Hey! So, a lightning storm woke me up about 2am or so awhile back. Couldn't get to sleep. Had this little plot in my head. So, I decided to write it. Wrote it, saved it, went back to bed. Revised it the next day and absolutely fell in love with it.
However! What I think doesn't really matter! Its all the reader's opinion.
Now, I know that the transition is kind of quick, but I like it like that. So, if you could be so kind, don't mention anything about the transition, that would be amazing. Anything else, though, go right ahead!
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Thunderbolts and Lightning, Not So Very Frightening
I loved thunder and lightning storms. I don't know what it is about them, though. Maybe it's the steady pound of the rain on the roof. Maybe it's the feel of my heart having an adrenaline rush whenever there's a loud thunderclap. Maybe it's the smell of rain and grass that you always get after it. Or maybe it's just the lightning in general that interests me.
I've loved the storms ever since I was a child. I was never afraid of them and couldn't see why other kids were. To me, they were calming and peaceful. During them, my parents would always come into my room to see if I was okay. I always was--either sleeping peacefully through it or up and at the window, watching in fascination as it came down.
That was always how I handled the storms.
Of course, it was my love of storms that made this happen. I've no doubt that would have happened eventually, but maybe my weirdness somehow moved it along faster. Not that I'm complaining. Oh no, I'm far from complaining.
When he first saw me with a storm, we were hanging out at his house like boyfriend and girlfriend usually do on a Saturday night. We were sitting on the couch and watching a movie together. He was stretched out, leaning back, one hand behind his head and the other around my shoulders and his feet were crossed on top of the coffee table. I was curled up next to him with my head lying on his chest, about ready to fall asleep.
I had just gotten past the barrier to sleep when a huge crack jolted me up.
"Its okay, go back to sleep," he said soothingly.
I smiled at him, sleep still in my eyes, and shook my head. "Lets go outside. I want to watch the storm."
He looked at me skeptically at first and then nodded. "Okay, if you're sure."
I nodded, grabbed the navy blue blanket I had been cuddled under and went outside onto the porch, safe from the rain, from the storm, from anything, it felt. It was cooler than it had been inside, instantly making me more awake. The boards of the porch were a bit chilly, making me pick my feet up a little more and jump a little into the love seat. I sat down, him quickly following suit.
I breathed in deeply, loving the smell of the rain. How it combined with the grass to make a sweet smell; how cool the air felt... every aspect of the storms I loved.
Sighing contently, I laid my head on his shoulders and closed my eyes. "It's really nice out here," I murmured.
I could feel him looking down at me, more than likely with his goofy look of confusion on his face. "Leia, you can't fall asleep here. You'll catch a cold."
I looked up at him, eyed half closed and smiled--I probably looked drugged. "I can so fall asleep here. And I won't catch a cold. The only thing I'll catch is some rain."
He laughed. "You're going to catch some rain."
"I'm serious! If you keep laughing at me, then I'm going to have to prove it to you."
"And how are you going to do that?"
A bright flash of lightning appeared suddenly, making all of the colors around us go insane for an instant. Purples had changed to reds, yellows to blues, and greens to oranges. I shivered. I was starting to get kind of cold... I curled up into Ryder more.
"Oh good. You're a normal human being after all," he said, misinterperating my shiver of being a bit chilly to fear.
I rolled my eyes. "No. I'm just kind of cold, not scared. Never scared."
"Never?"
"Never," I confirmed.
He chuckled slightly and looked up, out into the sky, watching lightning strike and waiting for the thunder to sound. "You are one weird girl, you know that, Leia?"
I grinned. "Yep. Very, very weird."
He nodded in confirmation. "Too weird."
"Oh, shh, you. Want to take a walk with me?" I got up and grabbed his hand, rolling back and forth on the balls of my feet.
"Now?"
"No, in an hour." I rolled my eyes. "Of course now! Let's go!"
"Leia... its lightning out. Not to mention raining loads. We'll both catch colds," he tried to reason, yet stood up anyway.
I led him down the porch, giggling like a little school girl. "You won't. You never catch colds," I said, using his previous arguements from other days against him. Whenever I had complained to him that I was cold, he would always give me his jacket, no questions asked. When I tried to refuse, that he could catch a cold with it, his arguement was always the same: I never catch colds.
He sighed. "Okay, fine, maybe I won't, but you will. Leia, come on. I don't want you to get sick. I'll be sad if you get sick."
I stopped and turned back to look at him, pouting. "But I want to take a small walk in the rain. Besides, if I do get sick, then I'll have you with me to help me get better."
He couldn't help but smile at this comment--he's used it plenty of times before. "Okay. But can we at least get shoes and a jacket?" He looked down pointedly to his clothes; a t-shirt, pajama pants and socks, and then to mine; a sweatshirt and pajama pants.
I shook my head stubbornly.
Ryder chuckled, muttered something about women and let me drag him out from under the safety of the porch. We walked for about five minutes or so before becoming completely soaked through. I didn't mind though, and from the look on his face as we walked, he didn't either.
"See?" I asked. "Isn't this nice?"
"Yes," he admitted. "But now we're going to need showers when we get back home."
I bit my lip and smiled. "I know... but its okay. This is fun. I've always wanted to do this, walking in the rain. Especially with someone I liked. I don't know why or how, but its just always seemed romantic to me. I mean, two people soaked to the bone. Not the prettiest sight in the world, but--"
"Now that's a lie," he interuppted. "I see only one beautiful thing in front of me, and she always looks absolutely beautiful, no matter what. Especially with a smile on her face. That's when I like her the best. When she's happy and full of laughter. I never want to see her sad."
I blushed and looked away. He always did this. Always topped my comments with compliments about me, and I'd have nothing to say in return because it bewildered me--bewildered me because I had never thought of myself as pretty or even beautiful until I met Ryder.
"Leia, I... I love you."
I blinked in surprise. The L bomb? Did he...? Did I?
I know for a fact that whenever I've been away from him for too long, I start to miss him terribly and a big block forms itself in my chest and usually won't go away until I at least talk to him. I've got butterflies around him all the time. He's constantly on my mind. He's the one person I feel I can go to whenever I need it and he wouldn't care what time it was. A jolt always goes through my body when I see him, I'm jealous of every girl that talks to him because they're taking him away from me.
Those things... all that I've read has said that those things indicated love. Everyone who has experienced it, agrees. That's what love is. So if that's what love is, then I...
He looked tortured, almost as if he was afraid of me rejecting him. But, no. I couldn't possibly reject him. He was my boyfriend and I loved him like no other! But... why does he look so sad? His head turned to the side, stealing glances at me, he said, "Leia, I've always loved you. Ever since the day I met you. You and only you were there. No other girl had anything on you. You're beautiful and adorable and cute. I love how quick you come up with good come backs. I'll wait. If you don't love me yet, I'll wait and try my hardest to show you that I'm a good guy."
"I--" And I stopped. I knew it was true. Everything he said was true. I could see it through the rainy haze and into his eyes. "I do love you. More than anyone I've ever met." As soon as I said that, two things happened. The first thing was a heavy weight lifted off my chest. Maybe I had known all along that I loved him, yet didn't really know until now?
The second thing, his face lit up with the biggest smile he had ever worn, he brought me close to him and kissed me. At that exact moment, lightning flashed and thunder roared.
Who ever said that the fireworks had to actually be fireworks?
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And there it is! My 2am writing fetish thingmabob... hope you enjoyed. Let me know what you think!
-Basket--
You did a great job. You had great voice and emotion. I love the rain, and walking in the rain with the one I like would be romatic, although it'll be better if we dance, but thats because I love to dance in the rain, haha. Anyhoo, your story left so real and true. It was a good love story.
Keep writing, and we'll all keep reading.