Someday Soon Chapter 37
( Sorry i haven't updated in a long time! The lead up to Christmas is always a busy time and then i was rather sick. Yikes! Thank you to everyone who has been reading and reviewing this story! Its really means a lot. Thank you for your patience and i hope you enjoy!)
Maya jumped as the lights flickered off and the windows of Josh's apartment shook from the vibrations of the thunder. She felt her whole seize up with tension. She dug her nails into the skin of her hand trying to keep calm. Shawn was speaking rapidly now. He knew about Maya's issues with storms and was doing his best to reassure her while their phone connection still remained strong. He told her that she would be fine and that hopefully the storm would pass over new york quickly. He reminded her of calming techniques her therapist had recommended for times such as these. Maya nodded along to what he was saying, trying to focus on her breathing.
Josh had risen up from beside her on the couch and had moved over to the window. Josh busied himself making sure all the windows were latched properly. His land lord had warned him that the windows often popped open in heavy wind if they had not been firmly secured.
Maya's phone call with Shawn was beginning to crackle as their phone service worsened.
" I love you. Everything will be fine Okay?" Shawn said his voice steady, but before Maya could answer the line went dead.
Maya's hand dropped back to her lap as the screen of her phone went dark. She needed to stay calm. Its no big deal, She told herself. It's just a storm.
Josh dropped back down on the couch beside her.
" I hadn't even noticed the rain." Josh commented, staring out the window as the rain continued to pour down and another crack of thunder sounded as the sky was lit up with a bolt of lightning. It had been raining so much over the past few days that it had kind of faded into the background. Maya didn't have a response. She just sat there quietly, digging her fingers even deeper into her palms. The pain was sharp and Maya knew that if she wasn't careful she would break a nail or even draw blood.
" So i guess that's a no to the movie then." Josh said referring to the plans they had made earlier head to a nearby theatre and see a recently released movie.
" I guess so." Maya said meekly, leaning back into the lumpy pillows of Josh's couch and trying to keep her breathing even.
Maya's eyes began to adjust to the darkness. The details of Josh's apartment becoming more clear. Every few minutes the room was lit up with the light produced from the lightning, but other than that the room was dark.
" I haven't even got any candles." Josh said, remembering his mother's list of everything he needed to obtain for his new place. A storm readiness kit had been included. The list was tacked up on Josh's fridge but he had yet to make a dent in it.
"What a shock." Maya said jokingly, trying to keep her voice steady.
" A 21 year old boy doesn't have any candles in his crash out apartment."
Josh smirked at her as he began to dig through the drawers of his kitchen, in search of a flashlight, a lighter or even a box of matches. Josh wasn't stressed out about the storm in the slightest. He was sure it would pass sometime during the night and nothing would come of it. Still, when the lights went out it was still his instinct to find some sort of tangible light source. Just in case. There was always the flashlight on his phone but he was doing his best not to drain the battery, again just in case.
" Ahha!" Josh said triumphantly, his hand emerging from one of the drawers clutching a dingy yellow flashlight that was so small that if he made a fist the flashlight would disappear, completely enveloped in his hand.
"Victory" Josh claimed, walking over to where Maya sat on the couch, as he fiddled with the on and off switch of the small flashlight. It would be just his luck if the stupid thing wouldn't even turn on. But thankfully after a few more seconds of messing with it the end lite up with a weak beam of light.
" You're a miracle worker" Maya said, her voice just above a whisper. She was afraid that if she spoke at a normal volume it would become much more clear that she was boarding on the verge of tears. The rain was getting harder and harder and Maya could hardly hear herself think, let alone hear josh talk over the sound of the near constant thunder. Maya cleared her throat as she stood up from the couch. Maya raised her voice above a whisper so Josh could really hear her over the storm.
" I'm going to go call Riley. Hudsons home alone and he's not a big fan of thunder" She stated, making up the excuse. In all reality Hudson was half deaf and could could sleep through nearly anything. Maya could picture him at home, nuzzled into a pile of blankets on the couch in the living room, blissfully unaware of the storm raging outside.
Maya didn't wait for Josh's answer, but rather walked the few steps across the small room and pulled open the door to the tiny bathroom. The bathroom was so small Maya could stretch out both her arms and put both her palms flat against the bathroom walls, no matter what direction she was facing. A sink, toilet and small stall shower was crammed into the small space. Everything was clean but a little run down. It was an older apartment, and while it was well kept up it was showing its age more and more. Still it was the only room in the apartment without a window. It was small, and cramped, and smelled slightly of mildew but to Maya it almost felt safe. Her phone shook in her hands as she held it, staring down at the blank screen. She really should call Riely. Hudson may not be afraid of the storm but he would need someone to feed him and refill his water bowl. Maya knew that the Matthews would have no problem letting the little dog spend the night at their apartment while Maya was trapped in Alphabet city.
Another clap of thunder shook the apartment and Maya felt her knees go weak. She wrapped her arms tightly around herself. She thought of how people bought their skittish dogs with storm anxiety thunder jackets, which her basically just compression blankets. Maybe that's what Maya needed. Pressure against her skin. At this point she would be willing to let herself be trapped between a giant china cabinet and a wall if it meant that the knot of anxiety in her chest would begin to ease.
Maya was still staring at her phone. She needed to call Riley, or at least text her, but all she really wanted to do was talk to Shawn again. His phone didn't even ring when she tried to call it. She wondered what the storm was like up the coast further. She hoped he was okay. She was sure that he was, but she still just wanted to hear his voice again. He knew how to calm her down.
Maya put her hand on the door knob to the bathroom. She took a deep breath trying to make herself as calm as possible. She turned the doorknob and tried to push open the bathroom door, but halfway she met resistance. Maya shimmied her way out of the crack of the door that she had gotten open. She saw what had been obstructing the door from opening. The tiny living room was now bursting at the seams as a red faced Josh was maneuvering the mattress from his bedroom into the space between the couch and the opposite wall.
"What are you doing?" Maya asked almost wanting to laugh, raising her voice so he could hear her over the rain.
" The better question-" Josh said, pulling the pillows off the couch and attempting to stand them up,
" Is what is a stormy day without a fort?"