Page 130 of Out of the Storm

But when they turned onto Shadow Ridge Drive, Jeff’s heart sank. He kept walking forward, taking care not to let Gary see his upset, though he was silently bracing himself for the worst.Because even though they were still several houses from his, Jeff could tell by the state of the other homes that he had probably lost everything. Most of the houses on the street had been either flattened or torn off their foundations. Some still stood, but not without significant damage—roofs ripped off, windows shattered, sometimes even entire pieces of the structure ripped away.

Gary asked, “I can’t really tell, but are we close?”

“Getting there.”

“It’s probably bad, isn’t it? I mean, for you.”

Jeff blew out a breath. “Yeah. It is.”

Gary squeezed his hand. Gary’s presence beside him was like a shelter, protecting Jeff from the heartache he knew he was about to endure. Sure enough, when they reached Jeff’s house... well, there wasn’t much of a house anymore. It had been reduced to a fucking pile of wood.

“Oh, shit,” Gary said. “I... God, what can I even say? I’m so sorry.”

“Nah, it’s . . . okay. I’ll be okay.”

Gary let go of his hand. Jeff’s body was starting to tremble when Gary pulled him in for a hug.

“I love you,” Gary said softly. “I know it feels like you lost everything, but I promise you, that’s not the case. We still have each other.”

Still shaking, Jeff hugged him back. “You’re right,” he said, and he squeezed tighter.

“Stay with me.” Gary pulled back. “Will you stay with me?”

Jeff’s chest constricted with love for this amazing, kind man. His offer was so generous and was both unexpected and completely expected if Jeff let himself think about it.Of courseGary would be that sweet. Yet it was still a lot, and Jeff blinked and looked up at Gary, fighting tears that he really didn’t want to fall. “Are you sure?” he asked, his voice hoarse.

“Of course I’m sure,” Gary said without hesitation.

And Jeff’s heart swelled. He gave Gary a small smile, which was all he could muster in that moment. “Yeah,” Jeff said. “Yeah, I’ll stay with you.”

Gary hugged him again.

Soon, more and more people started showing up. Residents were coming out of their basements, some of them seemingly in shock, silent and stoic, while others were wailing from sadness. Rescue workers were rushing to help those who had been injured and search for people who may have been trapped. Not wanting to be in the way, Jeff and Gary left to find Jeff’s car. Somehow, Jeff managed to take them home.

Once they were back at Gary’s house, they went inside. Jeff’s body started to feel shaky again, his legs wobbly and weak, and the moment they were out of view of the neighbors, Gary pulled Jeff close. With the help of the last minutes of sunlight streaming in through the window of the radio station room, they found their way to the love seat.

Gary held him tight.

“Sorry,” Jeff said, burying his face in the crook of Gary’s neck as his muscles continued to tremble a little. “I think something’s wrong with me.”

“It’s okay. Nothing’s wrong with you.”

“Glad I never bought that piece of shit house,” Jeff said. He scooted down to rest his head on Gary’s chest. “Gonna miss my records, though.”

“Oh man,” Gary lamented. “Frank Sinatra!”

“Don’t make fun of me,” Jeff said, though he was smiling a little.

“I’m not. I know how important those records were to you.”

“I’ll buy new ones.”

“I’ll help. I’ll help however I can.”

Wrapped up in Gary’s arms, Jeff was surprised to find that he wasn’t embarrassed by his strange reaction to the storm, or by this show of vulnerability. Instead, he was letting himself enjoy Gary's protective, comforting embrace. Slowly, Jeff’s trembling faded, and his heart’s racing rhythm started to calm. He had never felt so loved, so cared for, so safe as when Gary held him close.

All of a sudden, Jeff felt Gary’s hand on his chin. Gary urged him to look up and meet his eyes.

“Hey, if you hadn’t come over . . .”

---