Tornadogenesis | Tyler Owens x OC

- N I N E -

Dana caught Tyler glancing at her periodically as they drove to a motel. Now settled, she felt as if she had made a fool of herself. Scared of a little rain. And with a man who actively sought out such storms?

"You feeling better?" He asked sincerely.

She turned her head toward her side window. Embarrassment crept up in the pit of her stomach. "Yeah. Thanks."

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't shake the images of that day. And they only resurfaced more vividly at the sight of a storm. Tyler had been there. He saw the devastation. He'd been the one to pry her away from the laundromat and bring her to safety. Of course he understood her fear. But that didn't alleviate the humiliation.

They arrived at a small motel. Clearly not a five-star. They'd be lucky if it was even a two. But out here, it was fitting for even an internet celebrity.

Tyler booked them two adjoining rooms on the second floor of the two-story building. "I'd better warn you, they're not much prettier inside than they are on the outside."

Sure enough, he was right. The room's odor was a mix of cigarette smoke and mold. Half an inch of dust on every surface. Broken bathroom mirror and only cold running water. An old tube tv on a dresser with a missing drawer.

A knock-knock-knock sounded on the adjoining door. Dana unlocked and opened it, revealing Tyler on the other side. "Luxurious, am I right?"

She rolled her eyes and stifled a chuckle. "This must've set you back, what, twenty, thirty, bucks?" She gestured to the room with an outstretched arm.

"Fifty. But it's nothing for a lady." He nodded his head and shined that smile.

"Quite the charmer, Owens," she waved a hand to dismiss his not-so-subtle comment and sat on the bench at the foot of her bed.

He looked down at his boots, hiding the grin.

The moment from earlier still lingered heavily in her mind. She couldn't ignore it. "Look, about that whole thing-" she began.

"Don't worry about it. Really." Tyler looked up at her again, his gaze one of sympathy.

Dana stared at the wall. "It just brought me back to that..." Her voice trailed off. It wasn't necessary to finish the sentence. She let out a dry chuckle of self-pity. "Fear has a way of stopping you dead in your tracks."

He leaned against the door jam. "Or, it can spur you forward."

"Easy for you to say, tornado wrangler," she shook her head. "It's all... engraved in my mind." Memories she couldn't erase.

He crossed his arms. "Fear is why I do it." He took a small step forward, waiting for permission to enter the room.

She scooted over on the bench, allowing him to sit. "You follow those things 'cause you're afraid of them?"

Tyler sat beside her and paused for a moment, as if gathering his own thoughts. "You know, I've seen things, too. Things I'd like to forget," he sighed, "and I keep seeing them, every time a tornado lays ruin to an innocent town."

She searched his eyes, finding them distant as he recollected his own memories. "Aren't you scared for your own safety? If you've seen what they can do to a building..."

"Of course I'm scared. But that's part of the thrill." The corner of his mouth raised in a subtle smile. "And the data we get out there, and the people we get to help, it's all making a difference. It's worth the fear."

Dana pondered his words, but still she felt unsettled. She wrapped her arms around herself, wishing the cold feeling to go away. "It's hard to get over. Let alone face it."

He took her hand and squeezed reassuringly. "You don't face your fears - you ride 'em."