23. Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

Jeff

J eff and Gary spent the next several hours together. After Jeff helped Gary host his radio show, which had been a hell of a lot more fun than Jeff would have thought, Jeff took Gary to the optometrist so that Gary could order a new pair of glasses. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t be ready for a week or so. Jeff wasn’t sure how he’d balance his shifts at the mall with taking care of Gary and helping Gary run his show, but he knew they’d figure it out. By the end of Graham’s Flour Hour , Gary had seemed to be running the show itself okay, although Jeff realized he might need to help sell some advertisements for him in the near future. He’d probably need to cook for him too. Grocery shop. All that shit that required better than 20/200 vision or whatever it was that Gary had.

After making sure Gary was able to start his evening radio program without issue, Jeff headed back home to change clothes and cook some dinner to bring over to Gary’s later. It was half past six by the time he’d decided on spaghetti—something meatless and simple that he was sure Gary would appreciate.

While the spaghetti noodles boiled on the stove, Jeff went to the bedroom and grabbed his clock radio to bring with him to the kitchen. He had to admit, it was even nicer to listen to Gary’s show now that they were together. It was hard in some ways, though. Because Gary was so fucking cute. And it was also surprisingly tough to hear Gary’s smooth radio voice while Gary wasn’t squeezing him like a boa constrictor .

God, Jeff loved how clingy Gary was. Gary wasn’t possessive . He was needy. In the cutest way. And Jeff couldn’t wait to be in his arms again.

As Jeff stirred the spaghetti, Gary’s voice played in the background, and once Jeff was finished, he walked over to the window to check the weather. Thunderstorms were forecasted for the evening. It probably wouldn’t be fun to trek over to Gary’s later in the rain, but it was fine. Jeff would have braved a hurricane for Gary. Or a tornado. He’d brave every storm for him.

Hell, he kind of had been braving a storm for Gary, hadn’t he? They’d been braving it together. And Gary had been so wonderful the whole time too. Gary’s plan to constantly check in with each other while they were in bed seemed to be working. Even though it still felt kind of stupid sometimes.

After another minute of sky watching, Jeff returned to the stove and tested the spaghetti. It was perfectly cooked, and so he moved the pot over to the sink to strain the water. Just as he finished, the phone rang. Jeff quickly set the metal colander on the counter and picked up the phone to answer the call.

“Hello?”

“Jeff!” Brandon exclaimed. "Holy shit! Tornado!”

“Huh?”

“Outside! Tornado! In Newton Falls! I fucking swear to you!”

Jeff’s eyebrows shot up. “Really?”

“Yeah! I can see it!”

With a roll of his eyes, Jeff scolded, “Get in your basement!”

“Nah, it’s not, like, coming this way. It looks like it’s moving toward the center of town. But I fucking see it! Now I know why you chase these things.” Brandon whistled. “It’s really moving! Damn! Probably obliterating Canal Street or something. Wow.”

An ominous feeling settled in Jeff’s stomach, making it sink.

“Moving where? ”

“Just, like, over the horizon?”

Jeff huffed in frustration. Fucking Brandon.

“No, I mean, to where? In which direction?”

“South? No. East! Yeah, it’s coming for you.” Brandon laughed. “I mean, not really. Or, probably not. Do tornadoes travel that far?”

“Dammit, Bran. Get in your fucking basement!” Jeff yelled, ignoring Brandon’s question. Then he hung up.

Shit, shit, shit. Moving east?

He rushed to the window again. Clouds. Quickly, Jeff tried to tune the radio to one of the other stations to see if anyone was reporting on it. And only moments later, he had his answer. Apparently, there had been a bunch of tornadoes in Pennsylvania and Ohio over the past two hours. Even F4s. Holy shit.

Although Jeff couldn’t be sure that the tornado—or a tornado—would reach Niles, he swiped his keys from the counter and sprinted toward the door. Something weird was happening with the weather. Over six tornadoes sprouting up in eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania in a matter of hours? Jesus Christ.

Maybe taking off for Gary’s house was a bit reckless, but Jeff tried to rationalize it as he hopped in his car. His stupid rental house wasn’t exactly the best storm shelter. Not only was there no basement, but the bathroom had a window too. Gary’s house had a basement. Besides, Jeff needed to warn him.

As Jeff zoomed through the streets of Niles, the sky began to blacken, and only when Jeff was nearly shaking from worry—the foreboding feeling still sitting heavy in his stomach—was he able to acknowledge that he was really only risking his neck to see Gary because he wanted the two of them to be together. It wasn’t about the basement. It wasn’t even about needing to warn Gary. It was that if a tornado happened to hit Niles, Jeff wanted to see Gary through it. He wanted them to weather the storm together .

When Jeff pulled up to Gary’s house, Gary was rushing outside.

Jeff opened the car door to hear Gary yelling, “Power’s out!”

“Tornado!” Jeff shouted, running up the walkway. “Basement!”

“Tornado?!” Gary shouted back, coming to meet him halfway.

Wind whipped around them as they stood a couple of feet apart.

“Yeah, Brandon called! He said there’s one moving toward Niles!”

“From Newton Falls? Can it reach—”

Jeff came closer so that he wouldn’t have to keep shouting.

“Yeah, it could. Doesn’t matter, though, Gare, because there’s been a bunch over the last couple of hours. All over eastern Ohio. We should take shelter.”

Suddenly, an ear-piercing sound, one that reminded Jeff of a fast-moving freight train, began to roar and rattle around them. Gary was no longer looking in Jeff’s eyes, but beyond him. Heart hammering, Jeff turned to see a thick black funnel that had to be less than a mile away.

“Oh my God,” Gary said, mouth falling agape.

Jeff reached for his hand. “Come on!”

Together, they bolted into the house. Still holding tight to each other’s hands, they hurried toward the basement, both of them nearly falling on the stairs. It was pitch-black, but eerily calm compared with the ruckus outside. Floorboards creaked above them as they settled beneath the staircase. Jeff pulled Gary close.

“I’m scared,” Gary said.

“We’ll be okay here, Gare.”

“Why’d you come over? Geez, you could have been killed!”

“I know. But I wanted to see you. I wanted to be here to keep you safe.”

Gary nuzzled the side of Jeff’s head. “So stupid, Jeffrey. ”

“Yeah,” Jeff said, nuzzling him back. “I know.”

Holding each other tight, they waited in the basement for a long time, each rumble and creak of Gary’s old house sending shivers of fear up Jeff’s spine. Mostly, it was silent.

Even though the tornado had been in full view, Jeff could have sworn that they hadn’t been in its path, and he had to hope, then, that Gary’s house was safe. After many minutes—minutes that felt like hours —Jeff thought they should check on everything.

Tornadoes moved fast . And ones that big, they were merciless.

Knowing they needed to face whatever was waiting for them upstairs, Jeff tried to find Gary’s lips for a soft, reassuring kiss but inadvertently nudged Gary’s slightly swollen nose instead. Gary hissed in pain.

“Sorry,” Jeff whispered. “I wanted to kiss you.”

“Let me try,” Gary whispered back.

And then Gary captured Jeff’s mouth in a kiss.

Shaken from the intensity of the storm, the two continued to kiss, their lips meeting over and over and over, rather than try to face what may lie ahead, and some time passed before Jeff finally pulled away.

“Gare,” he said, “we should see what it’s like up there.”

“Okay,” Gary whispered back. “I’m worried, though.”

“We’d have felt it if your house fell. We’d have even heard a thud from here if a big enough branch had fallen on it. I think we’re okay.”

“I know, but . . .”

“Niles.”

“Yeah. It’s my home. I love it here. People may have been—”

“I know.”

Together, they walked up the staircase.

Outside, everything seemed so peaceful. Gary’s portion of the street had barely been touched. Some trees were missing their branches. Patio furniture had been knocked over. Trash cans were overturned. Otherwise, everything seemed okay.

But then sirens started to sound. Fire trucks, maybe, or ambulances.

“Do you think your house is okay?” Gary asked.

“Only one way to find out.”

They hopped in Jeff’s car. Once they reached the intersection of Niles Vienna Road and Youngstown Warren Road, maybe a bit less than half a mile from Jeff’s house, they were unable to pass. Downed trees and power lines and scattered building materials littered the road, some of it blocking their path.

“Let’s walk,” Jeff said as he pulled over to the shoulder.

Gary had been quiet for most of their drive, just staring out the windshield of the car at the devastation around them, but he finally spoke up, his voice shaky. “Wow, it looks pretty bad out there. I can’t see all that well, but it’s terrible, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it is.”

The two climbed out of the car. Jeff jogged around to the other side to meet Gary and immediately reached for Gary’s hand.

“Uhm, Jeffrey, I’m not sure if we should—”

“Doesn’t matter,” Jeff said curtly, keeping his hand outstretched. “I’m not letting you walk by yourself while you’re still struggling to see. No one will bother us right now. Not with the neighborhood like this.”

“Okay.” Gary took Jeff’s hand, threading their fingers together. “Thanks.” After a few steps, Gary looked over at Jeff and said, “I feel so safe with you.”

Jeff’s chest warmed, and he smiled a little. “I feel safe with you too.”

But when they turned onto Shadow Ridge Drive, Jeff’s heart sank. He kept walking forward, taking care not to let Gary see his upset, though he was silently bracing himself for the worst. Because even though they were still several houses from his, Jeff could tell by the state of the other homes that he had probably lost everything. Most of the houses on the street had been either flattened or torn off their foundations. Some still stood, but not without significant damage—roofs ripped off, windows shattered, sometimes even entire pieces of the structure ripped away.

Gary asked, “I can’t really tell, but are we close?”

“Getting there.”

“It’s probably bad, isn’t it? I mean, for you.”

Jeff blew out a breath. “Yeah. It is.”

Gary squeezed his hand. Gary’s presence beside him was like a shelter, protecting Jeff from the heartache he knew he was about to endure. Sure enough, when they reached Jeff’s house... well, there wasn’t much of a house anymore. It had been reduced to a fucking pile of wood.

“Oh, shit,” Gary said. “I... God, what can I even say? I’m so sorry.”

“Nah, it’s . . . okay. I’ll be okay.”

Gary let go of his hand. Jeff’s body was starting to tremble when Gary pulled him in for a hug.

“I love you,” Gary said softly. “I know it feels like you lost everything, but I promise you, that’s not the case. We still have each other.”

Still shaking, Jeff hugged him back. “You’re right,” he said, and he squeezed tighter.

“Stay with me.” Gary pulled back. “Will you stay with me?”

Jeff’s chest constricted with love for this amazing, kind man. His offer was so generous and was both unexpected and completely expected if Jeff let himself think about it. Of course Gary would be that sweet. Yet it was still a lot, and Jeff blinked and looked up at Gary, fighting tears that he really didn’t want to fall. “Are you sure?” he asked, his voice hoarse .

“Of course I’m sure,” Gary said without hesitation.

And Jeff’s heart swelled. He gave Gary a small smile, which was all he could muster in that moment. “Yeah,” Jeff said. “Yeah, I’ll stay with you.”

Gary hugged him again.

Soon, more and more people started showing up. Residents were coming out of their basements, some of them seemingly in shock, silent and stoic, while others were wailing from sadness. Rescue workers were rushing to help those who had been injured and search for people who may have been trapped. Not wanting to be in the way, Jeff and Gary left to find Jeff’s car. Somehow, Jeff managed to take them home.

Once they were back at Gary’s house, they went inside. Jeff’s body started to feel shaky again, his legs wobbly and weak, and the moment they were out of view of the neighbors, Gary pulled Jeff close. With the help of the last minutes of sunlight streaming in through the window of the radio station room, they found their way to the love seat.

Gary held him tight.

“Sorry,” Jeff said, burying his face in the crook of Gary’s neck as his muscles continued to tremble a little. “I think something’s wrong with me.”

“It’s okay. Nothing’s wrong with you.”

“Glad I never bought that piece of shit house,” Jeff said. He scooted down to rest his head on Gary’s chest. “Gonna miss my records, though.”

“Oh man,” Gary lamented. “Frank Sinatra!”

“Don’t make fun of me,” Jeff said, though he was smiling a little.

“I’m not. I know how important those records were to you.”

“I’ll buy new ones.”

“I’ll help. I’ll help however I can. ”

Wrapped up in Gary’s arms, Jeff was surprised to find that he wasn’t embarrassed by his strange reaction to the storm, or by this show of vulnerability. Instead, he was letting himself enjoy Gary's protective, comforting embrace. Slowly, Jeff’s trembling faded, and his heart’s racing rhythm started to calm. He had never felt so loved, so cared for, so safe as when Gary held him close.

All of a sudden, Jeff felt Gary’s hand on his chin. Gary urged him to look up and meet his eyes.

“Hey, if you hadn’t come over . . .”

Jeff’s breath caught. Fuck, if he had been in that house...

But he hadn’t been. He’d been with Gary instead.

Gary started kissing him all over his face. “Gosh, I could have lost you.”

Gary continued peppering him with kisses. Sitting up, Jeff basked in them, in the little rays of sunshine, before finally catching Gary’s mouth with his. After a bit, Jeff broke their kiss and tipped their foreheads together.

“Gare, you saved me.”

For the rest of the evening, the two of them stayed close, not even parting for a single moment when they changed and washed up for bed.