Runaway Love

Two: Astraphobia

Astraphobia: The fear of thunder and lightning.
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Jett
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The elevator dings and the doors slide open welcoming us to a dark brown and tan hallway with white trim and base boards. Tambre leads the wall down the hallway to a door with the number 67 on it in cursive elegant numbers. She pulls keys out of her hoodie pocket and slides them into the silver doorknob. The door clicks and she swings it open. The apartment has the same chocolate and cashmere tan colours that the hallway did. Including the furniture of the apartment.

"Welcome to my humble abode." She states and tosses her keys on a table and slips her shoes off.

"Give me your sweater." She states. I slip it over my head obediently and hand it over. I slip my shoes off.

"You are soaked. Wait here." She commands. I stay put and she disappears around the corner. I feel cold without seeing her. A shiver rattles at my spine and a few moments later she comes back around the corner, holding a stack of clothes.
"Put these on. Bedroom is down the hall and to your left, bathroom is down the hall to the right." She directs. I head for the bathroom and she shoots me a smile from down the hallway as I close the door. I look at the clothes. Sweatpants and a black ACDC t-shirt. I change into the clothes and gather up my sopping wet clothes and exit the room. Tambre appears and wordlessly sweeps the clothes out of my arms and disappears into a smaller room. I hear water running and peer around the corner to see her tossing my clothes in a washing machine.

"You don't hav-"

"Shh." She cuts me off. I obey and remain quite. She is dressed in grey sweatpants and a black tank top that clings to her skinny middle. Her arms have toned muscles.

"You are beautiful." The words slip from my mouth. Idiot. She looks at me wide-eyed and her cheeks turn red. She closes the washer and turns to me. She looks me up at down.

"You look handsome." She says quietly. My cheeks heat up. What is that? Am I blushing? This feeling makes me uncomfortable. But in a good way.

"Thank you." The words find their way out. She nods and walks up to me.

"So, Jett with two t's. Would you like something to drink?" Tambre asks me. She is standing so close. I can feel her warmth.

"S-something warm?" I stutter. She nods.

"Good idea." She walks past me and down the hall. Her hair sways gently as she steps. She walks into the kitchen and reaches into a dark wooden cupboard pulling out two plain white cups. She sets them on the counter and fills a kettle with water from the tap, setting it down on the stove to boil. Lightning strike outside and Tambre tenses slightly. In surprise, I assume. She walks around the counter to the living room and turns on the television.
"What are you watching?" I ask, walking to her side.
"Lucifer. It's a new show." She explains.
"So which one is Lucifer?" I ask looking at the two men on the tv.
"That one," she point to the man on the right, "the other man's name is Dan. He is Lucifer's crush's ex husband." Tambre explains.
"Sounds confusing." I say squinting at the screen.
"Not really." Tambre says, setting the remote down. The kettle whistles loudly in a high pitched ear-splitting tone. I whip my head and glare at it, a low growl erupting from my throat. Tambre laughs and puts a hand on my chest. My eyes widen and I look down to her then her hand. She seems comfortable around me. And for some weird reason, I am comfortable around her. I only met her today. But she has my trust already. Her hand is warm and instinct reactes to put my hand over hers. She stares up at me with soft eyes.
"Whoa boy. No need to growl at a kettle." She whispers and pulls away. A cold-electric spot is left on my chest. I follow close behind her. She lifts the kettle off the stove and puts it next to the cups. She pulls out a tin can from the cupboard and sets it by the cups. She slides open a drawer and grabs a spoon. She walks back to the can opening it and a brown powder is equally dished out and she pours water in the cups. Tambre looks at me, and my confused look.

"You look at everything like it is your first time seeing it. Been living under a rock, Jett?" She asks. Her eyes shine in the soft lighting of the apartment. I look at those magnificent green eyes.

"Technically, Yes." I reply quietly, watching her. She turns back to the liquid in the cups and stirs it. She walks to the fridge and pulls out a jug of milk. She pours it in the cups and stirs. She hands me a cup and takes the other. Her hands wrap around the cup and she walks over to the couch and tucks her legs under her, leaning against the back. She looks at me expectedly and I walk to the couch. She sets her cup on the coffee table and leans back. I sit next to her and set my cup on the table too.

"So Jett Rowan. Why are you in New York without a place to stay?" She questions, a small smile plays on her lips.

"You would not believe me if I told you." I watch the steam rise from the cups and a shiver tears through my body.

"Wait here." Tambre suggests. She hops off the couch and trots down the hallway. She returns moments later with a brown blanket.

"Stand up." She directs. I obey and stand, walking to stand infront of her. She unfolds the blanket and hands it to me.

"Do you know how to operate one of these?" She ask with a straight face. I raise an eyebrow and take the blanket from her hands, wrapping it around my shoulders. She claps and a smile appears on her face. I laugh and pull the soft fabric around me. Lightning flashes outside the window and thunder shakes the ground. Tambre jumps and crouches to the floor. I kneel next to her.

"Are you afraid?" I ask. She looks at me with sad eyes and nods. I slip my arm away from the blanket a spit it around her shoulders. She leans into me. Something flutters in my chest again and I raise up. She follows as I walk to the ceiling to floor windows. I stand next to her as she looks out the window, her knees shaking and terror across her face. Guilt zaps my heart and thunder rumbles again. She whimpers and turns toward me. Her fists take the material of my shirt and I pull her against me, wrapping the blanket around both of us. She shivers against me.

"Astraphobia." I say quietly.

"What?" She asks.

"You have astraphobia. It is the fear of thunder and lightning." I explain. She study's me. My eyes.

"Your eyes are stunning." She says quietly.

"They are brown, Tambre. Far from stunning," I mention, I brush a strand of hair away from her face, "yours on the other hand. Stunning. Enchanting. Memorizing." I say the words that come to mind. Her cheeks getting a deeper shade of red with each word.

"They are not brown. They are a dark whiskey amber." She whispers. Thunder rumbles again and she closes her eyes.

"No." I say. She opens her eyes giving me a confused look.

"Don't close your eyes. Don't look away. Look at me." I plead. She complies and watches me. Thunder continues to growl outside and she swallows and shakes but watches me. The storm eventually dies down and Tambre leans against me again.

"Are you tired?" I ask.

"Yes." She says.

"Alright." I say. She looks up at me.

"Couch or bedroom?" She asks stepping away from me.

"Uhm. Couch." I say. She nods and I sink down into the leather couch, wrapping the blanket around me tightly.

"Goodnight, Jett." She says quietly.

"Goodnight, Tambre." I reply. I lay on the couch in an apartment that feels like home. It feels warm and safe. But you can't stay.