Chapter 5: A Storm

I've been sleeping under a large oak tree at the end of the field behind the diner. No one ever comes back here. It's quiet and peaceful. Because of that, I've been able to make my spot into something like a home. Well, as much as one can outside under an old oak tree. 

I bought a sleeping bag, a lantern, and a few other odds and ends. I was thinking about buying a tent when I go into town to do my laundry tomorrow morning, and maybe another pair of swimming trunks since I've been going to the beach on the weekends with Walker and the crew. 

The season has been dry, so a tent hasn't been dire, but I know my luck will run out sooner or later, which is why I planned to buy one tomorrow… Unfortunately, my luck ran out tonight. 

I didn't know a storm would be coming through in the middle of the night. I was rudely awakened by the loud crack of thunder, and my face was getting wet. Thankfully, my sleeping bag is waterproof. I grabbed the book I was reading before I fell asleep, and pulled it into the sleeping bag with me, where I sank down into it, and covered my head. 

I did that just in time; the next moment, it seemed like the sky opened up and let all the rain fall at once. 

I thought I would be fine under the tree. It kept a good portion of the rain off of me. What I didn't consider was that we hadn't had rain in a long time, so the ground was extremely dry. With the rain coming down as fast as it is, and the ground being as dry as it was, it wasn't absorbing fast enough. It didn't take long for the accumulating water to start soaking into the top of my sleeping bag, where it doesn't zip. 

I sank deeper into my sleeping bag and tried to adjust it so the top was higher, but it didn't matter. The material inside was getting wet, soaking deeper into the sleeping bag where I was. 

In a last-ditch effort to save some of the dry portion, I climbed out of the sleeping bag. Whatever part of me that wasn't awake before was definitely awake the moment I stepped out of the sleeping bag. The cold, wet rain hit me, instantly soaking my clothes.

I worked fast, pulling all of my belongings against the tree, and then leaned back against it and covered myself and my belongings with the sleeping bag. I hoped gravity would keep the portion of the sleeping bag above my head dry, and so far it's working. 

I pushed out a breath as I leaned my head back against the tree and closed my eyes. I prayed the rain would end soon. I was tired and couldn't fall asleep until it stopped. The only good thing about this is that I don't have to work tomorrow.

I waited, and waited, until I couldn't wait any longer. I tried to stay awake, but it rained for hours, and eventually I fell asleep. I was so exhausted that I didn't wake up when I slumped over to the side and began getting soaked. I didn't wake up when my body began trembling from the cold. I didn't even wake up when someone picked me up from the ground. It was only once the car door shut on the driver's side that my eye snapped open, and I frantically looked around. 

“Easy, kiddo. It's just me,” Walker said, placing his hand on my shoulder to calm me down. 

I tried to relax, but I was freezing and couldn't stop my teeth from chattering. How did I not feel it before? The cold should have woken me up. I wrapped my arms around my body as I shivered, and my teeth chattered.

“Shit, Tristan! You're fucking soaked!” Walker said, reaching into the backseat and grabbing a flannel blanket. 

“Take your sweatshirt off, or this won't do you any good. You'll just soak this, too,” he said, and waited for me to take it off.

It took me a moment to pry the damn thing off. It was so wet it stuck to my body like a second skin. Once it was off, I dropped it on the rubber floor mat. Walker was wrapping the blanket around me before I even sat up. 

“Come here,” he said, opening his jacket and motioning me toward him with the jerk of his chin. 

I did as I was told and scooted across the center seat toward him. Walker pulled me against him and wrapped his jacket around me. He leaned forward, turned up the heat, and began rubbing my back. 

“Jesus, kid! You can get sick staying out in the rain like that! What were you thinking?” 

“That I don't have a place to stay, and the damn sky decided to ruin my peaceful slumber,” I mumbled against his chest. 

Walker sighed and continued rubbing my back, trying to warm me up. It was working. I could feel his warmth against my face, where I rested it against his chest. I could feel his warmth seeping from his body as if it was searching me out, and wrapping around me. I let out a small sigh as I began warming up. I'm not sure how long we stayed like that, or when he began driving. I was so exhausted that I fell asleep right there in his arms. The next time I woke up, I was lying in a warm, comfortable bed.

The lights shining through the window woke me from my peaceful slumber. I groaned in protest and pulled the comforter over my head, refusing to wake up. 

I would have gone right back to sleep, but the sound of Walker's voice in another room piqued my curiosity. 

I pulled the blankets back and looked around. When I did, I realized I didn't recognize where I was. The room was unfamiliar, but it smelled familiar. It smelled like Walker, although I can tell it wasn't his room. From what I can tell, this is a guest room. There is nothing on the nightstand or dresser; everything is bare. The room is empty and looks unused, but it's clean, and it kept me warm.

I pulled the blanket back and paused when I saw I was in nothing but my boxers. I blushed at the thought of Walker undressing me. It took me a moment to recover from that, then I swung my legs out of bed and began looking for something to wear. 

I found a stack of clothes sitting on a small chair in the corner. It looked like Walker had put them there for me. They weren't mine. The dark gray sweatpants were much too large for me, but thankfully, they tied. I pulled the white T-shirt on last, then stepped out of the room and followed Walker's voice. 

“God damn it, Jim! I told you, that's not my damn problem! You're 32 years old for fuck sakes! You said you only needed a month, and you ended up staying here almost a damn year! How'd you fuck everything up in 2 days, damn it?! You should learn to keep your dick in your pants, and you'd still have a place to stay! Call Father if you don't want to stay with the others up at the house. It's his turn to take care of you!” Walker said angrily before hanging up his phone and slamming it on the counter with a growl. 

The floor creaked when I took another small step, and he spun around. The anger on his face disappeared the instant his eyes landed on me, and his face softened as he looked me over.

“Oh, hey, kiddo. How did you sleep?” Walker asked as he turned back to the stove.

“Like a baby. Thank you for last night!” I said, stepping into the kitchen and sitting at the small round table. 

“How are you feeling? Do you have a fever?” He asked, stepping forward and pressing the back of his hand against my forehead. His eyebrows knit together as he focuses.

“No. I don't think so.”

“Hmmm.” He hummed as he dropped his hand and stepped back. 

“How did you know where to find me? And why did you come looking for me?” I asked as he turned back to the stove. As he reached the spatula toward the frying pan, I couldn't help but notice how his muscles bulged against the tight-fitted charcoal-colored t-shirt. I can see the outline of every muscle, including his impressive muscular shoulders. 

He scooped scrambled eggs onto two plates along with several pieces of bacon. 

He set a plate down in front of me before sitting down across from me with his plate. 

“The thunder woke me up.” Walker began. I paused and looked at him; his brown eyes were focused on the fork he was reaching for. I noticed how his muscles flexed against the sleeve that fits snug against him, and watched the material strain. I pulled my eyes away when he continued talking and reached for my own fork.

“I wasn't sure if it was going to rain, but once it did, it came down hard.” He continued, pausing to shove a bite of eggs into his mouth. He pointed his fork at me as he continued talking, but his eyes remained on his plate.

“I kept picturing you out there in the rain… I couldn't just leave you out there, so I went looking for you. 

I knew you were somewhere behind the diner because that's where you were always coming and going from.” He spoke calmly, but his calm voice switched with his next sentence.

“You didn't even have a damn tent! You were up under a tree like that was going to keep you dry. What were you thinking?” He scolded, his eyebrows creasing together, showing his anger and frustration with me. Though his warm brown eyes held something different as he looked at me, but I wasn't sure what it was. 

I looked down and shrugged as I shoveled another bite of eggs into my mouth. 

“I wasn't expecting the rain. I was going to get a tent tomorrow when I went into town to do laundry,” I said, taking another bite to distract myself from the embarrassment I felt. 

Walker sighed.

“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get angry. It's just… I didn't like seeing you out there like that.” He paused and took a sip of orange juice. He swallowed and licked his lips as he stared past me in thought.

“I've been thinking… I have a studio apartment above my garage out back. It was old and hadn't been used in a long time. I spent the past week cleaning it out and fixing it up. I'm just about done. I'd like you to move in there. You can stay rent-free until you're able to pay. I won't charge you much. I'd like you to still be able to save money. I think $400 a month would be fair. It's nowhere near what other places are charging, but I'm not doing this for the money. I'm doing this for you. You're a good kid. You shouldn't be living out there under that tree,” He said, and I swallowed thickly, trying to keep the tears back. My chest stuttered as he continued talking.

“You can stay in that room back there until I finish fixing up that studio, and then it's yours for as long as you want it,” Walker said, his voice softening as he reached over and squeezed my hand that was resting on the table.

I stared at Walker for a moment, then startled him when I suddenly stood, rounded the table, and threw my arms around him. I squeezed Walker as tight as I could. His body was stiff under me until I spoke.

“Thank you!” I whispered with a trembling breath. 

I don't know if it was the hug or the sound of my tears that made Walker's stiff body relax. He pushed out a heavy breath as he wrapped his arms around me and rubbed my back. 

“You're welcome, kid!” He said softly.