Page 29 of Golden Goal

“I know.” I pat her on the shoulder as I walk into the kitchen to fix Hazel’s bottle.

A crash of thunder startles me awake and I sit up, heart racing, hoping Hazel sleeps through all the noise. It’s been pouring down rain, with thunder and lightning for the past few hours, but the thunder is louder now as the storm grows closer. The wind is howling, and with another bang, the power goes out.

“Shit,” I mutter. I grab my phone and note that it’s a little after two in the morning. Maybe we’ll get lucky and the power will come back on quickly. When I unlock my phone, I see the tornado warning. “Double shit.”

“Holt,” Hadley whisper yells from the hallway.

I stand and pull on a pair of gray sweatpants before going over to check on Hazel who is still sound asleep in her bassinet. Using my phone’s flashlight, I head into the hallway where my sister is standing, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

“You okay?”

“Thunder woke me up.”

“Me too.” I run a hand down my face.

“There’s a tornado wa—“ Hadley starts, but a bang from the apartment next door interrupts her.

“Fuck,” I hiss. “Will you be okay alone with Hazel for a few minutes? So I can make sure Rebecca is okay.”

“Go. I’ll be fine.”

Wordlessly, I turn, and using the light from my phone I make my way to the front door, step into my Crocs, and hurry over to Rebecca’s.

“Rebecca,” I call out, knocking on her door. “It’s Holt.”

There’s banging and cursing from inside her apartment. I push a hand through my hair, knocking again. Eventually, the door opens, and Rebecca is standing there dressed in a faded T-shirt and a pair of long baggy pants. Before I can ask if she’s alright, another crash of thunder sounds, and she jumps, almost falling over.

“Careful.” I reach out without thinking and steady her. She’s shaking. “I heard banging. Did you get hurt?” I ask, stepping into her apartment, my hand still on her arm.

“I’m not hurt, but I hate storms,” she says, her voice wavering. “And there’s a freaking tornado warning, too.” She shivers, wrapping her arms around herself.

“It’s going to be ok.” I take a step closer to her, and without thinking, pull her into my arms.

She comes willingly, and I try not to think about how nice this feels. I run a hand down her back the way I do for my daughter when she’s upset. I hope that it’s comforting to Rebecca.

I like this, her in my arms. I shouldn’t be doing this but she’s scared, and I’m just offering comfort, nothing else.

“Sorry,” she mumbles against my chest. “I feel stupid.”

“Don’t apologize. Do you want to come next door? Hang out with us? My sister, Hadley, is up too.” I add the last part because I don’t want her to get the wrong idea.

“No, I’ll be alright.” She pulls away from me, and I reluctantly let her go.

I can barely see her in the glow of my phone flashlight. There’s another loud bang of thunder, and she jumps again.

“You sure?”

“M-maybe I’ll take you up on your offer.”

“Okay.” Without thinking, I hold out my hand, and she takes it. I tell myself it’s so I can make sure she doesn’t fall in the dark. Lies. “Do you want to grab your phone or keys or anything?”

“Good idea.” She peers into her dark living room.

“Want me to come with you?”

“Please,” she whispers.

I nod, although I’m not sure if she can see me, and let her guide me toward her room. She lets go of my hand in the doorway, and I pause, not wanting to step into her sanctuary uninvited. She grabs her phone from the nightstand before coming back over to me and slipping her hand back into mine. I lead us through her apartment and next door, all the while trying not to think about how good it feels to hold her hand.