Page 17 of It's a Brewtiful Day
“Yeah, about that.” He rolled his top lip between his teeth and shook his head. “My cell is in the storage locker room, which is digitally locked.”
“And?” I didn’t want to hear what followed but forced myself to listen.
“When the system loses power…”
“Nuh-uh.” I covered his mouth with my fingers as I expelled a shaky breath. Yeah, I definitelydidn’t need to hear anymore about that.
Another crack of thunder violently rattled the ground and with it came a snap from several stitches in my heart. Enough that it caused the strength of my legs to vanish into the electrified air.
Oh no. Not again.
My chin trembled and my breath came in fast, raging spurts. Even though it was warm in the coffee shop, my everything started to cool. Fast. Spinning on my tiptoes, I tried to figure out where to go. Where could I hide? There was nothing that looked like a safe space.
I wanted to be home. Ineededto be home. My sanctity was there.
Desperately trying to put myself there, I slapped my hands over my ears and started humming.
Whatever Elliot was saying, it was faded—distant almost—but the expression on his face spoke volumes.
My eyes slammed shut to his concerned look and I tried to picture my happy place even harder. The special corner in my room. My red noise-cancelling headphones tightly clamped to my head. A specific playlist baring at a deafening volume. A soft, squishy throw pillow with a weird fringe I could tangle my fingers into. Maybe—if I was lucky—my favourite scented candle (coconut vanilla) would be burning, releasing its intoxicating fragrance into the small bedroom.
If only…
Instead …
My heart hammered a staccato rhythm, sending me way off course. Blood pulsed in my veins like a NASCAR race going on right beside me. My stomach soured like bad milk.
I needed to hide. Somewhere.
Behind my favourite chair. Yeah.
As my legs turned into cold, wet spaghetti, my arms flailed everywhere, blindly searching for purchase. Before I kissed the ground in utter deafening defeat, out of nowhere, strong arms caught me.
“Sage? Can you hear me?”
I blinked rapidly, staring up into a face so filled with concern, it should’ve been alarming. Through a clenched jaw, I forced myself to breathe out his name. “El. Li. Ot.”
“Yeah, that’s me. Let’s go sit. In your spot.” His grip tightened, but not uncomfortably so.
Another crack of thunder, and without thinking, I screamed and buried my nose into the crook of his neck while holding back tears.
“It’s okay, Sage.” His voice a hidden whisper as he spoke under his breath. “This is not fear, this is terror. Let’s get you over to the chair.” We shuffled slowly around the counter. “You’re safe in here.”
His hands instantly covered my ears, and he pulled my head tighter to his chest as thunder stormed the gates.
Tears escaped their hold like a flood,effectively soaking the collar of his shirt.
He wrapped an arm tighter around me, as his thumb stroked my cheek. “Almost there.”
Through a black-spotted haze, he dragged me the last few feet into the alcove. My calves touched the velvet seat and everything about my body felt cold and clammy where I hadn’t been pressed against him.
“We’re here. You can sit.”
I shook my head, not sure how I could let go. Right now, I was fused to him—we were one body and soul.
“How about I sit first, and you can sort of sit on my lap? Would that work?”
Slowly, I weakly nodded.