Panicked, I rushed toward the light switch, flicking it on and off with no result. "Shit!"Lightning illuminated the room for a brief moment and I could see that he was still standing in the same place.
"Pretty sure we just lost power. Do you have candles or a generator?"
I had no idea what this house was equipped with. "I'm not sure."
"What do you mean, you don't know?"
I was stuck in a terrible predicament and wasn’t really sure how to get out of it. I kept trying to read him, to see if I got a creepy vibe, but the moment was too rushed. “Look, I’m going to be straight with you. I inherited this place from my aunt who has passed away. I haven’t been here in years.”
“So the grounds keeper doesn’t exist?” I looked into his dark eyes, which I couldn’t tell if they were blue or brown, and prayed he wasn’t thinking of ways to harm me.
“No. He doesn’t.” I said as I began looking through cabinets for matches or candles. When I came across some candlesticks he pulled out a lighter and waited for it to ignite before he pulled away. Our eyes met for the first real moment and I was taken back by an overwhelming feeling that had come over me. “I’m not a criminal, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“It wasn’t,” I lied.
“I’m a stranger, I get it, but I can assure you that I’m just as uncomfortable as you are. Now, we can stand here and get to know each other, or we can find some more resources before this candle burns out.”
He had a point. There had to be more candles. “Follow me.”
As soon as I started for the pantry, I heard the same sound as before. Not that I could be sure, but I was pretty positive that my nail job on the shutter hadn’t worked. Reluctantly I forged forward until we reached the old wooden door. The pantry smelled of the cedar that my aunt kept inside of it. Beneath the rug inside was a trap door that led to a dirt cellar. I hadn’t been down there but once in my life, because it was honestly the creepiest place on earth. I swore that dead bodies had to have been buried under there at some point.
We scavenged through the shelves, both coming up short of candles. I was just about to give up when I heard the guy snicker. A bright light blinded me for a second as it passed in front of my eyes. I put my hands up and thankfully realized that he’d found a flashlight. “This will help.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “Do you see anymore?”
He shined the light all around, but we saw nothing we could use. “No. How about you show me to that room. If I agree to help you fix that shutter, will you let me put some dry clothes on?”
I laughed, realizing that we were both sopping wet. “Sorry. Follow me.”
We walked up the front stairs of the house, me leading with the flashlight. Since he’d helped me out I was feeling a little more comfortable. Sure, I knew nothing about this guy, except that he drove a motorcycle, had a great body, and knew how to work a battery operated flashlight.
Every room in the bed and breakfast was vacant. I picked the second one we came to and turned in. My aunt kept linens in airtight bags to keep in their freshness after she’d washed them. On top of the bed was the bag with the folded bed sheets. “Is this room okay?”
He tossed his bag down on the bed and started pulling off his shirt, before I could turn around and walk away. “Yeah. It’s great. Just give me a minute and I’ll be out to help.”
I walked out into the hallway and tried to not replay what I’d just witnessed in my head. His back was covered in a tattoo that appeared to be a giant skull. It was so fast that I couldn’t be certain, and I surely wasn’t going to ask for another peek. My mind started wandering again, imagining him being in some kind of dangerous motorcycle club, you know the ones like they show on television that sell guns and drugs, and sometimes even sex. It sure did put a damper on how I was beginning to feel comfortable.
I’d left the room to give him privacy, but it gave me time to realize that I was also soaked from the rain. Him being around was so distracting that I’d forgotten all about it. I looked down and noticed that my shirt was stuck to my body, showing every curve that God had graced me with.
He walked out of the room and I shined the flashlight in his direction. A crash of thunder shook the house, and I jumped out of fright. “Sorry. I don’t really like storms.”
“Try walking a couple miles in one.”
I shook my head and started moving toward the stairs. I needed to find this guy something to use as a light, so I could at least get to my aunt’s room, change my clothes, and figure out how I was going to get any sleep with a strange man in the same house as me.
Once we reached the kitchen, I realized that we’d have to go outside to the utility shed to see if there was a generator. I leaned against the countertop contemplating how he’d just changed into his only other set of clothes, and how I was going to convince him to get all wet again. Suddenly I felt him coming toward me. To be honest I think I held my breath. The idea of him hurting me came to mind as his arm raised above my head. Before I could freak out he backed away holding up a large three wicked pillar candle. “Sorry for my reach. I spotted this when you flicked the flashlight around.”
I snatched it out of his hand, accidentally grazing my fingers over his. “Good eye. Now we can have some sort of light. This candle should last us at least five hours, don’t you think?”
He laughed. “I’m not really a candle burning kind of guy, but I’ll take your word for it.”
It was good he couldn’t see me rolling my eyes, because I didn’t want him knowing that I found candles to be romantic. I lit the wicks and watched the room illuminate. “Now we can see each other.” His statement caused me to look up. Our eyes met and I smiled, probably displaying my discomfort clearly. He held out his hand. “My name is Reed. I don’t think we’ve been formally introduced.”
“You can call me Erica, err, since it’s my name.” I was a blubbering mess as I
shook his hand and tried to talk at the same time.
He couldn’t understand that for the last three years I’d focused on my occupation, instead of my social life. Hanging out with friends consisted of a weekly staff meeting at the firm I worked for. By the time I left the office I usually crashed on the couch with some type of microwave dinner. Aside from going to the grocery store, I didn’t get out to socialize, on account of always trying to get extra work done at home. I was pretty sure I was the most boring woman on the planet.