It's Raining Somewhere Else
Retirw-Tsitra
It's Raining Somewhere Else
I shuffled deeper into my blankets and couch cushions as I heard the floorboards creak. A quiet murmur of good night was heard from my roommate and I waved my hand up in response, quickly bringing it back down to return it to warmth. Seriously, why did we have to keep it so cold in here anyway? It’s like, freaking March in Minnesota, forty degrees outside yet we have to keep it below seventy inside... the landlord is nuts, I swear. I was staring up at the ceiling when it started to rain. Good, I thought to myself, It’ll help lull me to sleep. Screw melatonin gummies, all I needed was gentle rain. I closed my eyes, but then opened them again when I noticed something. The rain had gotten louder, and I spotted a flash of something outside the living room. That was a bit odd... maybe the street lamp had blown a bulb? Or--
A clap of thunder shook the house, and I stiffened immediately, my heart starting to race. Oh God, oh God, the weatherman hadn’t said anything about a thunderstorm. Stupid jerk probably had his days screwed up again, the idiot. Oh God, okay, I just need to breathe slowly with my eyes closed, yeah, I’ll be okay, just in, out, in, out--
Another clap, and I jumped, feeling my hands start to sweat as my breathing quickened. Oh God, the wind sounded so strong, it felt like it was going to blow the building over, if the thunder didn’t shake the building to smithereens, and then me and Amber were going to die--
Amber. Oh my God, she could keep me safe, get me out of this hell. I tested the thought of going upstairs, but my panic-stricken legs refused, and stayed ramrod straight, gluing me to my bed of sorts. I started to shake as I realized that my roommate probably couldn’t hear my yells. Damn her, with her deep sleeping while we were in danger! I couldn’t move out of bed, my yells couldn’t reach her, I wouldn’t be able to survive this, the storm would demolish the building--
With another clap interrupting my thoughts, I realized something. I had my phone on me. A phone with Amber’s number. A phone that could reach her phone that had a ringtone that could permeate Death itself. I could call her and tell her to come rescue me. Brilliant!
Now if I could just get my arms to reach out...
After a few minutes of mental pep talk, I was able to reach behind me to the end table and grab my phone, yanking it out of its charger. With shaking hands, I was able to open my phone and dial her. It rung three times, for what felt like an eternity, before she picked up.
“Hello?”
“Amber,” I rasped, “I need you to come out here, right now.”
“El? What’s wrong? You sound scared--”
Thunder shook the apartment once more, and this time I squeaked, clutching onto the phone with both of my hands. “Please, Amber.” I begged, my voice hitching.
“Oh my God...” I heard her whisper. “I’ll be down in a flash, Eliza, don’t worry.” With that, she hung up, and I hugged my cellphone to my chest, stiff and shaking and sobbing silently. God, I was pathetic, nineteen years old and crying like a child over a thunderstorm.
Sure enough, my savior appeared, flicking on the living room lights and appearing at my side. She was somehow able to pry my phone out of my hands and intertwine her fingers with mine. “Hey, I’m here, it’s okay, I’m here now,” she murmured, using her free hand to wipe the tears from my face.
I smiled slightly. “I-I’m sorry I woke you up...”
She shook her head. “Don’t be. You told me about this before... I just didn’t think it would get this bad...”
I opened my mouth to respond, to tell her that there’d been worse nights, like when I was fifteen and I stayed up until four in the morning so my dad could calm me down, but another clap of thunder interrupted me. My savior was ready, and wrapped me in a warm, if not awkward embrace, shielding me from the storm. Finally, my stiff body relaxed a bit, and I hugged her tighter. God, she was so warm, and she smelled of vanilla and coconuts and cinnamon, like home, that it felt awful when she pulled away.
My fear disappeared when she smiled with me. “Can I join you?”
“There’s not much room. It is a couch, after all.”
“I can make room. Here, you can lay on top of me, since you’re shorter.” She pulled me out of my bed, forcing my stubborn legs to move as we traded places. After a bit of shuffling and adjusting, we were finally comfortable. My head was nestled underneath her chin, and she started to play with my hair. With that my entire body relaxed, melting like butter into her. I sighed. “Hey Amb?”
“Yeah?”
“Can you tell me a story? To help me fall asleep? It’s what my dad used to do, before... before I moved out.”
I felt her nod. “Sure. Now, let me think of one... ah, yes, once upon a time, a very long time ago, there lived a family of noble blood. They were the oldest line of royalty in all the land, so the story goes. The heirs to the throne were two twins, a boy and girl that always bickered with one another...”
As she continued on in quiet tones, I started to doze off, not even noticing the howling wind and rumbles of thunder as they came and went. My savior, Amber, protected me as I slept. For all we cared, it was raining somewhere else.