As You Lay Dying - Alfie Solomons

14

Lily wasn't sure when she had fallen asleep. The emotional toll had been so great that she couldn't fight the exhaustion. But she woke up to the storm of the century. It was nearing two in the morning when a loud crack of thunder startled her awake.

Her nerves were so thin that she burst out into tears at the fright. And it reminded her that she was far too fragile for the world. Even a little storm shook her right to the core. 

She got out of bed, noticing Alfie hadn't come upstairs at all after their fight. Argos had burrowed under the bed, whimpering quietly. Lily knelt down to try and soothe the panicked sheepdog as best she could. But she knew he would be inconsolable until the storm passed.

Letting Argos cower, she went to the window, watching the ocean thrash about, beating mercilessly against the shore. Rain battered the window until the panes trembled.

Shaking slightly, she donned a robe and went to find Alfie. She tried the hallway light but the sconces didn't light. "Power must be out." She whispered to herself. In the darkness, she used the wall to find her way to the stairs.

~~~~

There was a faint, warm glow in the parlor. Alfie had lit candles so he could read, far too upset to sleep. When he heard the floorboard in the doorway creak, he looked up. "Was wondering when the storm would wake you." He mumbled. "Wanted to make sure you were okay but weren't sure if you wanted me 'round."

There was nothing to argue about anymore. The fight was at a stalemate. And for that brief moment, Lily wanted to pretend nothing had happened. No matter how painful it would be to snap out of it, she wanted to live the dream of being with Alfie for a little bit longer.

"Alright, love?" Alfie couldn't help himself. He craved the emotional connection he had with Lily even if it was fracturing slowly right in front of their eyes.

She shook her head.

"Just a storm, won't hurt us." He sighed and set his book aside.

"What are you reading?" Lily dug her head further under the sand. She drove the knife deeper, just to pretend it was life as per usual.

"The Torah. Thought this reminded me of a story." He gestured vaguely to the window.

"Noah's Ark?" Lily guessed.

He made a grunt of acknowledgment. "Rained for forty days. All 'bout waiting out the storm I s'pose. Something 'bout faith and listening to what you're told so you survive. Guess it worked out for him, got past the storm."

Lily stood awkwardly in the center of the room. A flash of lightning interrupted her thoughts as it illuminated the entire room for a brief second. "When I was little, my mum had me count the seconds between the lightning and thunder. It helped me relax knowing how far away the storm was. I would sit up with Rian, counting out loud, telling him the storm would pass eventually, and by morning everything would be back to normal."

Alfie knew Lily was trying to reason with the sudden change they were about to face. But it seemed like storms in his life didn't pass very often. It felt more like an ancient flood, a never-ending rainstorm. And when lightning struck, thunder wasn't too far behind, shaking everything in its path. Maybe Lily would never understand.

She looked lost standing there. "Will you hold me? Just for tonight?" She whispered barely above the barrage of rain.

"Yeah, love." He nodded.