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“No way. This is like total Type-A organization and preparedness. It just looks like you’re ready to ride out a hurricane and whatever it brings. I’m impressed. My trunk is filled with bags that I was supposed to take to the donation center like months ago. I never remember.”
Another burst of wind sent a plastic lawn chair skittering down the street, which felt empty for nine o’clock at night. The highway was only a few streets over and usually sounded like a constant roar. Though Liz often said it dropped their property values, Colby loved the sound. It reminded her of the ocean. Tonight, the highway sound was silent, replaced instead by the rush of wind, which was picking up more steadily now. She shivered as they crossed back into the house, remembering the gravity of the hurricane. Nate made it so easy to forget.
Inside, she set Nate’s things down on the coffee table. The television was still on silently, spewing news that was mostly warnings, doom, and gloom. Colby’s lips tightened, and she crossed her hands over her chest. Nate caught her looking and found the remote and turned off the television.
“That’s better,” he said. “Right now, nothing they say is going to help us. We’re secure and prepared. It’s going to hit when it hits and we’ll deal with what happens. Sound good?”
Colby nodded, grateful. It did sound good when he said it.
“Have you ever ridden out a storm like this?” Nate asked. He got out his laptop and nodded his head toward the kitchen island. Colby grabbed her computer and sat down next to him at one of the high bar-height chairs. “Did you live in Houston during Harvey?”
“I did, but my mom told me to come home. I was gone for almost two weeks. I’m glad I wasn’t here, but it was really weird to watch from afar. But now…”
She couldn’t help the slight shiver. Nate put an arm around her and pulled her into a side hug. She giggled as she almost lost her seat on the stool. His arm steadied her, nudging her firmly back onto the middle of the seat.
“Listen—these storms, they’re powerful. To the point that we really can’t do anything. You can let it make you feel afraid and powerless or you can rest in knowing that you’ve done all you can. It may not be enough. The storm is always stronger than us. We just do the best with what comes our way. I’m here with you. We’ll ride out the storm together.”
Colby felt warm tears in her eyes. She looked down, not wanting Nate to see the depth of her emotion. She nodded so he would at least have a response while she pulled herself together.
Together.They were together.
What did it mean? Colby couldn’t help the pull she felt toward Nate, the same as it was—no, stronger—back in college when she looked forward to a class that she couldn’t care less about. It was the only class she never skipped. Once she came even when she had a fever. Careful not to touch Nate or sneeze on him, she mustered the strength and channeled the power of a handful of pain relievers just to be near him for fifty minutes.
She felt the same way now. When he took his arm back she hated not having it around her shoulders. Forget being close to the edge. Wherever it was, she had leaped over it and was falling.
“Let’s get down to business. Showwwww meeeeee your website!” Nate said in a perfect imitation of the famous line from Jerry Maguire.
She was surprised he knew it, since it was older, and he didn’t strike her as a romantic comedy kind of guy. Which reminded her: they still hadn’t had the basic getting-to-know-you conversation they had planned on. They still had time.
Colby pulled up the site-in-progress. “I’m warning you—this is a hot mess.”
Nate grinned. “You have no idea how much I love a good, hot mess.”
