The Storm between Us

Chapter 5

Monday morning came quicker than Amber expected.

It felt like she had barely closed her eyes before sunlight began creeping through the blinds of her bedroom, the soft golden rays stretching across the now familiar walls. For a few seconds, she stayed under the covers staring at the ceiling, trying to collect herself.

Today was important.

The nervous excitement she had felt the night before had settled deep in her stomach, twisting into something between anxiety and anticipation.

This was the beginning.

A real beginning.

Not surviving.

Not running.

Not recovering.

Actually starting over.

Amber slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes before swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. The apartment was quiet, almost painfully quiet.

She hated how quiet it always felt now.

Back home there was always noise. Her mother humming while cleaning. The television running in the background. The sound of neighbors talking outside.

Now all she heard was the hum of the air conditioner.

She walked toward the bathroom, splashing cold water against her face before beginning to get dressed for orientation.

After slipping into a simple blouse and fitted jeans, she stood in front of the mirror staring at herself.

Her curls framed her face perfectly and for the first time in weeks, she actually looked... lighter.

Still tired.

Still healing.

But lighter.

She adjusted the collar of her blouse before exhaling softly.

Mom... I wish you could see me right now.

The thought came suddenly, hitting her so hard she had to grip the edge of the sink.

This was exactly the kind of moment her mother would've loved.

She could practically hear her voice now.

"Make sure yuh eat something before yuh leave."

"Don't be shy, talk to people."

"Remember you're smart enough to do anything."

Amber swallowed hard as emotion crept into her chest.

Instead...

There was silence.

No phone call.

No encouragement.

No mother.

Just grief.

Her eyes began burning, but she blinked quickly and forced herself to move.

Not today.

She had cried enough these past few months.

Today was supposed to feel good.

She grabbed her purse and keys before locking the apartment behind her.

Outside, Atlanta greeted her with cool morning air and the sounds of the city beginning to wake up.

Even after being here for a little while now, Georgia still felt different.

Bigger roads.

Different accents.

Different energy.

She was still adjusting.

But so far...

She liked it.

Since moving here she'd spent her free days trying to learn the city little by little.

Walking through Piedmont Park watching people picnic while walking their dogs.

Getting lost wandering around Atlantic Station after accidentally taking the wrong turn.

Sitting alone at Centennial Olympic Park people watching while eating overpriced fries from a food truck.

She had even taken herself to the Georgia Aquarium one afternoon just because she refused to let loneliness stop her from living.

It wasn't home.

But slowly...

It was becoming hers.

—

The orientation went better than she expected.

The classroom was larger than she imagined, nearly every seat occupied.

There were young adults fresh out of high school trying to figure life out.

Single mothers trying to create better opportunities for their kids.

Older women returning to school after years away.

Even a few men sat scattered around the room.

Everyone had a reason for being there.

Everyone was chasing something.

The instructor, a woman named Ms. Henderson, stood confidently at the front of the room explaining everything they needed to know.

Clinical requirements.

Certification exams.

State testing.

Long hours.

The responsibility of caring for vulnerable patients.

The emotional toll healthcare could bring.

Amber sat quietly in the middle row taking notes carefully, her handwriting neat and organized.

She wasn't much of a talker.

Never really had been.

Shyness had always been part of her.

Even when a girl beside her smiled and introduced herself, Amber politely smiled back but kept the conversation short.

She wasn't interested in making friends.

At least not yet.

New people always exhausted her.

Too much pretending.

Too much forcing connections.

She preferred keeping to herself.

Always had.

Still...

As she sat there listening to everything ahead of her...

She felt something she hadn't felt in a very long time.

Hope.

For once, she wasn't simply surviving one painful day after another.

She was building something.

Building a future.

Building independence.

Building herself back together.

And somehow...

That felt beautiful.

—

When orientation ended, she ordered an Uber home.

The entire ride back she couldn't stop smiling to herself.

She had done it.

It was only orientation.

But somehow it felt bigger.

Like proof that life hadn't completely defeated her.

But the second she stepped back into the apartment...

The silence returned.

And with silence...

Came thoughts.

Her mother.

The funeral.

Her ex.

The lies.

The betrayal.

The nights spent crying herself to sleep wondering how somebody she loved could hurt her so deeply.

The terrifying realization that she was now rebuilding her entire life completely alone.

The heaviness slowly settled in her chest again.

She knew this feeling.

That dangerous sadness.

The kind that slowly creeps in when you're left alone too long with your thoughts.

She needed air.

Fast.

—

About twenty minutes later Amber threw on an oversized hoodie and fuzzy slippers before leaving the apartment.

Maybe a walk would help.

The little corner store down the street had quickly become her comfort stop these past few weeks.

Cheap snacks.

Cold drinks.

And just enough interaction with people to make her feel less alone.

As she walked, she shoved her hands inside her hoodie pocket.

Cars passed slowly down the street while warm Georgia air brushed against her skin.

She hated admitting it...

But she missed driving.

Back in Jamaica she had loved it.

But after what happened with her ex...

That changed.

The memory still haunted her.

The brake failure.

The panic.

Realizing someone she once loved had intentionally tried to hurt her.

The trauma had stayed with her long after the bruises healed.

Now she walked everywhere.

It felt safer.

Control felt safer.

—

The corner store was mostly empty when she stepped inside.

Soft music played somewhere near the front register while fluorescent lights buzzed overhead.

Amber grabbed a basket before heading straight toward the refrigerated section.

Her eyes immediately found what she came for.

Cutwater.

Perfect.

Only problem...

The case sat all the way on the top shelf.

She stood on her tiptoes stretching her arm upward.

Still too high.

She reached again.

Nothing.

"Seriously?" she muttered.

She stretched even harder.

"Damn... why do they put the good stuff all the way up there?"

Before she could attempt a third time...

Another hand reached above hers.

Effortlessly grabbing the case.

"There you go."

Amber froze.

Something about his voice immediately made her stop moving.

It was deep.

Smooth.

Calm in a way that felt oddly soothing.

She slowly turned around.

And immediately regretted making eye contact.

Because he was... beautiful.

Tall.

Brown skin smooth against the harsh store lighting.

Shoulder length dreadlocks falling carelessly around sharp features.

A tattoo sleeve covered one entire arm disappearing beneath the sleeve of a plain white t-shirt.

His jeans hung low on his waist while expensive-looking sneakers sat perfectly clean against the tiled floor.

A lit blunt rested casually between his fingers.

And then she noticed it.

The outline of a firearm tucked inside his waistband.

The sight made her pause.

Not because she admired it.

But because it immediately told her exactly what type of energy he carried.

Dangerous.

Unbothered.

The type of man who moved through life without caring how anyone judged him.

For a few seconds neither of them spoke.

Amber suddenly became very aware that she had been staring too long.

"Thank you," she finally managed.

His lips curved slowly.

"No problem, sweetheart."

The way he said sweetheart shouldn't have affected her.

But somehow...

It did.

"You looked like you were about two seconds away from climbing the whole fridge."

Amber laughed.

A real laugh.

One she hadn't heard come from herself in weeks.

"Honestly... I was considering it."

He chuckled softly.

"That's determination."

"And embarrassment."

"That too."

Both of them laughed.

And for a second...

Something shifted.

He looked at her a little longer than necessary.

Not in a creepy way.

More like he was trying to figure her out.

Amber found herself noticing small things.

His eyes.

Warm dark brown.

The tiny scar resting near his eyebrow.

The way he carried himself so confidently.

Like he knew exactly who he was.

She hated how attractive confidence looked on him.

A voice suddenly interrupted.

"Yo KJ, hurry up!"

His friend stood near the register waiting impatiently.

KJ.

The name immediately settled somewhere in her brain.

Like it belonged there.

KJ glanced toward his friend before looking back at Amber.

"Well..."

He handed her the case.

"Enjoy your drink."

She swallowed unexpectedly.

"You too."

For a second it looked like he was about to say something else.

Maybe ask her name.

Maybe continue the conversation.

Instead he simply nodded once.

Then turned and walked toward the front.

Amber stood frozen.

Watching.

Without meaning to.

Just before exiting the store...

He glanced back.

Their eyes met one last time.

And then he was gone.

—

The entire walk home felt strange.

Her thoughts kept replaying the interaction over and over.

His voice.

His smile.

The way he looked at her.

The stupid little grin she now couldn't wipe off her face.

The second she realized what she was doing she shook her head hard.

Girl, absolutely not.

She had moved to Georgia to heal.

To rebuild herself.

To escape the life that had nearly destroyed her.

She had just buried her mother.

Escaped a relationship that almost broke her beyond repair.

Started over in a completely new city.

The last thing she needed...

Was distraction.

Especially not from a man who looked like he came with every red flag imaginable.

She laughed quietly to herself while unlocking the apartment.

Yet somehow...

She couldn't stop thinking about him.

KJ.

She barely knew him.

Didn't know his age.

Didn't know where he came from.

Didn't know anything about him.

And yet...

His smile had somehow lodged itself into her memory.

She set the drinks on the kitchen counter before staring absentmindedly out the window.

Would she ever see him again?

Probably not.

Atlanta was huge.

Thousands of people.

Millions of moments.

The chances were slim.

But deep down...

Something told her this wasn't the last time their paths would cross.

And somehow...

She had a feeling KJ was about to become the kind of complication she never saw coming.