TheStorm
405 Words
The sky darkened faster than expected.
Thunder rolled low and distant as Emilia found Lucas in the living room, standing near the window, watching the storm gather like something inevitable.
“I found it,” she said softly.
He didn’t turn. “Found what?”
“The letter.”
His shoulders tensed.
“She didn’t mean for—”
“She meant for me to read it,” Emilia interrupted. “Eventually.”
Lucas turned slowly.
The storm lighted his face in flashes of silver and shadow. Vulnerable. Guarded.
“She said you stayed,” Emilia whispered. “When I couldn’t.”
“I didn’t do it for credit,” he said.
“I know,” she replied. “That’s what hurts.”
Rain began to pound against the windows. The lights flickered once—then went out completely.
Darkness swallowed the room.
Lucas cursed under his breath. “Storm knocked the power.”
Thunder cracked overhead, close enough to rattle the windows.
Emilia’s breath came shallow. The dark sharpened everything—every sound, every movement.
“I don’t like this,” she admitted.
Lucas’s voice came from close. Too close.
“I’ve got you,” he said automatically.
The words wrapped around her.
She felt his presence beside her, solid and steady. She reached out without thinking, her fingers brushing his arm.
He inhaled sharply.
“Emilia,” he warned.
“I know,” she whispered. “Just—don’t move.”
He didn’t.
They stood there, fingers barely touching, electricity crackling louder than the storm outside.
Her hand slid—just slightly—curling into the fabric of his shirt. He was warm. Real.
Lucas’s hand lifted, hovering near her waist again, the same way it had the night before.
“If I touch you,” he said, voice rough, “I won’t be able to stop.”
“Then don’t,” she whispered. “Or stay.”
The choice vibrated between them.
Thunder crashed.
For one breathless moment, Lucas’s hand settled at her waist, firm, grounding. Her body responded instantly, heat rushing through her, her head tipping back slightly.
Then he pulled away.
The restraint felt like loss.
“This isn’t fair,” he said hoarsely. “Not when you’re leaving.”
“I haven’t decided,” she said.
“You always do,” he replied quietly.
The lights flickered back on.
Reality rushed in with the glow.
Lucas stepped away first.
- Writer
