Chapter 119

119 Together in a Storm

To check if my suspicions were correct, I looked up at the sky. A large drop of water fell right down on my forehead, and I closed my eyes in reflex. I was right, it’s raining. Of all the days and of all times, it just had to rain now?!

“Oh, it’s raining...” I said as I turned towards Brandon.

At my words, Brandon opened his hands as he tried to feel the rain. He nodded when he caught a few drops of rain in the palm of his hands. The weather was so nice and peaceful until just now. There were no signs of rain, and I was completely shocked and disappointed that it was raining.

“Should we ride back? I think we’ll make it in time if we hurry,” Brandon said as he quickly got up and offered me his hand.

Without hesitation, I took his hand, and he pulled me smoothly up to my feet. It was still drizzling, and I hoped that it would remain that way or the rain would just stop. At this rate, we can probably make it back to the mansion if we headed back now. It was unfortunate that our adventure with the horses had to be cut short but there was nothing that we could do about it.

“You’re right. Let’s head back,” I replied while trying not to sound too disappointed.

As we headed towards where the horses were tied up not too far from us, it became clear that that was no longer necessary. The ripples in the stream got larger and suddenly there were ripples everywhere as more raindrops fell into the stream. The light drizzle that I had hoped would remain just a drizzle had started to escalate very quickly into a full-on rainstorm.

“It’s raining so hard...oh, the wind!” I exclaimed as the wind blew against my face and my body.

Suddenly, it was like a dam had broken up in the sky and rainwater was pouring down on us harshly from above. The wind only made it worst, and I could barely keep my eyes opened as I tried my best to shield my eyes with my hands. The rain beat down on us from above and I was sure that it wasn’t just my imagination that the raindrops were now larger than before. It didn’t take long for the rain to completely soak the clothes that I had on. I could feel the cold seep into my skin from the rainwater and the harsh wind didn’t help at all.

.....

My clothes stuck to my skin and hung off my body heavily. I flipped a mass of wet hair back from my face as I cursed silently under my breath at the mess that we have found ourselves in. The dark clouds in the sky blocked out the sun and our surrounding got slightly darker than before. Brandon held my hand as he pulled me along after him towards where the horses were tied up. The ground under our feet started to soak up water and it became slippery very quickly.

“Watch your step,” Brandon warned as he pulled me to his side and wrapped an arm around my waist to support me.

“Thank you...” I thanked him as he pulled me even closer against his body.

Suddenly, there was a flash of blinding light, and soon after, the loud crashing sound of thunder roared loudly around us. I screamed and covered my ears with my hands as I sat squatted down onto the floor in my fright.

“Elena!”

I heard Brandon calling my name, but I was too scared by the thunder to respond. My body trembled in fear and my legs felt weak. There was no way that I can get back up. Why a thunderstorm now of all times?

I squeezed my eyes shut tightly as my phobia began quickly taking over. My head throbbed painfully with my own fears as I started to panic. My chest felt tight, and it became harder to breathe. How are we supposed to get back like this? This is such a disaster...I can’t even control myself...

“Elena...”

Brandon whispered my name and I realized that he must have been quite close to me. When I felt his arms around me and the warmth of his body against mine, I knew that I was right. He wrapped me into a hug that felt warm and secure, a stark contrast to the coolness of my body and the fright that plagued my mind.

“Elena...it’s ok. I’ll take you somewhere safe,” Brandon whispered right into my ear before he kissed my cheek softly.

I knew that I was nothing but a burden to him at this point. It was still raining hard, but I couldn’t move my body and he was stuck with me. I tried to gather my wits, but it wasn’t an easy feat. Brandon continued whispering words of comfort and reassurance that everything was going to be fine into my ear and it helped me calm down somewhat.

“You’re scared stiff. Calm down. I’ll make sure that you’re safe,” Brandon promised me before he kissed my cheek again.

His hands covered mine and slowly started peeling them away from my ears. The loud sound of the rain filled my ears again and I tried my best not to cry.

“It’s ok...” Brandon whispered.

I opened my eyes and saw his face right in front of mine. His grey eyes looked at me with worry and care. It made me feel slightly guilty that I was so scared of the thunder. Mustering my courage, I nodded a head a little at him.

“Can you stand? Probably not...” Brandon asked me gently before answering his own question.

I felt his arm under me before he lifted me up into his arms. It was still raining, and I felt very cold. Brandon held me tightly next to his body and I wrapped my arms around his neck to hold on. The sound of his beating heart next to my ear helped to comfort me in a way that I didn’t quite understand. Without another word to me, Brandon began walking with me in his arms. It must have been hard on him to carry me in this rain with such poor visibility.

–To be continued...