Page 42 of Even If the Sky is Falling
Nick chuckled as he steered her into an office and closed the door behind them. “You could say that. Stand here for a second.”
She stopped near the door and pointed her bright white light in Nick’s direction. The siren’s drone still blaring with the same intensity.
Nick used all of his strength to push the heavy wooden desk at the center of the room. After a couple feet, he paused to squat behind it. When he was out of view, Shea pulled her purse tighter to her body and took a tentative step forward, casting her light over the desk. “Nick...”
A metal door swung upward and Nick reappeared, holding out his hand. “Let’s go!”
As Shea rounded the desk, her mouth fell open when she saw the trapdoor in the floor. “Oh my god,” she breathed, shining her light down into a black hole. Steep steps led down to more darkness, but she didn’t have time to be scared. She trusted Nick, took his hand and carefully followed him down.
Down into a 1960s era bunker.
The temperature grew cooler the farther they descended. Shea took his hand and carefully followed him down. When she reached the bottom, Nick ran back up the stairs and slammed the trapdoor shut.
Her phone beeped. Alerting her that her phone’s battery was at five percent. She sighed loudly, surprised to realize that she could now hear herself. The concrete muffled most of the terrifying reality above them, the siren now only a dull tone. Would the walls also mute the crashing sounds that were sure to follow? She tried to shake the awful thought from her mind and remembered that three sharp siren blasts would alert them that the danger had passed.
Before Shea could choose between her phone’s battery or its flashlight, Nick was back downstairs and at her side. He flipped the switch nearby, illuminating the subterranean space with a warm, earthy glow. “We’re safe,” he said in a resolute tone that matched his serious expression. Shea knew he told the truth.
“Okay,” she said, nodding. “Thank you.” She looked around the space, taking it in, and resigned herself to ride out the storm. But as far as bunkers went, Nick’s was quite lovely. The underground dwelling was large enough to hold a plush love seat, a queen-sized bed and a tiny kitchenette that held an incredible amount of nonperishable food...and booze. “This is amazing.”
He moved around her, gesturing at the room. “Would you like a tour?” he chuckled.
Despite the strange situation they found themselves in, Shea had to grin at how proud of himself he was. “Please! How on earth did you get everything down that trapdoor?”
“I got the bed and mattress, the couch and the table set from IKEA. I found some of the small accents from places here and there.” He walked toward a door at the end of the room. “I don’t know how my granddad managed it, but we have a tiny toilet and sink as well.”
“Incredible...”
Nick rubbed his hands on his jeans as he sat on the sofa. “So, I guess we’ll just camp out here until the coast is clear?”
Shea looked around for an appropriate place to sit. Like a magnet, she crossed the short distance toward the couch and sat beside him. “I suppose so. I have to assume that my parents are safe in their basement.” She sighed, remembering how frightening the threat of space junk had been. “I hope that my students and colleagues have found a safe place too.”
Nick leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I’ll bet they have. We’ve all spent a lot of time preparing for this. My dad is at home watching the game and I know he’s got a fridge stocked with the essentials.”
“So that just leaves us...” she murmured. “Alone. In a bunker.” Saying the words aloud felt scary and exciting, like the evening was full of mysterious possibilities.
“Yeah.” Nick pressed his lips together and looked at the floor. “I hope you’re not too upset, Shea. This probably wasn’t how you wanted to spend your evening.”
Boy, oh boy, that couldn’t be further from the truth.“Well, no one wanted this—” she gestured to the world above them “—but I’m really grateful that you were prepared. And that your grandfather had some forethought,” she quickly added.
His beautiful smile reappeared, melting her heart into a puddle of warm goo. “I’m relieved to hear it.” His voice dropped to a low octave. “You sounded like you wanted to ask me something up there.”
Shea’s breath caught in her throat. Had she imagined it, or did he get closer than he was seconds ago? His body heat and scent seemed to permeate not only the air, but her skin. She opened her mouth, praying that her words would come out in some intelligible order.
Nick
It appeared that the words were on the tip of her tongue.
She worried at the fabric of her dress, wound her fingers around each other and her skin flushed an unexpected dark rouge. Nick desperately wanted her to speak, to say anything that validated what he’d felt for the past few months. He wouldn’t normally take this long to approach a woman, but he’d been off his game since taking over the business. His focus was now invoices, taxes and space junk.
Even if she might want to go on a date with him, Nick worried that he didn’t bring enough to Shea’s table. She was a smart, professional woman who was probably climbing the ranks at her university. While he had plenty of stories about getting lost in some exotic city, that life was now in the past. He was a floundering business owner now.
“Coffee,” she finally uttered.
He smiled. “Coffee?”
They locked eyes, and for a moment, Nick thought she might chicken out. But her pensive expression relaxed when her eyes darted to his mouth. Shea took another deep breath, and blurted out, “I’ve been trying to work up the nerve to ask you out on a date. Nothing too big, just coffee. Before the entire world went to hell in a handbasket, I was going to tell you about this nice coffee shop near campus, where there were poetry readings. If you’re into that kind of thing, it’s okay—”
“Shea,” he interrupted, placing a hand on her arm. She paused to glance at his arm. “I’d love to have coffee with you.”
