Nick & Bailey

31. Bailey

I finally find my phone and hit the button to light up the screen. Fuck. I forgot that my battery is dead.

I'm soaking wet, naked, home alone, and in complete darkness. I can feel the panic rising in my stomach--but I won't let it take me over.

First things first, I need to find a towel. I stretch my arms away from me into the darkness. I know I only need to take three or four steps at the most to reach the linen cabinet. Scared of slipping on the wet tile, I take them very slowly. I eventually feel the knob and breathe a sigh of relief. I open the door and feel for the pile of towels at eye level. I grab one, but I must not grab the top one because I feel two or three fall onto my face and land down by my feet. It scares me and makes me scream.

After a second, I realize what happened and take a few deep breaths. What did I think? A murderer was hiding in my bathroom linen cabinet waiting for a blackout and then proceeded to throw towels at me? I need to calm down.

I wrap the towel around me and walk in what I hope is the direction of the hallway door--it's not. I got turned around when I had to face the towel-throwing intruder. I end up hitting my shins along the bathtub, and spewing a few swear words. At least now I know where I am.

As I open the door that leads to the hall, I swear I hear something downstairs, like a door closing. My heart starts pounding against my chest, but I try to get control over it. It's just my mind playing tricks on me again.

I slowly walk in the direction of my bedroom and see a light turning on downstairs. It's a light from a flashlight or cell phone--someone is in my house. I go into flight mode, running now towards my room. Of course, I trip over the shoes that I had left there earlier in the night and fall flat on my face.

"Bailey?" I hear the voice from downstairs.

I roll over onto my back "Nick?!?" What is he doing here? He's supposed to be at work.

I see the light he's holding rise along the wall as he climbs the stairs before I see a silhouette of his body reach the landing. "Bailey? Where are you?"

"Here," I say quietly, and he shines his phone to his right in the direction of my voice.

"Oh my God, Bailey, what happened?" At first, I thought I heard concern in his voice, but then I realize he's laughing at me. He starts walking toward me. "How'd you end up on the floor?"

As he stands over me, I become very aware of the fact that I am only in a towel. I bring my hands to the top of it, reassuring myself that it has stayed in place as I stand myself up. "I thought you were a murderer."

"Of course," he says, still laughing.

"What are you doing here anyway? I thought you were working." I try to say it in a way so he knows I don't mind him being here, I'm just confused.

"It's a little hard for a factory to run with no power, and then your parents called me and asked me to check on you. Apparently they've been calling you for an hour, and it's going straight to voicemail."

"Yeah. It died," I say. "So the powers out in the whole town? I can't charge my phone. Can I use yours?"

He hands it to me. "Yeah. Apparently some lightning hit the power station or something. I heard it's going to be out for hours. Why don't you take my phone while you go get dressed? I'll wait out here, and then we can find some candles or something."

"Oh, you don't like me in a towel?" I ask, jokingly. He doesn't answer.

I take his phone to my room and find some shorts and a tank top to put on. It is ninety degrees outside and is quickly getting close to that in the house the longer the air conditioning is off.

I call my mom to let her know that I'm fine, and I'll call her tomorrow when I can charge my phone. She asks to speak to Nick, so I open my door and find him standing with his back to the wall, waiting for me.

I hand him the phone, "My mom wants to talk to you."

He nods and puts the phone to his ear. "Hello?" "It's alright, really. No problem. I'll be fine." "Thank you." He laughs quietly. "I promise." "Okay, bye."

He hangs up and looks at me. I'm holding around fifteen candles of varying shapes and sizes in my arms. "You had all those in your bedroom?"

I shrug, and one candle falls to floor. Nick bends down to pick it up and asks, "Where do we want to light these? Downstairs?"

"You're staying with me?" I ask hopefully as we begin walking down the stairs. I don't want to be alone.

"If you want me to."

"Yes!" I practically yell, suddenly excited about the idea. "We can play cards or something. I think my mom has some more candles in the kitchen. I'll grab them."

I take Nick's phone with me to the kitchen as I hear him lighting candles and scattering them on the end tables. I find a stash of tea lights and a deck of cards in our junk drawer and start to head back. As I pass the refrigerator, I have an idea.

"I think I know how to ease my nerves and make the time pass," I say entering the living room waving an unopened bottle of vodka.

Nick turns around and smiles. "Whatever helps."