she’s really okay