53
We lie there in the cramped darkness for what feels like half an hour, waiting until the world finally falls silent. Once the thunder fades into a distant, muffled echo, I let the comforter slide off our heads. I scan the bathroom, half-expecting to see cracks in the walls or shattered tile.
“Is it safe?” Erica asks, her voice small and fragile.
“Wait. Stay,” I murmur. I push myself up and head into her bedroom. I check the window there before walking out into the main room, turning right to peer through the glass near the couch.
Broken branches and scattered hail litter the ground, but for the most part, the chaos has been replaced by a heavy calm. Shaking, I pull my phone from my pocket to check the news I hadn’t had a chance to monitor. There it is. A severe cell, and it's finally moved on.
“King?” Erica whispers. she’s standing at the bathroom threshold, her body partially hidden by the doorframe as she watches me.
“I think it's safe to come out,” I say.
“The weather reports say that the storm is still brewing and that there are going to be some other cells, but they're more to the south and to the north. The worst one that we were going to deal with was the one that just passed.”
Erica goes to the fridge to get some water and offers me some.
“I don't want any,” I tell her.
“Thank you for coming,” she says, looking up at me.
“You're welcome,” I reply, feeling a pang of guilt because I know my reasons for being here weren't entirely selfless.
“Are you going to go?” she asks.
“Maybe I should wait here until… just to make sure.”
“Okay. I'm tired. I mean, I'm wired but…” she says. Her voice trembles as she tries to force a smile through the lingering shock.
“I know,” I tell her.
She retrieves the comforter from the bathroom floor. As she retreats into her bedroom, she glances back at me, and I follow. She closes the door behind us and slides into the right side of the bed. I climb in beside her, and we work together to smooth the rumpled quilt over us.
Lying on my back with Erica to my left, I check my phone one last time. I let out a gasp that turns into a dry chuckle, shaking my head in disbelief.
“What is it?” she asks.
“The thing… the cell that just passed over us,” I start.
“Yeah?”
My finger points to my phone screen as I lean in a little to the left so she can see. “See that vortex? That rotation… right there in the purple and red?”
“Yeah?”
“That’s a tornado. It literally formed right after it passed over us,” I tell her. Her eyes widen, reflecting the light of the phone.
“You mean… the wind and the weather we were having was literally in the middle of making a tornado?”
I nod slowly, the realization of how close we came finally sinking in.
“Oh my God…” she says, then she catches herself and looks at me. “I’m sorry I didn’t. I’m sorry for taking the Lord’s name in vain.”
I remain quiet for a minute, staring at the screen before finally tucking the phone under my pillow. “It’s okay,” I whisper.
The both of us lie here for a minute, feeling tense.
Then the weirdest thing occurs. She settles into me, lying on her right side, her left arm draped over my midsection.
It makes me feel calm. On fire but calm, like being here is exactly where I need to be.
Like everything's going to be okay as long as we're together.
It's weird what something like this can do to you.
“King?”
“Yeah?” I whisper back.
“I'm so thankful for you,” she whispers and hugs me tighter.
I look over at her. Then I turn onto my left side, hugging her close to my chest. “I'm thankful for you too,” I say, completely meaning it.
Her hair smells wonderful. It makes me feel safe. I hold her head close. My lips naturally fall onto her forehead. Our knees are pressed close together, but I hold her tighter, not wanting her to be away from me. I kiss her forehead.
“Erica,” I whisper.
“Yes?” she whispers back, leaning away from my chest just enough to meet my eyes in the shadows of the room.
My face leans in just a little, my breath grazing her skin as I kiss the tip of her nose.
“King…” she starts to say, dipping her face a little bit as if trying to keep her lips away from me.
I don't want them away from me.
My lips find hers, moving them slowly, and she tries not to move hers against mine, but like me she's unable to help it.
My right hand slides over her waist, pulling her closer against me, against my crotch where I know she can feel how hard I am. I'm not going to do anything with her. I just want to hold her close. There's nothing wrong with kissing.
“Erica,” I say again, coupled with the throbbing of my penis.
“King,” she replies in the same breath and tone that I do.
“Erica… mmm,” I whisper a little louder as I kiss her again.