Thunderstorms

“Tonight around 8 o’clock we have a 95% chance of thunderstorms,” the voice of the weatherman came from the T.V.
“Oh great,” Maxine said sarcastically. She hated thunderstorms. Ever since she was a little kid she’s been terrified of them. Whenever a storm is happening she goes and sleeps in the basement (which luckily is finished with carpet, a big sofa, a big screen T.V., and all that stuff).
She got up from the couch and started up the stairs while she said, “I’m headed upstairs!” to her parents.
“Okay, we’ll be down here,” her dad said sarcastically. She chuckled.
She went up to her room and played on Facebook for awhile. Then she got on Gmail and immediately the chat bubble popped up with her long time best friend Justin saying, “hey shawty wanna come over? Ya know what, i’m gonna call u!”
And just like that her phone started playing Justin’s ringtone “Baby” and she hit the send button.
“Hey!” she said cheerfully.
“Hey shawty,” Justin said sweetly.
She laughed. She loved it when he called her shawty.
“You wanna come over?” he asked, she could just see the smile on his face.
But just then a flash of light flooded her room and soon after a rumble of thunder shook the air.
“Uhh,” she said, and she gulped. There was no way she was gonna walk all the way up the street in a thunderstorm. In fact there was no way she was gonna stay up in this room any longer.
She was already grabbing her stuff (laptop, stuffed dogs, blanket, notebook, colored pencils, etc) when she said to Justin, “You sure you don’t wanna come over here?”
She put a lot of her stuff in her Vera Bradley backpack and headed to the basement.
“Yeah, I’m sure. I wanted you to spend the night over here!” he asked.
“Oh well that’s very nice of you,” she said, she walked pasted her parents in the living room who were still watching the news and said, “Going to the basement!” while she moved the phone away from her mouth. But it didn’t do any good because Justin still heard her.
“Why are you going to the basement?” he asked suspiciously.
“Uhh,” she said as she stopped dead on the staircase to the basement, “Why not go to the basement?”
“Because it’s a basement, and I wanted you to come to MY house, silly goose,” he said jokingly.
“Hey silly goose is my line and you know that!” she said flopping down on the couch.
“So?” he asked, but then he figured her out when a big rumble of thunder shook the houses, “Oh! I know why you are going to the basement!”
Maxine flinched. She had been caught.
“You’re scared of thunderstorms aren’t you?!” he pointed out; she could hear the smile in his voice.
“Shut up, Justin,” she growled.
“Ah ha! So I was right!” he said proudly.
“Ok, ok, you’re right! Now can we get back to the point?!” she asked as she winced with the flash of lightning and thunder that happened at almost the exact same moment.
“What was the point? You obviously are not gonna come over now,” he said sighing.
“I’m sorry,” she said shamefully.
“No its ok! Maybe I can come over there?” he asked.
She smiled, “As long as it’s ok with our parents!”
“Kay! Let me go ask,” he said.
So she covered her phone and yelled up the stairs, “Mom! Dad! Can Justin spend the night here tonight?!”
“Sure!” she heard them respond.
Luckily, they trusted her with boys; especially Justin because they had known each other since they were babies.
“My mom said it was ok!” Justin said cheerfully.
“So did my parents. So I’ll see ya soon?” she said.
“Of course! See ya Max!” he said using her nickname. And they hung up.
She snuggled under her blanket even further when the next thunder rumbled the air.
A few minutes later the doorbell went off and she dashed upstairs and got to the door before her mom did.
“Hey!” Justin said with his hood up and his bag on his shoulder.
“Hey! Geez you’re soaked!” Maxine said as she pulled him inside and shut the door.
Lightning flashed with a rumble of thunder and the whole house shook beneath her feet. Her heart dropped to her stomach as she imagined the ground splitting and her house blowing up.
“Maxine? Hello?!” Justin said shaking her shoulders.
“What?! Sorry, freaked out there for a second,” she said snapping out of it.
“Obviously,” he said simply.
She walked quickly over to the basement stairs and Justin followed her.
She was in the living room about 2 feet away from the couch when another ground shaking rattle occurred and she pounced on the couch in fear.
“Whoa, that was a total ninja moment!” Justin said setting down his stuff and sitting on the recliner.
“Hey that’s not funny!” she said, wrapping herself in her cocoon of her blanket.
“I’m sorry,” Justin smiled sincerely.
“It’s ok,” she said laying down with her head on her pillow now.
“Why are you so freaked out about thunderstorms?” he asked.
“I don’t know, I always have been, ever since I was little. I mean everyone is scared of thunderstorms when they are little but I guess I never grew out of it,” she said quietly.
She felt so small and scared like a little 4 year old again.
Justin stood up and walked over to her. He sat next to her knees on her the couch and she rolled over to look up at him. He smiled down at her and grabbed her hand. Maxine ignored the butterflies in her stomach.
“But there’s nothing to be afraid of,” he whispered.
She sighed and gripped his hand back, “I know, it’s just-,” she thought for a second on what to say, “It’s like I feel so small and little when the thunder rumbles and I’m always scared when the ground shakes that it’s gonna split and the house is going to be destroyed.”
He chuckled and smiled that beautiful smile, “Really Max?”
“Yes really!” she frowned at him. He wasn’t taking her seriously.
“Well, I’m just gonna have to help you get your imagination to stop controlling your mind now aren’t I?” He said simply, as he grabbed both of her hands and pulled her up to stand on her feet.
She let him pull her up like a ragdoll and she stood there in front of Justin just staring at him while he looked at her; the sound of the rain being the only noise.
“What are we supposed to be doing?” she asked.
Justin took a hold of her hands as they stood face to face and he said, “Wait for it.”
Then a bright lightning strike lit up the small windows in the basement and not a second later a bang of thunder erupted from the sky. Maxine’s eyes went wide as her mind went crazy with the thoughts of devastation on her house and family. But just then before her mind was finished buzzing and she jumped onto the safe haven of her couch, Justin’s hands were cradling her face and he was staring into her eyes.
“Maxie? You with me? There’s nothing to be afraid of!” he said his voice comforting.
She gave him no response for she was lost in his eyes. Her mind had gone blank.
He immediately took her and squished her face into his chest as he held her in a bone crushing hug.
“Justin…can’t…breathe!” she said, acting like her lungs were being crushed.
“Sorry,” he loosened his grip around her.
She smiled and hugged him back, “Thanks for helping me.”
“No problem,” he said smiling also.
For awhile they stayed like that, in each other’s arms. Max wasn’t gonna argue. She actually liked it.
She never exactly was one to have many guys all up in her business and trying to get to her. So it was nice to have someone comforting her like this.
“No offense, I really like you hugging me like this, but if I stay like this much longer I may fall asleep,” Max said sweetly.
“You can always fall asleep in my arms, baby,” Justin whispered in her ear.
Max’s heart jumped and then began to race; she had never heard him use that kind of voice. It was low and sincere and really… well sexy. She didn’t know why she was getting so worked up about that but whatever was happening… she liked it! She didn’t even notice the rumbles of thunder that were still occurring.
Then all of a sudden Justin goes, “Ahh!” as he picks Max up and flops them both down on the couch.
They both laughed then Max leaned her head over onto Justin’s shoulder. He smiled and put his arm around her.
Her stomach erupted with butterflies and then she said, with a huge grin on her face, “What do you wanna do?”
“I don’t know,” he said and he looked over at her, “I really want to kiss you right now.”
Her eyes grew big and then she thought that she wanted to tease him.
“I think we should save that for later,” she said smirking.
He pouted and he almost got his way but she gently put her hands on his cheeks and used her thumbs to pull the sides of his lips up in some funny looking smile, “No! No pouting! I will not have it in my basement!” she laughed.
He laughed and his bright smile bloomed on his face.
She smiled because his lit up face made her so happy.
She then hopped up from the couch and headed over to the bookshelf filled with DVDs.
“What do you wanna watch?” she asked, not taking her eyes off the shelf.
Within seconds she felt arms wrap around her stomach which once again burst with butterflies from his touch.
He laid his head on her shoulder and whispered, “Whatever you want babe.”
She giggled, “You’re such a flirt!”
A big bang rattled the air and she jumped and spun around into Justin. Just because she wasn’t too scared of thunder anymore didn’t mean she wasn’t completely over it!
Justin chuckled again, “You’re so cute when you’re scared.”
Max smiled and made her grip on his waist stronger. His arms wrapped around her were relaxing and the heat coming off his body was warm and comforting.
Then after a couple of seconds Justin’s finger found its way under her chin tilting her face up to look at him.
“You’re always beautiful though,” Justin said with complete sincerity in his voice and eyes. But his eyes also held a soft look of admiration.
Maxine’s face glowed a pinkish hue she smiled; not in embarrassment but in happiness.
And before she realized what happened, his lips were on hers. He had been inching closer to her and she hadn’t realized it.
Their lips moved in perfect synchronization and fit together like puzzle pieces. This was her first kiss and it was… perfect.
They separated (much to their disappointment) and they both smiled.
“Did you like your first kiss?” he whispered.
“More than you’ll ever know,” she said back.
Justin smiled and cupped her face in his palm and rubbed his thumb on her cheek.
She winced as another huge band rumbled from the sky outside.
“Baby girl, I won’t ever leave you in a thunderstorm,” he said sweetly.
“You better not,” she said, just as their lips came back together.