Inspired by the first thunderstorm of the year :) I love rain!
Rey whimpered as another peal of thunder rent the night air, adding to the cacophony of the downpour. She dove underneath her blanket in a vain attempt to hide from the storm roiling furiously outside her condo. The weatherman had forecast rain for the evening and Rey had prayed all day that it would only be steady rainfall. Instead of the hoped-for gentle rain though, the skies had burst forth. She was convinced there was a cumulonimbus with an attitude parked over her house, hell-bent on tormenting her tonight. She wouldn't admit it to anyone, but thunderstorms frightened her still. A child may get away with it, but she was ever frustrated by what she perceived as her childish weakness.
A flash of light followed by another crash caused her to squeal again and roll her eyes at herself, wishing she wasn't so afraid. The storm had been raging for an hour and she had used up all her normal distractions; making a dinner of comfort foods, pouring a glass of Moscato, and enjoying both while watching her favorite version of Persuasion, but nothing was helping.
Maybe she should invest in black-out curtains for nights like this, but Rey couldn't decide if it would be worse to have the thunder startle her or to see the flash of lightning and be warned just before the thunder.
Unable to sit still any longer, she turned up her movie and moved into the dining area to begin folding the laundry she had left sitting on the table this morning in her haste to get to work. One shirt, two shirts, a pair of jeans… she slowly made her way through the hamper, even taking the time to match the socks on the bottom to keep herself busy.
Another burst of lightning flashed, illuminating the parking lot behind her curtains, followed almost immediately by a loud crack and roll. Both startled her badly and she let out a loud yelp, jumping and knocking the laundry basket off the table against the wall. She took a moment to let her heart rate settle back to a semi-natural speed and breathed. Deep breaths in through her nose and out through her mouth, before bending down to retrieve the basket.
At this rate, her new neighbors were going to think the girl in 2B was being obnoxious on purpose. Not a great way to make friends. She walked over to the window and peered out into the darkness. She could see the shadows of the large oak trees across the street bending and swaying in the wild wind, leaves throwing off the rain as fast as it fell on them. Low clouds were scudding across the night sky and, thanks to the street lights, they looked like so much churning foam. There was some traffic on the wet streets, but not much due to the lateness of the hour. Most people were at home tucked in bed, maybe even sound asleep, and here she was wide awake and frightened when she should have been in her own bed.
More lightning snaked from cloud to cloud, illuminating the world briefly into sharp contrast. She let the curtain drop back into place with a sigh. There was no sign the storm would be ending anytime soon. Maybe she better make herself a cuppa; she was going to be in for a long night, and an even longer day at the shop if she didn't get some sleep soon. Her boss, Mr. Plutt would never give her the day off just because she hadn't slept the night before. In fact, if he knew she was tired, he'd probably give her an extra job or two to rub it in.
Rey turned the movie up even louder, probably bordering on rude at this point, but hoping to cover the sound of the rain beating against the window. She jumped again, startling with another roll of thunder. It really was quite a horrid night, she decided.
It was near the climactic end of Persuasion that catastrophe occurred. As Anne Elliot ran through the streets of Bath, Rey had gotten up to make herself a cup of Sleepytime Tea. She had pattered barefoot into the kitchen and pulled a teacup from the cupboard when a resounding peel of thunder caused the walls to shake. Rey yelped in fright and dropped the cup which promptly shattered at her feet.
"Perfect, just great! That was my favorite teacup!" she whined aloud.
Unexpectedly, there came a pounding on the door, followed by muffled words. Rey took a step back in surprise stepping on a piece of shattered porcelain. Her ouch rang in the air and the insistent pounding picked up on her front door. Swearing under her breath, and trying not to bleed on the new carpeting, she hobbled to the door and peered through the peephole.
On the other side of the door stood a giant. The person was so tall all she could see was his rapidly soaking T-shirt. She could just barely make out a face. She hesitated to open the door for a stranger, but could finally make out his words above the storm and movie.
"Are you okay?" he yelled.
Rey opened the door, curiosity winning out over common sense.
"Can I help—" she began to ask but was interrupted.
"Are you okay? I heard crashing and yelling from my apartment and I wanted to make sure you're alright?" the stranger started out, but when he caught sight of her heel bleeding, his eyes widened in shock.
"Are you safe? Do you need help?" he asked. "I knew no one could make that much noise and not be in trouble."
He reached for her saying, "Here, let me help you-" his arms froze mid-air, and he looked up anxiously. "If that's okay? Please, let me help you."
Rey nodded, surprised at this turn of events in her evening as he set an arm around her waist and helped her hop on one foot to the couch. She leaned back, falling gracelessly onto the cushions, bloody foot just nearly missing kicking the man, who she had pieced together must be her next-door neighbor, in the face.
"Do you have a first aid kit?" he asked.
She shook her head no, still not capable of speech yet. He stood up swiftly, motioning for her to stay put.
"I'll be right back. I have one at my apartment, just give me a sec."
Rey stared at the place he had occupied a moment before, trying to figure out how she had landed in this bumblebroth. She had been so noisy her neighbor thought she was in danger and had come running to her rescue. On one hand, she was mortified, while on the other she felt slightly weak-kneed at the thought of this gentle, also attractive, giant coming to her rescue. It was a novelty.
Her neighbor returned and knelt down on the floor beside her, opening up the first aid kit and rummaging through it for the items he needed.
"How did this happen?'' he asked, gently. "I heard quite the commotion."
"Oh," she huffed softly, "I'm so sorry. I—my foot was because, ummmm... the storm. The thunder startled me and I dropped my teacup and then stepped on it," she admitted, embarrassed.
"Not a fan of thunder, I take it ?" he said, lips quirking into a half-smile.
Rey watched as he gently wiped the blood off her heel before carefully inspecting the cut. Her foot looked so small in his giant paws, yet she could tell he was careful and trying not to cause her any additional pain.
"Not really," she murmured. "I think this storm is stalking me. It refuses to pass! I suppose you think it's silly for a grown woman to be afraid of thunderstorms?" she asked, eyes downcast.
He paused in his movements to look her in the eyes. He has kind eyes, she thought to herself.
"Actually, I don't," he replied, surprising her. "We don't get to choose the things that scare us, they just do. You're afraid of thunderstorms and I'm afraid of spiders, which is probably worse," he chuckled deprecatingly. "Most people think that because I'm so— big…" he cleared his throat, "that I wouldn't have a problem with spiders, but I do. I have a big problem with them. Scream like a girl if they so much as move in my direction! No offense," he said, resuming his work. "I just can't stand their little beady eyes or hairy legs,'' he said with a shudder.
Rey chuckled at his dramatics.
"I can handle spiders. All you need is a sturdy flip-flop," she said. "Feel free to call me anytime you need a defender," she offered.
He had removed a splinter of porcelain from her heel while she had been distracted from the pain, and now he applied some antibiotic ointment and a large Band-Aid to her foot.
"I'll do that,'' he said, looking up. "But only if you call me for company during the next thunderstorm," he countered, grinning.
"Agreed," Rey said, extending her hand.
He shook her hand and time seemed to still around them as they got lost in each other's eyes. A distant roll of thunder caused them to startle back into the stream of time. He tidied his mess on the floor and clicked the first aid kit shut.
"Do you have a sock?'' he asked. "You should probably try and keep the cut dry for the next twenty-four hours until it starts to scab up on its own."
"Um, I think I do. Just a minute," she said, twisting about, reaching into the couch cushions and digging around for a moment. "Victory!" she cried cheerfully as she pulled up two mismatched fuzzy socks.
Her neighbor laughed. "I see I'm not the only one who has hidden stashes of socks all around their place."
Rey's laughter bubbled up. "I'm convinced they multiply like rabbits! Thanks, by the way…?"
"Oh, I'm Ben. I live in 2C. I probably should have led with that," he said chagrined.
"Hi," she said, "I'm Rey!"
"It's nice to meet you," he said running a hand through his hair. "I am just next door... if you ever need anything, just let me know. I've always got plenty of sugar," he said as she walked him to the front door.
"Thanks, Ben,'' she said sweetly as if he hadn't just told her that twice. "I'll keep that in mind. Just let me know if any spiders come to destroy your peace," she teased back.
Ben blushed and cleared his throat awkwardly. "See you around, Rey," he said stepping back out into the deluge.
"Bye, Ben," she said, smiling as she closed the door.
This evening had brought her an unexpected gift and, for the first time in her life, she began to pray for rain.
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A/N: Comments should fall like raindrops! They make writers thrive :)))