Page 87 of Stolen Hearts
“We’ve gotta go see it.” I shake Christopher’s arm.
“Are you crazy?” He turns to shoot me a look of bewilderment.
He has a point.
The rattle from the hotel windows gets louder from the howling winds outside. I almost jump off the arm of the couch to run the window. Debris is scattered all across the street below. The sound of car alarms goes off in the distance.
Oh my God, this is so exciting.
Three quick bangs on the door divert my attention, and I can instantly tell who it is. Christopher may not share my excitement, but I know who will. I bound to the door like a dog preparing to greet his owner, and almost slip on the tiled flooring, grabbing my suitcase on the stand to steady myself before opening to the door.
“I’m heading up to the roof to check the tornado out. You coming?” Rob’s bulky frame takes up the entire door, his eyes full of glee.
I’ve never seen a smile so wide on his face. It even outshines the sauce-covered smile he wears whenever he takes me to the barbeque restaurant in his hometown, just outside Houston, that we always stop at if we’re passing through.
“Hell yeah. Gimme a sec.”
I leave the door open and fling open my suitcase to find something suitable to wear. My white Calvin Klein boxer briefs aren’t the best idea to go up to the roof in.
“Hi Rob,” Christopher acknowledges briefly before he turns back, glued to the TV. I frantically throw my clothes all over the floor, trying to find something warm and waterproof.
“We haven’t had a tornado hit the Oklahoma City area this late in the season since the EF3 tornado over fifty years ago on November 19, 1973, which killed five people.” The news anchor’s voice echoes round the room.
“You not gonna join us?” Rob takes in Christopher’s white T-shirt and black boxers. Rob’s own black waterproof mack drips water droplets on the floor while I yank my grey hoodie over my head and then pull up the matching sweatpants.
“You two may have a death wish, but I’m gonna heed their advice and stay put.”
“Come on,” I say, joining them both at the couch, forcing my feet into my sneakers. “How many people do you know who can say they’ve seen a tornado in real life?”
But Christopher is unrelenting, crossing his arms.
“Come on.”
I give him an affectionate shove, then another, and a third until he relents.
“Fine.” Christopher finally succumbs to my plea, turning off the television.
“Can you wait two minutes while I get changed next door?”
“Hurry up,” I say, slapping his ass.
Less than three minutes later, we’re on the roof. The wind almost yanks Rob’s arm off when he opens the fire exit door. The howling sound of the wind is eerily soothing. Rob grabs a large brick to keep the door ajar, while Christopher and I step outside onto the slim balcony. I’m instantly overcome by the weird pull from the wind, which draws us closer to the edge of the roof.
The power in the building went out when we were walking down the hallway from my room, and seemingly has gone out across the city. There’s barely any lights visible, as far as the eye can see, making it hard to make out where the tornado is.
“Can you see it?” Christopher looks around, trying to spot it in the dark.
My attention is split between the horizon and the storm radar app on my phone that I quickly downloaded while waiting for Christopher to change. I spin on my feet, trying to get a sense of my bearings, as a reddish-pink color, shaped like a curled finger, moves closer toward us on my phone screen. But from which direction?
“There!” Rob shouts, pointing to the corner of the roof.
A bolt of lightning lights up the sky. Ominous swirling clouds hover above us, and right where Rob points is a silhouette of the tornado. Its V-shape is momentarily visible as it barrels toward us, roughly six or seven miles away.
“Oh my God. Oh. My. God.” I can barely contain my joy as I jump up and down. A ball of fire comes alive in my chest. “Do you think we can get closer?” I refuse to move my eyes from where the tornado is as I whack at Rob.
“That wouldnotbe a good idea right now.”
The pull of the wind gets stronger, and Rob grabs my arm while I hold onto the handrail with the other. I turn to look at him, and his stern look knocks the wind out of my sails.
