Page 13 of Room 810

We were both shouting, but it was getting harder to hear each other over the wind howling, the palm fronds thrashing. “Is that what you think? That you’re being optimistic? What about beingrealistic?!You can’t just hide yourself away on an island and call it living! There’s a whole world out there that you refuse to see. You’re nothing but a coward!”

I saw the hurt flash through his eyes, like I’d slapped him, and I instantly regretted my words. “I-I’m sor—”

He held a hand up to stop my apology. “No, it’s fine. You’re right.”

“Is that why you kept me busy with activities?” I asked, deflating. It hurt more than I could’ve anticipated when I thought he might’ve been spending time with me for no other reason than as a distraction. “So I wouldn’t hear people talking about the storm?” Then I gasped. “The wi-fi? Was that another one of your lies to keep me here?”

He took a step toward me, trying to reach for me, but I staggered back. “No, that’s not it,” he cried.

“Then why?” I shouted. “Why did it matter to you if I knew about the storm?”

“Because I didn’t want you to leave, okay?!” he burst out. We both stood there in silence for a moment, stunned by his revelation, the storm building strength in the background.

Before I could come up with a reply, he spun on his heel and began to walk away. “Hey! Where are you going?” I was already following.

“I don’t have time to argue with you right now. The hurricane is going to hit us hard. I need to batten down the hatches.”

I jogged after him. “Let me help.”

Toby stopped in his tracks, and I nearly collided with his back. He turned and looked up at me in surprise. “You would do that? But you’re mad at me.”

“Yeah, I am, but that doesn’t make me a complete asshole. Put me to work.”

He considered my offer for a moment, but when there was a great clattering coming from the restaurant behind him, it seemed to help him make up his mind. “Okay. Come on.” He took my hand, and I let him.

The staff, it seemed, had also been enlisted to help, which was why no one had been in the lobby. Everyone was scurrying about, trying to stow away anything that might get caught up by the wind—like patio furniture and surfboards. It turned out, the greatest risk during a hurricane was getting hit by debris traveling 100 mph or more. As it was, the wind felt like a sandblaster against my exposed legs and arms.

It was hard and frantic work, but it seemed they’d done this before. Nobody needed direction, they just got down to it. I completely forgot about my hangover while I dragged tables and chair into a shed. I would probably pay for it later, but for now, the muscle aches and dry eyes were a distant memory. I wasn’t sure how much I did to help, but an hour later, Miguel patted me on the back and said, “Thanks for your hard work, man. Go grab a kit from the kitchen, then find yourself some shelter. See you in a day or two.”

The kits, it seemed, were boxes with fresh water and food, a flashlight, a rain poncho, and if all else failed, a first-aid kit.

Toby found me there, staring down at the box of supplies. “Hey, thanks for sticking around.” He held a hand out, and on his palm was the key I’d left on the desk. “Make sure you pull down the shutters, and don’t go out in the storm for any reason. You’re safer to stay put.”

I was nodding, staring down at the first-aid kit. What kind of injuries could I expect? Scrapes and scratches, maybe a concussion? What if something bad happened and we needed medical attention? It wasn’t like they had a doctor at the resort. If I’d known ahead of time, I could’ve planned for this. I could’ve done some research…

When I didn’t say anything, Toby slid one of the boxes off the counter and headed out. “I have to take this out to Phil’s cabin. I guess I’ll talk to you later. Stay safe, okay? And… I’m sorry.”

I turned at the last moment, a plea caught in my throat.Wait… Stay. But his betrayal was still too fresh. Besides, he was going to be withPhil. I didn’t know who that was, but I figured it was one of Toby’s many boyfriends here at the resort. I just needed to hunker down in my room and weather the storm.

I ran back to my cabin with my armload of supplies, the rain now pelting down, the needling drops coming in sideways off the ocean and stinging my cheeks. The sky overhead was a roiling black, and when I looked out over the water, it was impossible to recognize the violent whitecaps as the same place where I had learned how to surf. Was that just yesterday?

Balancing the box on my hip, I fumbled with the key and finally burst through the door, closing the storm out behind me. The floor was wet where I had left the windows open. I threw the box onto the bed and quickly dragged down the storm shutters like Toby had instructed. After grabbing a towel to dry myself off, I mopped up the floor, then dropped onto the edge of the bed. I had nothing left to do but wait.

Maybe in the light of a new day, once the skies had cleared, I could finally move on from Creston Cay… and from Toby. Right now, though, my insides felt much like the storm outside. Raging and wild, and all I wanted was to know that Toby was okay.

8

Toby

Thecandlelightdippedandwavered, the tiny flame blown about by the draft sneaking in around the shutters. The power had gone out hours ago, and I was saving the batteries in the lamps for now. There was no telling how long the power would be out. The flickering light, though, was making it incredibly hard to focus on the words on the page in front of me. I was pretty sure I was reading… but then I became aware of a line I was sure I had read before—twice. My eyes were simply skimming the page over and over, my brain a million miles away.

“This is so pointless,” I growled, slamming the book shut and tossing it to the bed beside me. I knew I should just go to sleep, but I couldn’t do that either. Not with the way the storm was shaking the shutters in their frames, the rafters above creaking with each gust.

We were lucky. The hurricane was just barely grazing our little island. As long as the direction held steady, we should come out of this okay. We weren’t expecting any storm surge, but the worry was always there. If the storm decided to shift west, we were screwed. We were close enough to the coast that it wouldn’t take much to sweep the entire resort straight out to sea.

I should’ve evacuated everyone…

The staff warned me, but I wouldn’t listen. I was so focused on staying calm and carefree that I brushed all their concerns off. And now lives were at risk because of my decisions.

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