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“Storms do scare me. When I was younger ... they used to make us sleep outside. Camping, I guess you could call it. Storms or no storms, we slept outside. One time, when I was really young, a hurricane came through while we were out there, but my parents didn't believe it. It wasn't until the water was waste high that they decided to leave. My mother had to carry me, but she fell and dropped me. I couldn't swim.”
That was a lot to unpack. But even with the physical distance between them, Parker could feel her tension. Now wasn't the time to question any of the things she'd just said. Instead, he made a bold choice and reached across the space, resting his hand against her wrist.
“If that happens here, I promise not to drop you,” he assured her. That earned him a small laugh, and then to his surprise, her arm slid under his, until his hand was resting in hers.
“Do you mind if I stay in here? I think I just got really used to sharing a room with you. It feels weird being alone over there, especially in this storm,” she asked.
Parker finally turned his head to look at her. She was laying on top of the of the blankets, her free hand tucked under her cheek, staring at him.
Kiss her, you idiot. If there was ever a moment, it's right now.
But he didn't. It didn't feel right, not after everything she'd just said. It felt like he would be taking advantage of the situation. Her fear of the storm, her trust in him. He managed to smile at her.
“It does feel weird without you. Stay as long as you like,” he whispered back.
~7~
“... let’s go rope you an Amazon ...”
Acrash of thunderwoke Paige up. She sat up, glancing around. It was daylight but she could hardly tell. It had stopped raining, but gray clouds made everything dark, and shadows dominated the room. She pulled the blankets up over her chest. The furniture in Parker’s room mirrored the furniture in her own, so she was a little disoriented at first, wondering how her bed had gotten turned around.
Parker wasn’t in the room. She glanced at the big bed next to her. The covers had been pulled back and it was almost like he'd never been there. She felt kinda bad for sneaking into his room, but the night before, she'd lain awake staring at the ceiling for hours, feeling like a panic attack was coming every time there was a thunder clap.
Feeling like so many memories would drown her, just like the flood water from so long ago.
After enough time, she began convincing herself to go wake up Parker. Maybe they coud go downstairs, sleep on the couch. But then again, the beds were big, sleeping together would pretty much be the same as sleeping in the separate double beds they were used to in hotels.
But it hadn’t been the same at all. She could feel his warmth seeping through the covers, hear his breathing right next to her. It seemed to take him a long time to fall asleep, and she had stayed up for a while longer, listening to the storm and watching him sleep. Wondering why she'd told him about the hurricane back home. Resisting the urge to cuddle in next to him. Finally, she'd slowly dozed off, sleeping the best she had since they'd gotten there.
She threw back the covers and crawled out of bed. In her room, she'd kept her bags and all her laundry hidden inside the closet. Parker had spread out. His clothing was all over the place, on most of the available surfaces, though he'd hung what looked like his nicer clothes up in the closet. Some cologne bottles and a couple watches, his wallet, and other odds and ends were scattered on the dresser across from the bed.
She smiled and walked over there, picking up one of the watches. She ran her thumb across the dial. It looked very expensive, but she couldn’t really remember Parker ever wearing a watch. She sat it back down and wandered into his bathroom.
His toiletries were scattered all around the sink, a toothbrush actually resting in the sink. She laughed and picked it up, dropping it in the holder where it belonged. She poked her head in the shower – manly styles of shampoo and body wash lined the floor and a razor sat on top of a bar of soap. Parker was kind of a slob.
It surprised her because he'd always been so neat and tidy in their hotel rooms. She realized it must have been just another thing he'd done for her benefit. She almost felt bad, she'd usually spread out on her side of the rooms.
