Hurricane

Chapter 5

The rain was still pitter-pattering along the endless window panes of Naveen's master bedroom. The soft whooshing gusts of wind passing through the tall trees outside could be heard in the deafening silence around her. The only sound she could place was the light creaking of the wooden bed as she rolled over.

Becca woke up in the middle of the king-sized bed, the thick duvet huddled around her practically nude form, alone. She could have sworn that she went to sleep with a bra on, but that intimate mystery was the least of her concerns. She rolled over to check the time on her phone, 8AM - roughly seven hours of sleep. Her hand reached out and over to the left side of the bed, feeling for any sort of divet or lingering warmth. Her skin was greeted with only an unnerving chill.

He had left.

Ethan finally tumbled into his feelings for her after so long, and then he bolted away even quicker. Again .

Why does he keep doing this to me?

Becca threw an unused pillow over her face and gave it a good, hearty scream. She felt so stupid for thinking his words meant anything. The kisses, the glances, the stolen touches... The way serenity materialized the second they were enveloped in each others' arms. The way his hands caressed her body as he held her throughout the night - over the curves of her skin, settling each hand cupping her breasts. 

Is the notorious Ethan Ramsey actually officially my exclusive... partner?

So many questions were circulating her mind, half of them wondering if she was completely plastered last night and made Ethan's whole admission up.

Unwillingly, Becca rummaged around her overnight bag for her pajamas, knowing that she'd have to get up and face whatever lay ahead of them today.

She heads downstairs to find Sienna and Naveen at the dining table; her best friend sitting in the same seat as last evening, scrolling through things on her phone, and her mentor's mentor at the head reading yesterday's paper he finally had the time to read.

"Morning," Becca acknowledged with a grumble, rubbing her droopy eyes.

"Good morning," Sienna chirped in response, a delighted smile reaching up to the apples of her cheeks. "I made pancakes!" The petite doctor peeked up from the screen and pointed to the stack of golden buttermilk pancakes just waiting to be devoured.

A small smile pulled at Becca's lips as she continued her shuffle from the staircase to the mahogany breakfast table and asked, "How's the weather?" 

"Two feet of water and a few power lines fell with the trees. Edenbrook is still standing," Naveen smiled warmly, not bothering to look up from the intriguing article. "Hopefully we can start back up the day after tomorrow if the tide recedes enough. We still have to make it through two more tides." 

From her spot at the empty head of the table, Becca glanced at the window, trying to look past the harsh stream as best she could. All she could make out was the deep navy of the nearly high river, still without inhibitions and very accepting of the downpour. She wondered how it could be so still among the chaos around it.

Becca tore her eyes from the storm and reached for a golden dollar. "That's good," she noted before taking a delicate bite and letting the pillowy vanilla dissolve on her tongue.  

"Have you seen the photos Farley sent?" Sienna asked, scrolling to find the text from their landlord. 

She swallowed a large bit of food before asking, "No, what's happened?" Becca's brows furrowed, expecting the worst. 

Sienna pouted, "The basements flooded so no laundry room until further notice." Becca could see the irritated wheels turning in her friend's mind, wondering all the ways they'll have to schlep across town to the nearest laundromat when they all work heinous hours.