As she disappears, Jaxon slides over to the porch swing.
“Don’t wanna be near me?” she asks, half teasing, half curious.
“Believe me,” Jaxon replies, “I do.”
“Then why the move?”
“For a better view.”
“You can see the storm perfectly from here.”
“Who said I was talking about the storm?” He says with a smirk.
Sara raises an eyebrow, brushing him off with a smile like she thinks he’s joking. But her heart’s not sure it is.
“So… is the view really better from there?” she asks after a beat.
“It is,” he says, eyes never leaving her. “It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“How does the view of the storm make you feel?”
Jaxon pauses, turning his gaze out toward the water. The sky is a bruised gray now. Lightning flickers in the distance. The wind is warm, but restless.
“It makes me feel at home.”
Sara turns toward him. “What do you mean?”
“Well, you know how a storm makes you feel vulnerable? A little on edge. You don’t know what’s going to happen, but you let it in anyway. You soak in the moments. Then the rain falls, and it’s beautiful in its own chaotic way. And when it’s over, when the noise dies down and the world stills... there’s peace. Even if it’s just for a moment.”
Heswallows, voice thick with truth.
“That’s how the storm makes me feel. Vulnerable. Scared. Soaking in the beautiful moments. Living in the in-between. Waiting to see what happens... but still finding peace.”
Sara doesn’t speak. Her heart is pounding, fluttering like it’s caught somewhere between past and future. He’s not talking about the storm. Not really.
Her voice comes out softer than she means it to. “The view really gives you that feeling?”
“It does. I’ve thought about that storm for the last four years. But it was too far from the coast... and I didn’t know how to chase it.”
Sara steps off the rail, eyes never leaving his. “Well, it’s here now.”
She crosses the porch and settles beside him on the swing. His left arm is stretched across the back, and without hesitation, she leans into it, resting her head on his shoulder.
A minute later, she reaches for his hand, guiding it to her side.
Jaxon stills.
Sara places her hand gently over his heart.
“There’s no need to chase the storm,” she whispers.
Because this one?
This storm found its way home.
