Everything was set.
The candles were by my side, along with the matches and the flashlights. It was eerily quiet outside, and it didn’t help that I was alone in my apartment. The news informed me that it has entered the country’s area of responsibility minutes ago, and was now moving fast and furiously towards our region.
I expected the lights to go out anytime soon, so I had my emergency lights ready. I was deathly afraid of the dark and thunder, so this would definitely not end well for me. I sat in the middle of my bed, away from mirrors and windows.
“Beth, someone is calling. Beeeeeth. It’s meeeeee.”
The recorded ringtone filled my apartment, and it filled me with irritation. I didn’t spare it a glance, afraid that if I answered my phone it would go empty. I walked towards my curtain covered windows, and saw that there wasn’t a cloud in sight. The stars gleamed as if nothing was about to happen. The only thing I heard was the soft beat of my heart, and the vehicles that passed in front of the building.
“Beth, someone is..”
I turned off my phone immediately, before safely stashing it under my pillow. I began to get paranoid, as I imagined the apartment flooding until the fifth floor. I imagined all my things getting wet, my whole life’s work ruined by it. I turned on the TV to calm my nerves, but I regretted it immediately as a flash report showed.
“A 4:00 PM TODAY, THE EYE OF TYPHOON WITH INTERNATIONAL NAME “HAIYAN” WAS LOCATED BASED ON ALL AVAILABLE DATA AT 1,221 KM EAST OF MINDANO WITH MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS OF 175 KPH AND GUSTINESS OF UP TO 210 KPH. IT IS FORECAST TO MOVE WEST NORTHWEST AT 30 KPH.”
I shivered at the thought of the storm that it was stronger than a bulldozer, and changed the channel. However no matter how I tried, I still wanted to listen more to the news. The skies still hasn’t shown any changes in the weather, and it was the “calm before the storm” phase.
I began to cuddle up in my comforter, trying to rid my mind of fear. A thud from my window made me sit up straight, as I slowly turned towards an intruder. He covered my hand before I had the chance to scream, and I childishly licked it so he would let go.
“Eew! What are you, five?” He asked disgusted. He began to wipe his hand on his pants, his brows scrunched together.
“I’m five and a half actually.” I stuck my tongue out to him, and that was only when I realized that he was soaking wet. “Is it already raining outside?”
He gave me a ‘duh’ look which irritated me, before he finally spoke. “I’ve been calling you for the last thirty minutes so I could get into your apartment before it started raining. But is seems like your phone is turned off.”
I ignored him, looking around the apartment for a shirt he could use. “Here. Take those clothes off and wear some of my big shirts.”
His smile widened and his brows wiggled suggestively, as he took off his shirt. And he actually didn’t look that bad. Okay, maybe he has some kind of a toned stomach that I could only dream of, but he was still annoying. It was then I realized that he has been observing my reaction, and he grinned like a kid. I threw the shirt towards him in embarrassment, and moved to look outside. Surely enough it was raining, but it was only more of a drizzle.
“You can look now.” I turned towards him, and found myself in a pickle. He was a few inches from me, and when I turned around I slammed onto his chest. I felt him chuckle, and I scooted myself towards the right to avoid him.
“Jerk.” I muttered.
“I heard that.”
“You were supposed to.” I smirked at him, before returning to my bed. Soon he sprawled himself on the bed like he owned the place, and I kicked him on the side. But damn, he was really strong and hard as a rock. I groaned, trying to push him off.
“Stop trying princess. This guy is as strong.” He smugly said, showing off his developed biceps It irritated me more that he saw me struggle, so I stopped trying. Soon the rain began to fall harder, and a whip of thunder began to echo in the skies. I instinctively covered my ears, and soon enough the sound went away.
“Awwe. Wittle Beth afwaid of a wittle thunder?” He cooed. It frustrated me more when he saw me vulnerable, but it was too late to go back now. So instead I ignored him, turning around to avoid looking at his arrogant face. I closed my eyes and tried to push myself into sleep, when another roll of thunders began to resound all over the room.
“Jiminy cricket!” I groaned. He began to laugh at me, finding amusement in my choice of words.
“Oh Beth, you’re really something.”
“Oh Bryan, you’re really nothing.”
“Ouch princess. That stung.” He feigned hurt, clutching his ‘sore’ heart. “Is this how you would treat your hero who did everything to come here?”
“Yeah, like you came here for me. I know you have a girlfriend on the second floor. What happened play boy, did she kick you out or something? That’s why you came running to you dear old best friend?” He scoffed at me, so I added. “How many women have you dated in my building?”
He began to say names, mostly apartment numbers, with his fingers. In the end he held up eight with a huge grin. “But I did come here for you, you know. I promised your dad I’d look after you.”
“I don’t need a babysitter.”
Thunder once again boomed, and I found myself crawling towards him. I closed my eyes and hugged him tight until the sound went away. When I opened my eyes, there was no light.
“Bryan, please tell me you just turned off the lights and that there is still electricity.” I prayed that he would say yes, knowing his full craving for pranks, especially when it came to me.
“I-can’t-breathe!” I let go of him immediately, forgetting that I was literally holding on to him for dear life. I gave him a sheepish smile as the color returned to his face. “As you can see, I was struggling to breath as a monkey practically jumped on me, so there’s no way I did that.” I punched him lightly on his shoulder for the “monkey” bit, but soon this playfulness went away when I realized it was really dark.
“Wait! The candles!” I sprung off the bed, immediately lighting the candles that I have set. The room soon was lighted dimly, giving off a warm vibe. The wind outside picked up, almost whistling. I opened the window for a peak, and I saw coconut trees bending as if it was about to break. The storm is here.
“Hey, you okay?” His warm hand made contact with my shoulder that was shaking. “Calm down okay? I’m here for you.” He guided me towards the bed, and he cuddled me into his arms. It was such a familiar feeling, with him always being there when I needed him. The sounds of things hitting on something began to frighten me, as the storm began to become harsher with every dragging minute.
“Bryan, don’t leave me okay?” My heart literally began to beat harder, as I gazed onto his eyes. Under the light of the candles he seemed different, unlike the bad boy I knew him to be. He had soft eyes that were staring at me, that reflected the dancing light. The shadows on his face seemed to gradually morph him into looking like an angel. That was when I realized that I love this guy in front of me, and it was unnerving to think that I have been in love with him for years.
In that moment I forgot about everything else: I forgot about the storm, his long list of exes, and the fact that his pants were still wet from the rain. I was only concentrated on him. Soon his lips turned into a smile, as he kissed my forehead. Before I went to a peaceful sleep, I heard him say something.
“I’d always be here princess.”
——————————-
Not entirely fiction, as the news report above is real. There really IS a super hurricane coming here in the Philippines, and is expected to hit our city TOMORROW since we’re near the Pacific. I’m really scared, mostly because there are rumors that it’s going to be another strong one. I hope everything would be okay.
What did you think of the story though? 🙂
What did you think of the story though? 🙂