Scary. Amazing. Frightening. Breathtaking.
All those words and more encompassed Lucas' mind as he stood motionless in front of Crestview Grocery Store staring at the gray sky. The tornado sirens howled around him, loudly signaling for him and everyone else to take cover, but for those few seconds, he was unable to take his eyes off of the monster headed his way, getting caught up in the fierce power of the tornado.
He had lived in Austin all his life, up until he'd moved to New York a year ago. Tornadoes were a common thing in Texas, and he had definitely seen his share, but that didn't stop him from watching as the large funnel-shaped disaster whipped through trees and power lines, making a beeline for the very spot where he stood. But more importantly, making it's way toward someone far more important – Maya Hart. After all, it was his fault she was even in Texas.
Quickly thinking of the petite blonde he had left behind in the store, Lucas rushed back inside to find her still standing at the check-out register, holding her basket of items, looking both scared and confused as she watched the tornado through the large glass windows at the front of the store.
For a split second Lucas thought of how small and fragile she looked. And scared. The look on her face reminded him of a little girl who had been frightened by something, a scary movie or a monster under her bed.
Only Maya wasn't a little girl, and there were no monsters under her bed. The only monster around was a damn big tornado headed straight for them, and Lucas knew that he had to do everything in his power to protect Maya from harm.
"Maya….give me your hand…leave the stuff!" Lucas all but yelled the words, grabbing her small hand in his own, making her abandon her basket as he pulled her roughly behind him, knowing that they only had seconds before the worst was upon them.
"Get down," Lucas ordered, pulling her behind a large display of kitchen utensils, out of the direct path of the large, glass windows.
As Maya crouched on the floor, Lucas wrapped his arms around her tightly, placing his head on hers, using his whole body to shelter her from danger.
They'd gotten to their spot just in time, and a moment later the force of the tornado bursts through the windows, sending glass and debris flying into the store. The strong winds knocking over display cases and seemingly shaking the entire building, and Maya let out a yelp.
Lucas felt the Blonde Beauty shaking in his arms, her nails biting into the skin of his forearms as she held on tightly to him. Lucas had never seen her so scared before, Maya was the girl who was fearless; she could handle anything thrown her way.
The taller boy quickly tightened his hold on her, instinctively trying to let her know that it was going to be okay- letting her know that he would never let anything happen to her.
The roar of the tornado was deafening, but Lucas was certain that he heard her sobbing, the sound causing something inside him to ache as he pressed his cheek tighter against her head, pulling her even closer to his body.
It felt like it would go on for hours, but in reality it was over in a matter of minutes – the monster leaving as quickly as it arrived, leaving a path of destruction in its wake.
Lucas loosened his hold on Maya, but not letting go as he turned to look around, making sure that the threat was truly gone.
"You okay?" he asked, and she nodded quickly, a jerky shake of her head.
"You sure?" he asked, wiping the tears from her stricken face, the taste of bile rising in his throat. He didn't know how to fix this; he'd never seen this side of his Shortstack before.
"Yeah," she said, finding her voice, although she was still a bit shaky on her feet.
"Come here," he murmured, pulling her closer, and once again wrapping his arms around her, unsure of how else to calm her down. He couldn't help but notice how good she felt pressed against his body and resented himself for even thinking like that when he'd clearly just scarred her for life.
It wasn't supposed to be like this. Lucas knew the number of random factors that had brought them to this moment. First of all, Riley was supposed to have joined him on this trip to his native land, but she'd gotten the flu and Maya'd been the easy choice to take her ticket. And Zay was supposed to be having the barbeque tonight, but he broke up with Vanessa, again, and asked if Lucas could have it at his place instead, because he wasn't really in a festive mood. Finally, Pappy Joe had been the one headed to the grocery store when his truck broke down, leaving Lucas and Maya to go in his place. None of this was right, so why did it feel like it was? He knew he should feel guilty, he was supposed to be with Riley after all- their best friend and the sweetest girl he knew- but the little blonde tucked up in his arms felt so natural it made him a little lightheaded just to consider the consequences.
Lucas knew that this was an experience that he would not soon forget. He and Maya had survived a monster, and whether she realized it or not – that was a big deal. He knew that he wouldn't be forgetting the feel of her in his arms, his body wrapped around her much smaller one, anytime soon.
Lucas rubbed his hands up and down her back, trying to soothe Maya like he would a small child, once again reminded of her big eyes looking scared, so much like a little girl.
"It's okay now, Clutterbucket," he pressed a kiss to her hairline.
He felt like he'd been punched in the gut when she lifted her head to meet his gaze, biting her lip that way that drove him crazy, "Yeah it is. Because of you."
Lucas could feel his face becoming warm as his arms unconsciously tightened around her. She was looking at him with a look of pure adoration – a look that he sure didn't deserve, but that he thoroughly enjoyed receiving from her.
Scary. Amazing. Frightening. Breathtaking.
Lucas once again felt himself bombarded with those emotions as he stood there motionless, Maya smiling up at him, their arms still wrapped around one another. He felt a sense of something coming over him. A sense that something was beginning, a something that he couldn't wait to explore.
To explore with Maya- his Blonde Beauty, his tough girl, short stack of pancakes.