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Chapter 14
Colby brushed her teeth by the light of her phone’s flashlight app. She took her time, brushing until the toothpaste foamed and dripped out into the sink. After rinsing, she leaned her palms against the counter and looked at herself in the mirror.
“Under no circumstances can you kiss him,” she said to her reflection. “Actually, under the circumstance that he finally tells you where he went. And that it’s an acceptable one. Then you can kiss him. Only then.”
She glanced at the closed door. She was in the master bathroom, tucked away at the back of the house, but still hoped Nate hadn’t heard her. Sighing, she began working her fingers through her hair, making a loose braid.
The past twenty-four hours had been so strange and unexpected. She and Nate had weathered a hurricane together and actually had fun doing it. The house was put back together now and even the yard cleared. Colby pretended not to notice that the road had cleared enough for Nate to leave. He had to have seen it as well but didn’t say anything. She didn’t want to admit that she wanted him to stay. Avoiding the topic altogether seemed to work.
What had her stomach clenching with nervousness and kept her in the bathroom, braiding, was the fact that they had left the pillows and blankets in the hallway. Could she really sleep next to him without a storm giving her a reason?
And could she really hold out and not let him kiss her?
Colby knew that things outside were bad, but inside the house felt like some alternate reality. She had logged onto social media earlier and watched some drone footage of flooded areas in the city. Trees had fallen on houses and cars. Roofs were torn right off the tops of buildings as tornadoes touched down. Guilt spun through her for having a cozy time inside the house. They had s’mores, for crying out loud. A sweet and perfect touch to end the day. The city was falling apart, and she was falling for a guy. That falling for him meant falling apart a little too.
She had almost let him kiss her in the kitchen when he brushed her hair away from the flames. He was going to kiss her, right? It had been a long time since Colby found herself standing so close to a man, watching his eyes drop down to her mouth. The thought sent a tingle through her belly. She worked the braid loose and started again. Before she went out to the hallway, Colby needed to get her thoughts under control. The pep talk to the girl in the mirror clearly hadn’t had enough of an impact.
Her phone buzzed on the counter. Colby shook out her hair and picked it up, expecting her mom, who had been calling multiple times through the day. But it was Napper. She felt a happy little jolt seeing his name, accompanied by a flash of hot guilt.
Napper:Still doing okay?
Sewzy:Weirdly, yes. You?
Napper:Yep. Why weird?
Sewzy:You’re not supposed to enjoy hurricanes, right?
Napper:Definitely not
Sewzy:That’s why weird. I’m sort of having fun.
Napper:You know what’s weirder?
Napper:Me too
Sewzy:I guess it’s all about the company.
Napper:Who’s with you?
Colby stood frozen, her hip against the granite countertop. What could she say to this? She didn’t want to tell him about Nate. It was too complicated. And what if it scared Napper off? She needed to meet him first and see if there was something to their relationship off the screen and outside the app. She had never left him hanging in the middle of a conversation, but simply couldn’t think of a response.
The phone buzzed again, the screen changing to show a phone call from Jane.
“Hey,” Colby said. “You guys okay over there?”
“No power, but that’s pretty normal. We’re fine! I’m just glad it’s not so hot. I hate not having AC and I’m already hotter than normal with this pregnancy. All the sweating, all the time.”
“I guess we are pretty lucky,” Colby said. “I didn’t even think about the temperature, so obviously it’s fine. Glad this isn’t August.”
“This was your first hurricane, right? How was it?”
Colby hesitated, hearing the sound of Nate walking in the house. “Fine.”
“Fine? I thought you were freaked out about staying alone at Liz’s! Don’t tell me you slept through it.”
“No, I didn’t sleep much.”
“Okay…why do you sound weird? What’s going on? Are you really okay?”
