Tornado

When I woke up, I was very warm. I blinked my eyes open and saw Ryder’s face just inches from mine. He was deep asleep but he was frowning. The blankets were twisted around me and he was holding me tightly.

“Ryder,” I whispered.

It took a few times but he finally woke up. He rubbed his eyes.

“What time is it?” he mumbled.

I shook my head. “I don’t know. I just woke up.” He nodded sleepily and put his head back down on the pillow. “I’m sorry about last night,” I said in a small voice and he stared at me.

“Why are you sorry?”

I bit my lip. “For having that panic attack. I just-”

He pressed a finger to my lips. “Don’t apologize for that,” he whispered. “It’s not your fault.”

“I feel weak,” I admitted, staring at his shirt. It was rumpled and a couple buttons had come undone. “I should be over it by now.”

He made me look at him. “You can’t expect a traumatic experience like that to just disappear; especially since you lost your mother the next year.”

I looked away again, toying with the tie he had pulled loose last night. It was silk and felt nice on my fingers.

“I think I should talk to someone,” I said finally and he shifted so he was propped on his elbow and looking at me. He brushed some hair from my face. “I know that might make me sound crazy.”

“It doesn’t,” he assured me, tracing his finger down my jaw to my chin. “It makes you sound strong.” I stared, confused, and he smiled gently. “To acknowledge you can’t fight it alone is a hard thing to do for anyone.”

I smiled back and he kissed me. He was about to pull away but I wanted more. I pulled him back by his tie and, although surprised at first, he gave in and deepened the kiss. He pressed me gently on my back and I wrapped my arms around his neck, trying to be careful around the sunburn I knew he still had. My heart raced as our tongues fought for dominance and my stomach grew warm. His hand traveled up from my hip and I shivered under his touch. I ran my hand down his stomach, undoing his buttons.

He wasn’t exactly the fittest guy but he still had a flat stomach and he gasped as my cold hands touched him. He gripped my hip with one hand and the other slowly massaged my breast. I moaned quietly and my breath quickened as he kissed my neck.

It all ended, though, when my phone’s alarm went off. We froze for a second then he kissed me one more time. He sat up and buttoned his shirt back up, an incredible shade of red that made me giggle quietly. I turned the alarm off and wrapped my arms around him from behind.

“I like you a lot,” I whispered and he chuckled.

“I like you a lot, too,” he whispered back. “Come on. I’m hungry.”

We got out of bed and I stretched. I was stiff from all the shaking last night and I was looking forward to a good cup of coffee. When we got to the kitchen, Zachary was scrambling some eggs. He smiled at us and pointed to the table where two mugs of coffee were waiting for us.

“Did you sleep all right?” I asked. “I know that bed isn’t the comfiest of them all.”

“Oh it was fine,” he promised and divided the eggs among the three of us.

“So, I was talking to Ryder,” I began, toying with my fork, “and I think I should start talking to somebody.”

I looked at him, afraid he’d laugh at me but he didn’t. He took my hand in his.

“I know someone that is perfect for this kind of thing,” he said gently and I smiled.

We stayed at the table, talking until 8:30.

“I need to get back to the site,” I said, standing and putting my plate in the sink.

“And we need to get to the hospital,” Zachary nodded. “Hopefully they’re not too overwhelmed.”

They drove me to the site and Ryder opened my door for me. Before I left, he kissed me on the lips, lingering there longer than normal. I kissed him back until Zachary honked the horn, startling us both.

“Rude!” I yelled and Zachary laughed at us. “I’ll talk to you later,” I said to Ryder and he winked.

I waved as they left and headed up to the site to make sure everything was how we left it yesterday. There was some hail damage to the tables but, other than that, nothing was damaged. At least, not as damaged as before…. I sighed sadly as I picked up the remnants of one of our vintage signs.

I heard two cars pull up and I turned to see the staff get out. I grinned and had them come over.

“So, I’ve been thinking about the name for the restaurant,” I said.

I pitched them the idea.

“I’m fine with just ‘The Southern Belles’,” Eduardo said with a shrug. “The customers never see us so it’s not a problem for me. What about you?” he asked Marcus who shrugged, too.

“I really don’t care, either.”

I grinned. “Great. Today we’ll be continuing with the cleanup. Most of what’s left is trash, though,” I added. “Maybe some of that wood can be reused?”

“I don’t know the last thing about wood,” Lisa said, walking through the rubble and kneeling beside some of the broken beams. “I have some friends I can call, though.”

“Okay. And Ryder said he has some experience in construction; maybe he can give us an opinion, too.”

Almost the whole crowd from yesterday showed up, making my heart swell with happiness. As we continued to clean, Lisa played music from her car. It was set on the country channel and people were singing along as they cleaned. I took a break at one point and watched them all.

It was a beautiful sight. Everyone was working smoothly together. There weren’t any fights or arguments. It was just a group of people working together to rebuild a neighborhood. I had never witnessed something like this. I wasn’t part of a community before I moved here. I lived in the middle of the country before the F4 two years ago.

The community had welcomed me in with open arms and this was clear evidence that they still accepted me. I reflected on a few of the people I recognized.

“Miss Eaves?” a voice said and I turned. An older man I recognized stood with a briefcase. “Do you remember me?”

I shook my head. “No I don’t. I’m sorry.”

“My name is Ulysses,” he said, taking his hat off. “I used to live on the streets. You would always bring me food after your shift.”

“Oh! Yes! I remember now!” I hugged him without a second thought. “You disappeared on us last year.”

He smiled. “I got back on my feet. I heard about the restaurant.” He looked at it sadly. “You’re rebuilding?”

I nodded, looking at it, too. “We’re going to rename it ‘The Southern Belles’ and we’ll have a different menu. Something uniquely our own.”

“Do you have any investors yet?”

I shook my head, grimacing. “Right now we’re working out of our own pockets to rebuild. We’ll be fine. I’m thinking about having a special thing for a grand reopening.”

Ulysses nodded. “You could do that,” he agreed. “Or you could let me finance your restaurant.”

I gaped at him. “Come again?”

He sat down on a few boxes and gestured for me to do the same. I stared at him in wonder. He had changed so much since I last saw him. Before he left, he had scraggly grey hair. He was covered in dirt and dressed in clothes much too small for him. He only had a beanie to keep him warm and one blanket. He had been emaciated which is the first thing that caught my eye.

Now, though, his hair was short and grey. He was in a pair of nice slacks and a button up shirt. His face was shaved and he turned out to be rather pale. His clothes fit him well and he had a pleasant smell. He had put on weight and no longer seemed like he was going to fall over any minute.

“A year ago, a man approached me on the street,” he began, “and offered me a job at his firm in the mail room. I jumped at the chance. I wanted to say good bye but I didn’t have the chance. I climbed in the company pretty quickly. He got a hotel room for me to live in until I had enough money for an apartment. Now, I’m the new head of the company.”

“That’s impressive, Ulysses! Congratulations!”

He smiled. “We’re a business financing business. When I heard about the restaurant, I came to talk to Jamie. But then I heard about what she did and I seriously considered not coming.”

“What made you change your mind?”

He frowned a little. “I was in the Brewery last night and saw you with the two gentlemen. I saw how the younger one was comforting you and I wondered if you were doing anything with the restaurant. I don’t know what was wrong, but they got you out of there before I could say anything. So, I came this morning. Now I can see that you’re taking over.”

I nodded. “This restaurant means a lot to me,” I sighed, looking around at the rubble. “And it means a lot to my workers, as well.”

He held my hand. “It means a lot to the community, my dear. I wasn’t the only homeless man you and your coworkers helped. So, I would be very honored if you’d let me finance The Southern Belles.”

I grinned, tears coming to my eyes. “And I would be honored to accept.”

He grinned, showing white teeth. He hugged me tightly.