I woke up to my phone ringing, I sat up so sleepy looking at the darkness outside I could hear the light rain hitting my roof and I went searching for my phone. I was so sleepy and annoyed as I searched when it stopped ringing it started again finding it on the kitchen counter.
It was my mom, I answered it flopping onto the couch like a fish.
"Yes?" I spoke worried.
"There is a hurricane." My mom yelled so loud I pulled my phone away. "It is turning and we will get the tail end of it, your on the coast!" I flipped around and turned on the tv and flicked to the weather channel sitting down. She was right, we are snuggled in a Gulf but we will get massive rains and winds at the least. It slightly worried me.
I sat down and watched as she went on about me being safe to drive home as it will hit tonight or tomorrow. I almost wanted to, my truck might not make the few hour journey.
"At least go to the bar." I was startled at that.
"What?"
"I lived there, bad storms it is a shelter."
"Oh." Not the worst place to lock myself up. "Alright." That sounds nice.
I got to hang up after another minute feeling loved and watched the weather noticing it was only five in the morning. I sighed and moved to make coffee. I sat on my porch waking up and watching the rain. It was not bad just yet but it was storming, I wonder if this place can hold me alone or I should go to the Bar.
The air started to get cold, after I closed all the windows I had nothing to do so I cracked open a book and read on my couch a little nervous and trying to distract myself, I did lose track of time. I stayed in my home for a good few hours as the world got darker and scaryier and I did not want to be alone in this storm anymore.
So come three somthing I stepped into the storm wrapping my sweater into me and ran to my truck, already pretty wet I drove to town, the storm was strong and loud and heavy.
It was raining so hard it was hard to see where I was going.
Lewis was running around the square and I was soaked in a second making me need to go home and get a second pair of clothes. "Adalyn." He waved at me as I watched Elliott with an umbrella and a blanket and pillow heading into the bar but it was pretty empty in the square. "Come." He pointed to the bar before looking me over. I could barey hear him in the loud rain and wind. "You need to bring a pillow and blanket."
I Stopped moving spinning around back to my truck. "Hurry." He yelled and I barely heard.
I ran into my home and dumped out my large tote bag and started to stuff it with clothes and blanket's worried and scared, feeling stupid I waited for so long. Stepping out into the rain I headed to my truck sliding up my hood over my head when there was a Cow down the cleared path staring at me and I froze.
The fuck.
I tossed my bag in the truck and ran to it as it just ate my grass.
"Hello?" I yelled the wind blowing on my hood making me hold it to my head and I looked to the way out. This is marnie's I take it. I gripped the collar and walked into the wind pulling it out of my farm. It was hard to move it but it slowly followed me the cold rain hurting my face.
I pulled it out of my farm and came near Marnie's where I ran into another one and gripped it. I walked around the corner and found Shane and Marnie trying to get more cows into the open pen making me laugh unheard.
Marnie spotted me first as I smiled dragging two cows and smiled back. She ran closer and grabbed one. "Sorry the wind blew open the pen, we need to get them inside." She yelled and nodded at me to follow.
Shane looked over at us also soaked to the bone and stared before moving passed us where another cow was closer to the forest and he ran by me. The way his clothes hung on him was oddly hot. He was a little out of shape and drank to much beer but he looked great to me anyway.
The ground was gross I unsure if it was mud or shit as I brought it into the barn. We shut the door behind us going to grab more.
It took us another ten minute's but we got them all in the large barn and then Marnie pointed to me to a chicken coop and I ran over as my hood blew off in the wind that was way stronger then before I could be knocked over.
The wind was painful but I helped Shane lock up the chickens and lifted a large slab of wood to protect the coop. He yelled at me but I could not hear him, he frowned grabbed my wrist and pulled me into the back door of the farmhouse. I was so wet I stood there unsure what to do dripping all over the floor and shaking in cold.
"Okay." Marnie spoke walking into the kitchen from the front door just as wet as us. "Thank you Adalyn." She spoke with a smile. "Damn wind."
"Your name is Adalyn?" He looked at me curious.
Marnie stared at him and spoke. "How do you not know that?" She looked at him with a kind smile.
"No problem." I chuckled. "Found her in my yard."
The loud wind and rain on the windows was so loud. "Let me get you dry." She nodded at me to follow and I almost did not move off the mat but I followed her to her room making a trail like a snail.
"I was going to go to the bar." I spoke as she dug in her closet.
"That is okay but this home is sturdy if you want to stay here for the time, I hate going to the bar it is packed like puppies in there." She smiled at me and tossed me a large flower covered dress and a pair of soft socks. "Willy needs to go to the bar, I don't like him, smells like fish and kind of creepy."
"Who?" I asked unsure, I think I heard his name once.
"He turns everything into some weird lesson on fishing and I don't think he hears it but it is also a little dirty." I was so confused as she laughed. "The way he talks about fishing rods you would think it was some pretty women."
She let me change but I had to ditch my bra as it was soaked. My undies a little damp but not bad.
The dress was long to my knees and loose reminding me of some old sleeping dress but it was nice to be dry and warm. Walking out she handed me a towel as she had waited in front of the door and grabbed my clothes to throw them in a dryer as I dried my short hair.
Jas and Shane were at the kitchen table with a bowl of chips playing a card game. I watched him the way he treated her kindly, was nice. He was also dry now with just wet hair. The home was cozy and Marnie started to cook some food as we played go fish.
I was alone on the right side of the couch, Marnie in a chair and Jas on the floor. Shane vanished some time ago.
After we ate I helped clean and we sat down to watch a family movie. "So how is your mom?" She looked at me. "She was such a little sweetheart."
"You knew her?"
"I knew you." She smiled at me. "Tiny little squshy thing." I laughed. "I think the last time I saw you you were three, you loved the horses."
"I did?" I looked curious and she nodded. "I don't remember this place at all." I smiled. "I have always wanted to ride one."
"You kind of did once." She smiled at me.
"Riding horses are great." Jas spoke. "They are my favorite as well." I smiled down at the kid. "But I love the chicken's, Shane is showing me how to care for them right." She went back to watching the movie.
We sat as the lights flickered for a second making Jas scream but it was fine. "What was she like?" I looked at Marnie, maybe there is a clue to why she hates this place.
"Ah she was quiet but caring, did most of the planting and harvesting herself. She loved the plant's." She looked me over. "Then suddenly she was distant and traveled between the city and here around the time you were born, then she was just gone with no word." She almost seemed sad.
We were quiet again as I was drawn into the good movie. "Who was your father, what is he like?" She looked curious and looked back shocked. "I figured he was from the city."
"Oh, I never met him." I smiled at her when Shane came back in the room. He flopped on the opposite side of the couch but it seemed to quit the conversation by the look on Marnie's face.
Jas was passed out around seven but it felt later as the storm was so dark, Shane took her to bed and he popped back and then vanished again so it was just Marnie and I most of the time.
She spoke with a sudden change. "I am gonna make some cheesecake." I jumped up in my seat.
"Wait did you make the cheesecake at the egg thing?" And she nodded proud. "Oh that was my favorite thing."
"Come, we can make it together." I smiled excited.
We chatted about stupid things as she showed me how and I took it all in wanting to remake it one day. I heard Shane cough somewhere else but if he does not want to be here it is fine. After we had to put it in the fridge for a few hours and we headed back to the living room and put on a more adult movie now the kid was asleep.
I liked her, she felt like some kind of grandma to me. The home, the food and the way she talks. She went to bed around nine and I was alone watching the move deep in a 'romantic moment'.
The storm was loud but I felt safe but then the lights went out and I sat in complete darkness. Not a noise but the banging on the roof and windows, it was creepy. I moved to pull my phone but I forgot where I put it.
I stood up looking for my phone so I could find a light and something to do when the lightning flashed and Shane was standing at the doorway I jumped back and screamed quietly before grabbing my shirt over my heart.
"Fuck."
He actually laughed.
My eye's adjusted as he leaned on the door frame just snickering. His laugh was shocking and nice. Deep and comforting and I was so happy to have him laugh, I just chuckled back quietly before I reached into the couch looking for my phone. "Ass." I looked up but he was gone making it real scary again.
"Fuck off Shane." I said in the dark but he was gone. I walked to the door slowly when he was there again and I jumped, again. He then lit a couple candles and placed them around the room.
I felt better and sat back down finding my phone and I put it on the coffee table. He sat on the other side of the couch and we sat in silence. I just listened to the storm it sounded amazing. "Does this happen often?"
He made a noise that was kind of dismissive. "It is annoyingly cold in the winter." He finally spoke. We sat awkwardly but I was glad he was here, I curled into the corner and brought the crappy blanket over myself.
"Why does every old person have this blanket." I spoke.
"Ya, I hate that."
He got up and then came back with a soft one and I switched them. "Thanks'." It smelled a little like him but it was not bad.
I sat there thinking on how to start a conversation and I don't know how.
"If I had a superpower I want to be a shape shifter." I spoke mindlessly. "How cool would being a cat be or a bird. Some famous person and get free food."
"Time travel." He spoke quietly. "Change somethings." My heart hurt for him at his tone. I looked at the candle lit face of Shane with his eye's closed looking in pain. "I need some beer." He moaned. "I drank it all."
"I got some hard stuff at home and beer." I spoke back and looked out the window. "Also some coolers." It was quiet.
I really wanted to be her friend I grabbed so much, all there is to do in this town was drink.
"Did not know about the storm." I finished my sentence.
After more awkward quiet. "Fuck it, where is it." I stared at him but he started putting on shoes and grabbing a jacket. I could not let him go alone so I stood up sliding my soaked shoes on, cold and gross on my warm socked feet but I pushed by it if he is going he can't go alone.
He tossed a blue jacket to me and I slid it on putting the hood over my head.
When we tried to shut the front door the strong wind was so heavy it blew the door open and it was hard to close. He used his weight to shut it as I was soaked in a second.
"This is a mistake." I yelled.
"Ya." He yelled back barely heard in the storm. The wind and rain it was hard to see as we moved fast down the path towards my farm. Towards my home we got lucky as the wind shoved us towards my house. I slid on mud and the wind pushed me a little my ass and undies in this dress was now covered in cold mud.
He pulled me to my feet, I saw his eye's check out the dress stuck to me in wet for just a moment and I felt self conscious. We ran between a walk and jog down my path my hand wrapped in his.
I stared at him in front me with squinted eye's at the rain and I could not stop the small giggle that escaped me.
We smashed into my door with the storm pushing us and needed both to shove to shut it. The storm was louder in this home, the sound of the rain banging like my roof would blow off. The whistle of wind in not secure windows made me shiver.
"Why are we here." I rubbed my wet arms together. I looked at Shane who was as soaked and his sweatpants covered in mud at the feet. He pulled out a beer from my fridge already and pulled out a vodka lemonade and looked at it. "Give me that." He tossed it to me and I opened it freezing.
I walked into my room and dug around, I did have real loose and baggy pajama's and a long pink top that might fit him and grabbed myself some dry clothes. I came out and he was lighting a fire, there was a small cubby that closed was hidden where wood seemed to be. I did not know about it and looked at him confused he looked back at me guilty.
"Sorry, I came here all the time if I had a case, drink alone." I nodded and let him, tossing him some clothes. He looked at them and then at me like I was crazy.
"Your a mess." I spoke back.
"I am fine." He said coldly.
I tried to wash the mud off and change in the darkness of my bathroom but I think I got it. I opened the door he was sitting on my sofa downing a beer with a small satisfied moan. "Not a bad kind." He gave a weird look to me like he felt unwelcome or something before his eye's landed on my chest and it made me nervous.
"Your shirt is on backwards." I was stunned, smiled and I walked back in and switched it around. We sat in silence again but with alcohol this time.
"I am glad that beer mess was not my grandpa." I spoke up. "Makes me feel better."
"Ya I broke your table." He looked to the empty space it used to be. "No idea where his chair went." I looked at him confused in the fireplaces light warming this place up. "Ya he had some real old brown and nasty chair in front of the fire, I sat in a few time's, pretty comfortable. One day it was just gone."
"So that is two of you that came around here." I spoke thinking of Abigail.
"I think Linus came here as well." It was nice to hold a conversation with him. "One day the food was eaten." I nodded I heard about him. I guess he lives in a tent up near some mine I have yet to see. "It is a shame for you to get rid of this." His eye's scanning the place.
"Why?" I asked seriously.
"It is great, alone with animals and plants. Living in here was always something I kind of wanted to do when I would break in." He looked around. "It is almost a dream, not the same as what I used to dream about but the solitude is great." I just smiled at him kindly, he really is talking to me.
He saw my face making him shift and look at the fire, leaning forward and drinking. A large bang hit the front of my house making us jump, share a look and stand up. Peeking out the door there was a large branch that hit my wall. It indented it but nothing bad. I moved to shut the door getting sprayed by rain and he came next to me as we used both our bodies to close it.
"We can not get back with that wind." He shook his head no. "Looks like we are stuck here." I spoke staring at the door.
"Ah getting drunk in a cabin during a hurricane is not the worst. Got cards?" I smiled and nodded going to the junk drawer and pulling them out as he grabbed another beer.
He looked cold as he slid his wet jacket back on as I moved to grab cards and rolled my eye's at him and I tossed the clothes at him again. "Really is my largest items, I did not bring much."
He moaned like it was just the worse but walked into my room and changed. He came out, the top was tight but the pants were not so bad I giggled and he tossed his wet clothes on my head making me cry out in the cold and wet. "Shut up." I laughed and hung them up near the fire.
I just whistled at him as he grabbed the cards from my hands.
"What can we play?" He asked.
We drank, wish I could say we laughed but we mostly just were there together. We played a bad version of bullshit and he drank all the beer before he started on my lemonade weirdly liking it. I stumbled to my bed tipsy and he was wasted on my couch. I threw a blanket on him and went to bed, fell asleep right away.
Morning was not bad, the world was still raining but not to hard, a little sun behind the clouds. I tried to make coffee as quiet as I could, I did not wake him as he snored lightly. Grabbing a towel, placing it on my outside chair and woke up like I love to, staring at the forest.
I don't know if he needs to work but I don't want to wake him. I liked last night it was nice, maybe I have a friend. A guy friend. It was nice to not have him try something even at the same time I wondered why.
Not his type I take it.
A part of me wants to cheer him up, I feel drawn to him to help him and that bothers me. What am I to do, fix him in less then a week, how long am I here for?
I was lost in thought running over things from guy friendships that never lasted to what am I doing with this cabin. Soon my stairs are fixed and then I can put it up for sale.
"Good coffee." I heard and looked up at him and smiled, I stuck my smoke pack out and he took one leaning on my door watching the rain.
"You want this place?" I looked up at him and he looked down at me confused. "Would you want to buy it, farm, make food for the town." He looked out and stared, a sadness crossed his eye's and it hurt me.
"To much responsibility." He stared out. "I am to drunk for that, I barely take care of the chickens I am supposed to."
"That aside, do you want this?"
He frowned. "No."
"Okay, had to ask. Would rather have a friend take over."
He looked down on me shocked, eyed my face and looked back out.
"I wonder if Marnie noticed we are gone." He spoke.
"Might think we got blown away in the storm."
"We did." He joked coldly but I liked it.
The weather was amazing today as we sat there. I like Shane, I checked him over just leaning on the door frame in my clothes and laughed. He looked down on me angry and I laughed more.
"Okay with the light." I looked him over, "you really don't fit in that."
"Ya was going up my ass all night." He cracked a tiny side smile.
"I feel that sometimes." I nodded. "I got this romper that never stops when I roll."
"However the silk feels nice."
"I don't know if it is silk but ya close." I looked down and away. "Very relevelling." I blushed at his face.
He blinked at me frozen, handed me his smoke to hold. "Maybe my clothes are dry." And walked off as I held it for him chuckling feeling love for him. "Shut up." He mumbled. I giggled more and slid in my chair.
He was back with a coffee in his real outfit, jacket and all. "You wanted me here." I looked confused. "You mentioned you may have clothes on." He looked down at me.
"Right." I looked into the rain. "Want to get wet?"
He looked down on me. "That does not clear anything up."
"Alright, let me give you my wood." I stood up and he looked even more confused and little odded out. Stepping into the rain I picked up my axe leaning on my cabin. I walked to the steps and held it out for him.
He just blankly stared at me. I pointed to a nearby tree that could be removed, thin but a little sick. "Cut down that tree."
"You want me to do your yard work?"
I nodded and sipped my coffee stepping back to the shelter of my porch. He hopped down the steps in a way he knew how broken they were and headed over. He looked back flustered before slamming it into the side. Using his foot he pulled it out and looked back. I waved to make him do it again jumping down and walking to him.
"Put it all into your next swing, everything." I think he understood me and he slammed it in. He pulled it out and slammed it again with more strength. He looked at me and just started wailing, pain on his face I just headed back to the cabin, instead of watching him I made one more coffee and sat inside.
I eventually looked back out, the tree was knocked over and he was sitting in the mud rain running down his face as he leaned back and faced the sky, I made some bagels and walked out to him, my feet sinking into the mud and stood above him. He looked up at me both sad and peaceful and I handed him the bagel as it got wet.
Standing up he picked up the ax and held it out to me, staring at me like he wanted to say something but he just handed it to me before grabbing his bagel. "I need to feed the chickens, make sure they are alive." He walked away towards home eating his bagel. I smiled and let him leave.
"You can come back anytime, I have many tree's." I yelled and he looked back pausing, again a look on his face like he wanted to speak but just walked off again.
I hope it was as therapeutic to him as it was to me.
I was alone for a few hours.
I had a good very short shower now the power was back on, I wanted to go eat that cheesecake I made last night but I felt odd to go over to eat her food. I need to call Abi and try and get our date back on when I heard her yelling outside.
Peeking out I saw the three of them just outside. "Come on Sam."
"These are new shoes." He yelled back at my muddy yard.
She yelled back. "Seriously?" Sab was just standing there hands in pockets as Abi stood in the mud.
I smiled and grabbed a blanket that needed cleaning and ran outside. I walked to the edge of my porch and tossed it at Sam. "Dear maiden." I giggled.
He used it to lay on the ground and did a weird hop over them and jumped onto my porch, we left it there. "What are you guy's doing?"
"Making sure you are alive." She spoke to me before walking inside, letting them in they all gave a look around. "You need more stuff."
"What is the point if she is leaving?" Sam mocked her.
"Please she could use like a console or something, a table." She peeked into the bedroom with nothing but a bed and a pile of clean and a pile if dirty clothes. "Maybe some more clothes."
Sam opened my fridge. "What do you have to eat." He pulled out beef and locked at it.
"I was gonna make burger's."
"Oh I never have these." He pulled it out feeling at home.
"That is like one of the most eaten food in the world, so how does this place not have them?"
"His mom makes real meals, that is not real to her, it is fast food." Sabastian spoke but rolled up his arms and also seemingly wanted them. I brought out a bowl that we could make the burgers right.
"So how was the storm alone out here. We were worried." Abi spoke sitting on the top of my couch and balancing.
"Oh sorry I was headed to the bar but a cow got in the way and then I got stuck here."
"A cow?" She frowned.
"This is not the cow right?" Sam asked at the same time pointing at the beef making me laugh.
"No I returned it to Marnie's and got stuck out here with Shane." I smiled at them, I had a great night.
"Urg Shane." She spit. "That man is boring and angry, that must have sucked."
"He is not the worst." Sam stuck up for him.
"Never knew you were friends." She looked at him oddly.
"No wonder all the cans in your garbage." He laughed. "He will drink the bar on you if you let him."
"That BBQ outside work on your porch?" Sab turned to me finally speaking as he squished all the items together.
"Ya." I stood up and went to the pantry. "The coals are in here." I dragged the heavy bag out and him and I moved to turn it on for it's first time. We started to light it but put to much coals in it, the fire was large and Abi was screaming.
"Shit, Shit." Sam yelled.
Sabastian was the smart one, he placed the lid on and dragged it off the porch into the slightly muddy ground balancing on the small amount of stone walkway I had making me need to make it larger and useful.
Once we got it right, the burgers were amazing.