Toastiee Art !

02:45 AM

The wind howled in the pitch black of night, accompanied by the rain hammering against the windowpane. It had taken you a while to fall asleep through this storm, but you had eventually managed to an hour or so ago. But that was before the first rumble. 

Suddenly, the sky split in two, the flash so bright it lit up the entire room. The lightning was followed by a clap of thunder so deafening that it sounded like you lived in a warzone. 

The booming sound caused you to sit bolt upright in bed, a cold sweat taking over your body. You gasped for breath, clutching the blankets as you came to, slowly re-familiarising yourself with your surroundings. You were safe in your bedroom, but your bedside was…empty? Your brow furrowed, worry plaguing your mind. Where was your boyfriend? You thought you remembered him coming to bed, but as you tried to rack your brain to remember, another blinding flash accompanied by a deafening clap of thunder interrupted you, making you jump out of your skin. You pulled the blankets up over your head, your body shaking involuntarily at the loud noise.

Fighting back tears, you slowly crawled out of bed and slid on your slippers, inching closer to the bedroom door. Opening it, you carefully descended the stairs, clasping your hands over your ears at the thunderous booms that crashed through the sky. Stumbling into the lounge, your eyes quickly scanned the room for any signs of life, until you saw it: the open front door. Your eyes widened in shock, rushing toward it and clinging to the handle as you hung out of the open doorway, eyes desperately searching for him. And there you saw him, standing at the end of the driveway, smoking a cigarette against the large gate that closed off your house from the open road. 

“Leland!” You shouted, your voice struggling to cut through the rain. His head turned slowly, almost second guessing that he heard his name being called. When he finally spotted you, clinging to the front door in nothing but your pyjamas and a pair of slippers, tears streaming down your face, his eyes widened, quickly tossing his cigarette to the floor and stomping it out before rushing down the driveway towards you. 

“Sweetness? What are you doing up this late?” His voice was slightly embarrassed by the fact you caught him out watching the storm, but his voice softened as you fell apart before him. “Shhh, shhh, s’alright darlin’. Let’s get you inside.”

Coyle carefully led you back into the lounge, closing the front door behind the both of you quietly, when another deafening crack of thunder broke the silence, causing you to jump again, crying out in terror. You quickly retreated behind the couch, clasping your hands over your ears once again and shutting your eyes tightly, sobbing quietly as you sat with your knees to your chest.

Coyle blinked slowly, realising what was going on. He slowly approached you, crouching down behind the couch in front of you, placing his hands on your shoulders gently. 

“Baby, you scared of a lil’ thunderstorm?” He spoke quietly, his voice had a joking tone to it, as if he was trying to make light of the situation. But when you nodded, crying harder out of embarrassment, all the humour left his body, pulling you into a tight hug. “Oh, sweetness.” His voice was quieter now, more serious. He took one of his hands and wrapped it up and around the back of your head, tangling his fingers in your hair. “It’s gonna be alright, darlin’. You’re safe here with me, alright?” You didn’t respond for a moment, softly shaking in his arms. You tentatively reached your arms up to cling to him, and he chuckled softly, stroking your hair gently.

Another blinding flash of lightning followed by a loud crack of thunder split the sky in two, causing you to shake and huddle against Coyle’s body. You dug your fingers into his shirt. It was soaking wet from where he was standing outside, and it smelt like fresh rain on the grass. It was comforting.

Coyle smiled softly, leaning back a little and using his hand to lift your head up to look up at him. 

“See, sweetpea? You’re alright, the thunder ‘n lightnin’ ain’t gonna hurt you in here.” He shifted his hand slowly to gently cup your face, wiping the tears from your cheek as he grinned down at you. “C’mon baby, let’s get you back to bed.” He slowly stood up, carefully helping you to also stand in front of him. He took your hand gently, rubbing his thumb across the back of it before pulling you gently towards him. 

You looked up at him with teary eyes, and for the first time tonight, you felt safe again. You flashed him a small smile, and he chuckled in response. 

“That’s it, there you are. C’mon.” He carefully led you back upstairs, you first, him behind, his hands holding your waist protectively. You both reached the top of the stairs when the thunder boomed through the sky once again, and although it did make you jump, you felt braver this time, safer. Coyle chuckled, spinning you around to face him and pulling you close, your bodies pressing against each other. He cupped your cheek in his hand, stroking your cheek softly before pulling you in and kissing you gently. All your fears seemed to melt away as your lips connected, your body decompressing as the fear began to melt away. Coyle kept kissing you as he walked you over to the bed, finally breaking away as the backs of your legs hit the side of the mattress. He grinned down at you, motioning for you to crawl into bed, which you did, and he waited until you lay down before pulling the blankets back over your shivering form. He planted a soft kiss to your forehead before walking around to his side of the bed, crawling in beside you.

The thunder continued to crash through the clouds above, and your eyes widened, remembering how you woke up before. Coyle instantly sensed that you were on edge once again, shifting closer to you and wrapping his arms around you, pulling you into him. You lay facing each other, Coyle caging you against his body with his arms. He smelt like fresh rain and cigarette smoke, his hair still wet and tousled across his forehead. 

“‘S gonna be alright, darlin’. Now try ‘n get some sleep.” Coyle mumbled sleepily, burying his head into your neck and peppering it with soft kisses. The storm had made him so docile, so kind. Although it frightened you, you could get used to this softer behaviour. 

You both lay tangled together for a while before falling asleep; you first, Coyle following shortly after. Outside, the storm still raged on, but you knew you could sleep easy beside the man you loved and trusted.

🕷 𝕿𝖆𝖌𝖘