Fast Forward 6 Months
Thunderstorm 2
Lightning and thunder exploded simultaneously. Betty jumped awake, frozen in fear. Rain sloshed the window in buckets. Betty snapped her eyes closed and braced for another barrage.
The phone began to ring. Crouching, she crept to the telephone stand in the hallway.
"Are you alright, Love?" Stephen's voice beckoned reassuringly.
"No. This is awful," she sobbed.
"I'll come right down there. Do I still have clothes there? Good. I'm on my way; meet me at the front door," he said softly and hung up.
Within a few minutes, he was banging on the door. She opened it and the wind blew him and the rain inside. The rain poured down in sheets.
"You're soaked!" she said, taking his umbrella and setting it in the umbrella stand. She handed him a towel. He wiped his face and hair.
"Thank you. My brolly blew inside out. I must have looked a sight! I'm soaked clear through to the skin."
Lightning burst outside and the thunder cracked and boomed. She jumped into his arms. He held her tightly.
"It's alright. Here. You'll get all wet. Let me get a hanger; I need to get out of these wet things."
Standing on the entryway rug, he kicked off his slippers, hung his bathrobe on a hanger, and stripped off his pajamas. He draped them on the backs of the kitchen chairs. He wiped himself dry with the towel, and stood shivering in his boxers. She took off her robe and handed it to him.
He laughed, "Thank you. I love frilly things!"
She led him upstairs, tightly holding his hand.
The alarm clock clanged at 4:15. Stephen reached over and tapped it off before it could disturb Betty. As he trod to the bathroom, he heard Betty giggling.
"I see your bum…"she tittered.
"If I turn round, you'll see something else," he teased.
"And then you shall be late for work! I guarantee you won't make that 5:20 bus!" she cajoled.
"Go back to sleep, Love," he scolded, "I'll leave coffee for you in the vacuum bottle."
She pulled his pillow over, hugged it, laid her head on it, sniffed and smiled. She closed her eyes and fell back asleep. He shaved and afterward dressed in the dim light of the cracked-open bathroom door. He leaned over, kissed her gently on the cheek, and then went downstairs.
Coffee ready, he poured himself a cup in the solitude of the kitchen. Outside it was still dark. He got himself a bowl from the cupboard and put two Weetabix in, spooned some yogurt and a few strawberries on top. He poured the rest of the coffee into a vacuum carafe.
He sat down to breakfast and coffee as Betty entered the kitchen and startled him.
"It's early, Love. You really should go back to bed."
"I don't get to see you much. Thank you for coming last night. That was a really bad storm."
He smiled at her. She came up behind him, wrapped her arms around him and kissed the back of his neck. He reached up and touched her arms. He looked at his watch.
"Oh, I've got to go!"
He stood up, went to the cupboard and slipped on his coat. She walked him to the door.
She touched his face, "Oooh, smooth..." she tilted her head up, "You smell really good! I'm glad I got to see you before work."
He leaned over and kissed her, "I'll see you tonight."
She hugged him and he left, walking out into the cool, still darkness.