Page 406 of Seasons of Love
“It’s only a few doors down. I’ll be back before the next shake.”
“There will be more?”
He chuckled. “Usually, yes. Welcome to California.”
He ran to his room and was back a minute later.
“Why do you need your phone?” I asked.
“I have the earthquake warning app.”
“The what?”
“I’ll explain another time. Hold on, there’s another one coming.”
As predicted by Jake’s phone, there was another tremor, this time stronger. It was hard to stand up because other than the frame of the door, there was nothing to hold on to.
I sat on the floor and pulled Jake to me, not letting go until the tremor ended.
I was terrified, but for some reason, having him pressing against me was comforting. Knowing we were both warm meant we were both alive.
“Griff!” I screamed and scrambled over to the bed where I’d left my jacket with my phone in its pocket. How could I have forgotten him?
My hands shook as I took the phone out and dialed his number.
Please pick up, baby. Please pick up.
The phone rang until it went to voicemail again.
“Hey, um…baby. I just need to talk to you. Can you call me when you get this message? Love you.”
I sat on the floor with my back to the bed frame.
Jake was right there next to me. One hand over my shaking one and the other scrolling through his phone for news.
“Fuck,” he said.
“What?” I asked.
He turned to me and took both my hands.
“Mal, listen to me carefully, okay? I need you to not panic. I know you’ve probably never been in an earthquake before, but they happen all the time here. That’s why I have the app on my phone. This was probably just a level three. You feel it, but there’s likely no major damage.”
“Do you think the island has been affected?”
Even in the dim emergency lights, his face gave me the answer his words hadn’t yet voiced.
“I need to go home, Jake. I need to make sure Griff is okay. He hasn’t answered his phone since this afternoon. Oh my god, Jake, what if something happened to him?”
Jake put his hands on either side of my face. I stared into his eyes, which in the dim lights were darker than the usual light blue.
“Hey, it’s going to be okay. Trust me?” he said, so close I could smell the coffee on his breath.
I nodded.
“He’s everything, Jake. I will have nothing if I lose him.”
“You won’t,” he whispered.
