Falling For Storm

Amara

I contemplated whether or not I wanted to go back to the bar, as there were a lot of things plaguing my mind. I was basically confused and didn’t know exactly what I had to do. On one hand, I was afraid that the same scenario might happen when someone groped me again. Although I guess I wouldn’t mind if it was Storm who actually did that. I know. I know. It’s what the hell, right? Here’s the thing: My thoughts when it came to him bordered somewhere between intrigued and slightly inappropriate. On the other hand, I promised Dakota that I would be there, and I was the type who hated broken promises. Plus, I had this nagging feeling that I should come back, and so I did.

I was a bit early when I arrived, and I wasn’t sure if I should wait in the car or just go inside. In the end, I decided to send Dakota a message to let her know that I was already outside. It didn’t take long for Dakota to respond, but to my surprise, a different number replied.

Storm: Amara, it’s me, Storm. Dakota is still at home and accidentally left her phone,but I’m here. You can head straight to my office if you want.

My heartbeat sped up to about 50 miles per hour after reading his message, for a number of reasons. The first was that I was about to spend another time alone with him, and honestly, it excited me, but I had no idea how to act around him. The next thing was that it thrilled me that he now knew my number and I knew his, so communicating often could be a huge possibility. If that were to happen, I guess we’d end up getting to know each other more if he wanted to.

Me: That’s okay, you might be busy; I can just wait out here. I don’t want to bother anyone.

Again, it was not that I didn’t want to see him or be around him; it was just that he made me feel all giddy and nervous and stuff. I didn’t want to make a fool of myself in front of him again, so staying put was the best option. The funny thing was, I didn’t care much about what guys thought of me, but Storm was different. Meeting him suddenly made me want to make a good impression all the damn time, but when we were alone last night, I continued to gawk at his hotness while his stare became more intense. It was gross of me, I know. However, thinking about it now, the way he moved and talked gave me the notion that he was willing to jump in front of a bullet for me. “Or you’re probably just imagining it,” I scolded myself. When he didn’t reply, I felt a bit disappointed, which was crazy because that was my doing. I declined his offer, so his decision not to respond was totally valid.

I almost jumped out of my seat when someone rapped on my window. “Jesus!” I gasped, placing both my hands above my heart. “Come inside!” Storm exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear, and let me tell you, I would give anything to see that kind of smile every minute. Seriously, everything about him is just so striking. As if on autopilot, I took the keys out of the ignition, grabbed my bag, and slowly opened the door. “Did I scare you? Sorry,” he said as he stood back, hands in his pockets, still wearing a smile on his face. “No, nope, I’m good. Being jumpy is kind of my thing,” I embarrassingly answered. There were tons of cool answers I could’ve gone for, and yet, that was the best I could do.

We walked side by side in silence towards the bar, and just when we were about to go inside, he gently grazed my elbow to get my attention. “I never really got to say this last night, so I just want to say I’m really sorry about what happened. Trust me, it won’t happen again. Anyway, how are you feeling?” I didn’t particularly know which part he was sorry about, but it was sweet of him to say that. “I’m feeling a lot better. Thanks,” I replied, smiling back at him.

He led me into his office, saying that there was nothing to do yet, since everything had been handled earlier. There were not a lot of people at that time, so not much help was needed. He went about doing all sorts of things, looking up from time to time whenever I was responding or asking questions. The conversation between us was surprisingly easy-flowing, and the more I got to know him, the more I felt this weird bond with him. He was quite charming and funny, two things I never would’ve guessed because of how bad-ass he looked and acted. He told me stories about how he and Dakota used to get into trouble, which was mostly his sister’s fault. He had food brought in at some point, which was heaven, because I was starving.

I didn’t realize that we’d been talking for hours. When I glanced at the clock, I was floored that it was almost ten in the evening. I abruptly stood up, thinking that I had wasted so much time when I should be working because that was what I was here for. “Umm. Gosh, I didn’t notice the time. I should get out there and start working. Umm, what kind of work do you want me to do?” As soon as my question was out, his eyes slowly traveled up to meet mine and stared at me like I was a madwoman. “Nothing. We really don’t need help around here right now, Dakota told me just now. Besides, you’re not an employee, so I’d love it if you could sit down and keep me company for a while longer.”

“But I promised your sister that I was going to help,” I half-heartedly protested. He slightly cocked his head to the right, as if he were deep in thought. “Honestly, I personally think you’re helping me right now.” I blinked a couple of times, wondering what the hell he was talking about. I mean, what did that even mean? In what way was I helping him by just sitting down in front of him? He must’ve sensed how strange that sounded, so he felt inclined to explain, “You’re entertaining in a good way, therefore taking away the stress of going through these papers. That’s how you’re helping.”

“So, what’s my job for the night? Talk to you while you tackle the pile on your desk? Sit still and look pretty?” I teased. “That you are,” he mumbled. “What?” I questioned as I slowly sat back down. “I said you’re pretty,” Storm stated, making my breath hitch. I didn’t expect him to say that, but more importantly, I didn’t expect him to think that I was what he said I was. “Oh,” I quietly answered before averting my gaze.

When it was time to head home, Storm walked me back to my car and was once again quietly lost somewhere in his thoughts as we slowly made our way to where I was parked. I wanted to ask what he was thinking, but I didn’t want to seem nosy, so I kept my mouth shut until we reached my car. “Well, this is me. Thanks for walking me out and for-”

“Do you think maybe you’d want to go out with me sometime?” I was shell-shocked by his interruption. I didn’t think that it was something that he’d ask at all. Me? He wanted to go out with me. As in the woman’s version of Urkel? I rapid-blinked, obviously confused. “Huh?” I questioned, making him smile. “I’m asking you out on a date.” I wanted to ask him why and say yes at the same time, but my words caught in my throat, and all I was able to do was nod at him slowly. Seriously, I needed to stop humiliating myself. “Tomorrow night? Pick you up at six?” he asked, looking triumphant. “Date. Tomorrow. Six,” I robotically repeated before slowly getting inside the car because I seriously didn’t know how I was going to react. I wanted it, but at the same time, I didn’t believe even for a second that he’d want to go out with me.

I then drove out of the parking lot, glancing at the rearview mirror every now and then. Storm just asked me out. Was this real, as in, for real, real? I glanced back once more and noticed he was still standing there. I still couldn’t believe what had just happened. “Oh, my God, Storm just asked me out!” I gleefully screamed as I continued to drive away.