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The rain had been falling for hours. Thick sheets of it streamed past the wide front windows of Storm Chargers, making the world outside look like a blurred painting in gray.
Tori pulled her wet hoodie tighter around her shoulders and nudged her socked foot into Dustin’s leg beneath the counter. “Tell me again why you still don’t have Wi-Fi in here?”
Dustin, perched on the stool beside her with a packet of gummy worms and an upside-down motocross magazine, shrugged. “Because Wi-Fi’s not extreme enough, dude.”
She gave him a look. He grinned. The thunder cracked again.
The lights flickered, and Dustin looked up mid-chew, brows raised like it was the most exciting thing to happen all day.
Tori rolled her eyes. “If the power goes out, I’m leaving you here alone.”
“You say that like I’m not used to being alone with my thoughts in the dark.”
He stuffed another gummy worm in his mouth. “They’re loud, but they’re chill.”
She laughed, leaning back against the counter. The old radio on the shelf sputtered static between a classic rock station and some local weather update. It wasn’t doing much, but the soft hum of it filled the space between them.
"You ever think about getting out of Blue Bay?" she asked suddenly, voice quieter now. “Like… just packing up and driving until the roads stop?”
Dustin blinked. “Whoa. That’s deep, dude.”
“I’m serious,” she said, hugging her arms to her chest. “Just… no responsibilities. No monsters. No Storm Chargers. Just the world and a full tank of gas.”
He was quiet for a second longer than she expected.
Then, “Would I be there?”
Tori looked at him. Really looked.
He wasn’t smiling like he usually did when he was trying to be funny. No winks, no half-grin. Just Dustin, leaning forward slightly like her answer mattered more than it should have.
“I guess that depends.”
“On what?”
“On whether you bring snacks.”
He grinned widely, color high in his cheeks. “Done. Gummy worms, spicy chips, two cans of soda, and an emergency supply of those cinnamon roll things you like.”
“I hate that you remember that.”
He bumped her shoulder. “You love it.”
The rain outside only got louder, but it couldn’t drown out the way her heartbeat suddenly kicked up.