"Thanks again for giving me a ride home this weekend. My Aunt Edie's car doesn't drive faster than 30 miles per hour now and my mom said the weather doesn't look so great this afternoon..." Sue explained to Sean, who happily agreed to give her a ride home. It was May and severe weather was common in Indiana, mostly in the form of thunderstorms and hail. Stormy weather or not, Sean would have welcomed the opportunity to spend time alone with Sue. He was crazy about her and and couldn't get her off of his mind, especially after they had shared that steamy kiss months ago on Christmas Eve. Neither of them had brought it up although he tried to on New Year's, but his plans were foiled when Aiden swooped in to bring in the new year with a kiss of his own. Sean had heard through the grapevine that Sue broke up with Aiden after her birthday and he seriously hoped that she would finally say something to him. Sean turned to find her scrolling through Pinterest on her phone and smiled before returning his eyes to the road in front of them as they drove to Orson.
"No problem, Suzy Q. I needed to come home anyway and help my Nana pack away her winter sweaters. She always asks me to help. I'm not sure why she doesn't ask Shelley or Dottie but it's okay, I'm happy to help." Sean shined his Donahue smile in Sue's direction and she couldn't help but grin widely. She always knew that Sean was sweet, but now more than ever it drove her crazy that he had no idea how she felt about him.
"That is SOOOOO nice of you Sean...you're always so nice to everyone. Especially me even when we were in high school and Axl was a total jerk to me. Ugh." Sue groaned and slammed her head back against the seat, putting her phone in the cup holder to rest her eyes from the bright screen. Sean nodded as he remembered some of the mean things his best friend had said about Sue. Back then, he tended to always go along with whatever Axl said or wanted to do but it always did bother him that Sue was treated so badly. He wished he could go back in time and stand up for her.
"I don't know why he always gives you such a hard time. You're so..." Sean paused to look at her for a brief moment. Sue caught his gaze and he nervously turned back to focus on the road. "You're so incredibl...incredibly awesome." He finished in an attempt to not sound too obvious. Sue felt slightly disappointed and placed her head back on the headrest. He noticed that her smile faded and took it as an opportunity to say more. "Seriously, Sue. I've never known anyone like you...you're just so...optimistic, determined, loving and you really are a special snowflake." He smiled and hoped she would read between the lines. Sue smiled but then let out a loud sigh.
"Thanks, Sean...but you don't have to say all that...but thanks for being nice to me anyway." Sue said. Sean tightened his grip on the wheel, trying to gather the courage to spit out the truth once and for all.
"I mean it, Sue. You're perfect...and there's something I've been wanting to say for quite a wh..." Sean began to say when he was interrupted by an ear piercing alarm sound. "Oh my God..." Sean cursed and his eyes widened. Sue gasped when she saw the alert on her phone to take immediate shelter. She looked out of the car windows and noticed that there was a funnel cloud forming in the sky behind them on the deserted highway.
"Oh my God! There!" She gasped as she pointed out of the back window. Sean looked in the rearview mirror and saw what she was frantically pointing at. It wasn't unusual for tornadoes to come from time to time in Indiana but in their whole lifetime, there was only one that was nearby...the one that delivered a new dryer to the Heck's front yard. "What are we going to do?! We're in the middle of nowhere!" Sue panicked and Sean blinked quickly in an attempt to access the situation. He placed a hand on Sue's knee to calm her nerves, which only ended up quickening her heartbeat.
"Hang on." Sean replied as he slammed his foot on the accelerator in search of nearby shelter. Not far down the road, he saw an abandoned service station and he quickly parked his car on the cracked asphalt parking lot. Hail began falling from the dark sky and the winds began to pick up. They got out of the car and Sean caught up to Sue, grabbing on to her hand and pulling her toward the empty concrete building. "Hurry!" He yelled as the sirens wailed in the background. Sean tried to open the front door and it was locked. "Damnit!" He cursed as he banged his fist on the window in defeat. He looked around in search of something to break the glass. In one swift motion, Sue raised her leg and broke the glass with the heel of her boot, letting out a rebel yell in the process. Sean assisted her in kicking out the large pieces of glass and they carefully ducked through the hole and into the safety of the old store. Sean found a cushioned car seat cover sitting on the abandoned shelves and he huddled close to Sue, covering both of their head to protect them from debris. By now, they were both panting and Sue's bolt of adrenaline had turned to fear. She shivered as she buried her face into Sean's chest and he wrapped his arms around her in instinct. He saw an old tire bounce lazily in front of the store window, signaling that the storm was closer than before. "By the way..." Sean began to say as he tried to catch his breath. "Where did you learn how to do THAT?" He asked in reference to Sue's powerful kick through the window. Sue leaned her head back from Sean's chest to face him.
"Did I forget to mentioned that I signed up for no-cut karate this semester?" Sue replied before returning to the safety of Sean's broad chest. Sean let out a small chuckle despite the frenzy that was opening just outside. He held her close and Sue could hear his rapid heart beat. Almost without warning, complete blackness surrounded them as the storm took a turn for the worst. The building began to creak and Sue squealed in fear. Sean responded by squeezing her even more tightly.
"I love you." He said, fearing that those would be his last words. The wind howled loudly and the words he had spoken were lost in the chaos. Just as quickly as it had started, the sky began to brighten and the howling faded in the distance like a train passing in the night. Sue cautiously released her grip on Sean and turned to look out the window, noticing the sun attempting to peak through the remaining clouds. Sean wiggled out of the little fort they inadvertently made for themselves and guided Sue along with him, keeping his hands on her sides. Sue realized that her hands still rested on Sean's chest and that he was holding onto her. When their eyes met, they stared at each other in a long but comfortable silence. Then suddenly, they were kissing each other with an urgency that neither of them had felt before, as fast and furious as the storm that had just passed. Sue's heart fluttered in her chest and she felt as if her knees would have collapsed if Sean wasn't holding onto her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he passionately ran his fingers through her soft hair, caressing the small of her back with his other hand. They were pouring their hearts out, letting go of all of the tension that they held onto for the past 5 months. They acted purely on instinct, which was how Sean ended up lifting her up by her slim thighs and pressed her against the wall. She wrapped her legs around his waist and began kissing his neck, causing Sean to groan with pleasure. No one ever made him feel this way before and he didn't want the feeling to stop, and it may not have stopped if he didn't hear a familiar voice shouting his name from outside of the service station. They broke the abruptly, panting heavily and Sean lowered Sue to the floor, hearing the same familiar voice. Her face was flushed and she attempted flatten her wild hair.
"Sean! Sean!" the voice trailed on. Sean cleared his throat and exchanged a quick look with Sue who was still straightening her clothes and catching her breath. Sean unlocked the door of the service station and the two of them finally emerged into the daylight to see a frantic Nancy running toward them with arms stretched wide open. She hugged Sean furiously and Sue stood awkwardly off to the side in a complete state of shock. "Sean! Oh my goodness thank God you're okay! I was tracking you on your way home and I saw the storm on the news and I just HAD to make sure you were okay! She hugged him tightly.
"Mom, I'm fine. We both are...but what exactly were you planning on doing? Chasing the storm away with an angry fist? You should have stayed home where it was safe!" He said and she backed up to see his disheveled clothes, and turned to see Sue waving nervously from behind Sean. Little did Nancy know that their messy appearance had little to do with the storm.
"Hi, Mrs. Donahue." Sue said, cringing when she noticed how hoarse her voice sounded. She cleared her throat. Sean noticed her hoarseness and chuckled.
"Well. At least my car is still here...even though there's a giant hole in the windshield." Sean sighed.
"Don't worry dear, I have AAA on speed dial. They will come and take care of your car but go on and get your things. I'm taking you two home and making you a homecooked meal, whatever you like, meatloaf? Chicken? Hashbrown casserole? You know what? I'm making all of it. Time's-a-wasting! Let's go!" She carried on as Sean loaded his and Sue's overnight bags into Nancy's car. Nancy pulled out her cell phone and placed a quick call to her husband. "Ron! I'm making hashbrown casserole! Don't order that pizza!" Nancy shouted and Sue laughed. Sue got into the backseat and Sean wasn't sure where he was supposed to go, so he opened front passenger seat. Nancy scolded him. "No! You go sit with Sue! After what you both just went through she shouldn't be alone!" Sean happily complied and crawled into the backseat with Sue with a wide grin on his face. He winked at her and she blushed, unsure of how to process what had just happened. For the second time now, they had shared a passionate kiss without having an opportunity to discuss it afterwards. But this time felt different, especially when he reached his hand across the back seat and reached for her hand. They laced their fingers together and Sue moved to the middle seat so she could rest her head on Sean's shoulder. He moved his arm from her hand to around her shoulder and pulled her close, resting his own head on hers and let out a deep breath. Maybe they didn't have to talk about it after all. Nancy noticed the sight of them in her rearview mirror and smiled. She had always imagined that Sean would end up with Sue one day, and now it seemed like it was becoming a reality.